This recipe is for the best Carrot Cake you will ever make! The cake is incredibly moist, dense and packed full of flavour from the addition of roasted walnuts, spices and carrots.
The best carrot cake I have ever had is at The Mountain House located in Stratford New Zealand. To this day, no other carrot cake has beaten that carrot cake.
When I say it’s amazing… Truly, its amazing.
That was of course…. Until today!
After A LOT. And I mean A LOT of recipe testing, I think I have finally cracked the code for the best carrot cake.
I’ll admit it is different to the one I love at the Mountain House but it’s close and just as great!
The great thing about this recipe is how easy it is! Literally throw all the ingredients together in a bowl and bake!
Simple as that.
I used my cream cheese icing recipe for the filling and covering of the cake because you can’t have carrot cake without cream cheese icing! It’s the best part.
How To Make The Carrot Cake
Toast the walnuts for 10 minutes and set aside. 
Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and mix together. 
Add in the grated carrots. 
Add in the dry and mix until combined. 
Finally add in the roasted nuts. 
Place in the cake pans and bake!
As you can see from the above photos, the cake is crazy easy to make!
So what are you waiting for?
Did you make this recipe? If so, show me your creation! Tag me on Instagram @lightscamerabake and #lightscamerabake to be featured.
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Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil (250ml)
- 1 and 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar (250g)
- 3/4 Cup Sugar (150g)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs
- 432 g Tin Crushed Pineapple
- 3 and 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour (410g)
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3 Cups Carrots, Grated (Around 3-4 carrots) (300g)
- 1 Cup Walnuts (or pecans, pistachios, almonds) (120g)
Cream Cheese Icing;
- 1 Cup Cream Cheese, Room temperature (250g)
- 1/2 Cup Butter, Softened (110g)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 and 1/2 – 3 Cups Icing Sugar (320g-380g)
Decorating;
- 1/2 Cup Almonds or Walnuts (Optional) (60g)
Instructions
Carrot Cake;
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Chop the walnuts (or whatever nuts you use) into small pieces and place in the oven to roast for around 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and carry on with the recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line two 24cm or 9" round spring form cake pans and set aside. (Or 3 20cm or 8" round cake pans).
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a bowl and stir together.
- Add the oil, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla and tinned pineapple to a bowl and beat together.
- Grate the carrots and add them to the cake batter.
- Add in the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined.
- Finally fold through the roasted walnuts and then pour the batter into the two cake pans evenly.
- Place in the oven to bake for 35-45 minutes. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes should come out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the cake pans for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature while you make the cream cheese icing.
Cream Cheese Icing;
- Beat the butter until smooth.
- Add in the cream cheese and beat together until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and slowly add the icing sugar until all combined.
Putting it altogether;
- Using 1/3-1/2 of the icing, fill the cake, you can pipe this or spread this. Then top the cake with the remaining icing. You can cover the sides, pipe like I have or however you like.
- Then top the cake with the remaining icing. You can cover the sides, pipe like I have or however you like.
- I like to use a little bit of icing to cover the top and sides of the cake and place it in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up (a crumb coat) so the icing looks cleaner.
- Decorate however you like. I placed almonds on my cake but you can use any nut or none at all.
Video
Nutrition
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