• Oil • Applesauce • Brown Sugar • Granulated Sugar • Eggs • Vanilla Extract • Carrots • All-Purpose Flour • Baking Powder • Baking Soda • Salt • Ground Cinnamon • Ground Nutmeg • Ground Ginger • Ground Cloves • Cream cheese • Salted Butter • Coconut Extract • Powdered Sugar • Chopped Pecans / Walnuts
Preheat oven to 350F, and line three 8-inch pans with parchment paper circles. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla on medium-high speed until combined.
Shred the carrots.
Add the shredded carrots to the mixture.
Stir until well combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes then cool slightly in the pans before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frost the cake, sprinkle chopped pecans in a ring around the top, and pipe the carrot decorations using icing. Full detailed instructions are on the recipe post!
You can use buttercream frosting, but the classic choice for carrot cake is sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
I like a classic carrot-only carrot cake. One that is soft and light and fluffy cake with nary a bite of stray fruit or nut to interfere! The only exception is a sprinkle of chopped pecans on the outside of the carrot cake for decoration and a little crunch.