Simple Carrot Cake Recipe for All Occasions

Carrot Cakes have been a staple in the dessert and cake industry for a long time. The flavor from the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and carrots combine to form a delicious, yet not overwhelming cake. Here is our Simple Carrot Cake Recipe for All Occasions.

 

Simple doesn’t mean your carrot cake is going to end up plain. It just means that this recipe can be made by literally anyone, even those who barely have any experience with baking!

 

Continue reading this article, and we guarantee that by the end of the day, you’ll be eating the simple, yet best tasting carrot cake you’ve ever tasted, baked by YOU!

 

Simple Carrot Cake Recipe

 

Before we begin toasting, mixing, and baking, we have to make sure that we get all the ingredients ready beforehand.

 

RECIPE:

• 4 cups grated carrots
• 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Cups of chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 ½ Cup of brown sugar
• ½ Cup of granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup smooth applesauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

 

Preparation the Ingredients

 

Prepare your ingredients on your baking table so everything will be much more organized before you begin baking. Lay them all out on a table, or whatever you’re comfortable with, and make sure all the packs are opened, all the ingredients are there and ready before you start.

 

Toasting the Pecans

 

Toast your pecans beforehand in the oven for a deeper nutty flavor. Spread them on a baking sheet, stick them in the oven for at least 6-8 minutes (or as long/quick as you prefer), and cool the nuts for a couple of minutes.

 

Mixing the Batter

 

While your nuts are cooling, start the carrot cake batter to save time. Start by grabbing two mixing bowls and mix the dry ingredients in 1 bowl and the wet ingredients in the other.

 

As promised, this is a simple carrot cake recipe so that you won’t be needing a mixer for this batter, so don’t worry! Mix them thoroughly. Once you’re done and confident enough that you mixed them thoroughly, start adding the dry ingredients in one bowl to the wet mixing bowl.

 

After you’ve mixed them, start adding in the shredded carrots and half of the toasted nuts (save the other half for garnish later!).

 

Baking Your Cake

 

Instead of layering your cake, you bake the mixture on a round or square/rectangle 9×13 pan. This cake can also be the perfect bottom layer for a homemade wedding cake if you’re thinking of making one!

 

Making a Frosting (optional)

 

This part is optional and unnecessary because your carrot cake is already perfect as it is and probably already tastes like heaven. Still, if you want to take it up a notch and go the next step, a frosting will make your carrot cake go from heavenly to immaculate.

 

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoon of butter
• 2 to 2 ¼ cups of confectioners’ sugar
• 4 ounces of cream cheese
• ¼ tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

 

First, melt your butter, and mix it with your cream cheese for a minute or so, then add vanilla and beat it again. Add powdered sugar half a cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness.

 

Finalizing your Cake

 

After baking your cake, you have to make the crucial decision of deciding whether or not you plan to serve it warm or chilled.

 

If you’re adding cream cheese frosting, we suggest the latter. Although this carrot cake tastes fantastic at any temperature, if you’re adding the cream cheese frosting, we highly recommend you chill both the cake and the frosting.

 

If you plan to decorate the top of the cake with frosting, we recommend that you stick it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before using it. This will make sure that your creamy frosting will hold the shape you’ll mold it in.

 

Finish up your cake by garnishing it with your leftover toasted pecans before serving it to your friends and family, or consuming it yourself (don’t worry, we don’t judge). This simple carrot cake recipe can last for up to 1 week if kept well.

 

Simple Carrot Cake Recipe Guides

 

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