keyword search dish type subcategory occasion

show only recipes with video

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

This moist, flavourful cake is incredibly simple to make and the frosting is divine. I like to add raisins and chopped walnuts to the cake but you can leave them out if you prefer.

print email share pin tweet shopping list add recipe

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
1 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
2 cups raw or white sugar
4 small eggs
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup plain / all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
3 cups grated carrot (about 3 medium carrots)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp orange juice
Cream Cheese Icing
75g butter, at room temperature
250g cream cheese (not the spreadable kind)
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 cups icing / confectioner's sugar
shredded zest of 1 orange

© Annabel Langbein Media 
https://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-icing/906/

EMAIL PRINT

Prep time:: 20 mins
Cook time:: 55 - 60 mins
Makes:: 1 cake

1 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
2 cups raw or white sugar
4 small eggs
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup plain / all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
3 cups grated carrot (about 3 medium carrots)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp orange juice

Cream Cheese Icing

75g butter, at room temperature
250g cream cheese (not the spreadable kind)
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 cups icing / confectioner's sugar
shredded zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 160ºC fanbake. Grease a 25cm-diameter loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

Place oil, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a food processor and whizz to combine. Add both flours, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and grated carrot and pulse again to just combine – don’t over-mix.

Dissolve baking soda in orange juice and pulse into cake mixture. Spread into prepared tin and bake until the top bounces back when pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (55–60 minutes). Allow to cool before icing with Cream Cheese Icing.

To make the Cream Cheese Icing, place softened butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice and icing / confectioner's sugar in a food processor. Blend until smooth then spread over top and sides of cake. Garnish with orange zest.

Variation:

Add 1 cup raisins and / or ½ cup chopped walnuts.

Banoffee Pie

Raspberry Ripple Ambrosia

Chilled Lime Creams with Oranges and Ginger Crumb

You must be logged in to add comments, click here to join.

34 comments

Best ever carrot cake! My go too for quick easy cake, I've lost count on how many times I've made it. Never lasts long & every one that's tried it has loved it. Think I do cook it About 15 mins longer . I often double the recipe & freeze one cake , if I do that I stretch the icing for one cake to to both, the icing keeps fine in fridge for a couple of weeks. Thankyou!

Julz20 September 08, 2020

Terrible, worst carrot cake ever. I've been making them for 36 years then tried this. It was not moist like it should be and the icing could have covered three cakes of this size. We went over the recipe checking amounts, temperatures and times to ensure we made no mistakes. Our oven always has produced good cakes and I have been cooking for over forty years. Please take this off your site and contact me for a good recipe. To others... STOP!!

Dyson August 25, 2020

I am New to this cooking, why in the ingredients you state small eggs? It would help to say size 5 6 7 or eight. With out being facetious a quail egg is small, a Kiwi egg is small when compared to an emu egg, so small is not really a defined size thank you.

Timbosam July 25, 2020

I make this all the time for my workmate. Since one is gluten free I make this with GF flour and it is just as good. I love that is put together quickly with a food processor. Never fails

pauline14 May 04, 2020

A really great recipe. Like others, I only used 1C sugar which worked really well. No wholemeal flour due to lockdown but standard was fine. Love to try with some wholemeal next time. I also used 3C icing sugar instead of 4. This was fine after a bit of fridge time and stable at room temp. With a hot day it might need the full 4C icing sugar. Love the citrus zing in the icing. A 22cm tin seemed perfect.

roffy May 02, 2020

Thanks for recipe! I want to try!) Try my favourite cake - Vegan Blueberry Mug Cake https://greenann.com/recipe/vegan-mug-cake/

BwarengaGriggs January 06, 2020

Is it okay to use white flour instead of wholemeal

DarkAngel2009 October 26, 2019

Add some Lemon in the cake for a zing in the baking. Makes the cake fresh and dainty.

DarkAngel2009 October 26, 2019

This is my Dads favorite type of cake!

DarkAngel2009 October 26, 2019

I make this with walnut oil, as I think canola oil is not good for us, and other healthy oils have too strong a flavour. I added walnuts and raisins - totally delicious. I also made the iciing with cream cheese and melted white chocolate, which I prefer to the iciing sugar version.

Kiwipezenas October 08, 2019

Our oven broke down so I steamed the carrot cake recipe in a pot. It took a bit longer to cook but it turned out perfect everyone loved it. Annabelles best ever banana cake is also delicious

...Denise... September 08, 2019

Like the other posters, I REALLY liked this cake. Thans fo the great recipe. Can it be made ahead and frozen ? Has anyone tried?

Fernandez June 05, 2019

Hi kiwicm921, I make this recipe Gluten free by just substituting GF flour for normal flour (same ratio) and it comes out a dream!!!! Absolutely beautiful recipe. I just use the “Free from Gluten” range or the Edmonds GF range.

annasplanet January 23, 2019

Hi Annabel, I love your carrot cake recipe and have been baking it for many years, however I am needing to now make it gluten free. Which gluten free flours would you recommend to make this lovely cake, as I am aware some wouldn't be suitable? Thanks, Catherine

kiwicm921 January 19, 2019

I love this recipe so easy for when unexpected guests pop in. Best ever cake with cream cheese icing. Thanks for sharing.

elonhawkins October 09, 2018

This was amazing I love how it doesn't use alot of butter canola oil is much cheaper these days! Very moist and The walnuts work well, wasn't so keen in The raisens so left these out The icing was yummy I'm never sure if it's safe to have cream cheese left out at room temperature (when it's iced) or if the cake should be kept in the fridge

Noodle07 August 05, 2018

Well, most comments here say its very sweet so Im gunna cut back on the sugar amount. I was wondering if vegetable oil is ok to use? And when you say not the spreadable kind I haven't seen any other type. Loving all the spices here. Am about to give it a go but Im hoping someone will confirm the vege oil b4 I start. Ty

LilPaw June 28, 2018

Thanks for this carrot cake recipe. I have just finished baking a carrot cake using this recipe. I must admit this is the best of the carrot cake recipes I have tried. This one is moist and tastes good with its icing and the lemon tastes really comes out..It's the best. The only change I made is the amount of sugar. I only used about 3/4 cup sugar as 2 cups is too sweet for me! I will add crushed walnuts next time just to try it as I did not include raisins and walnuts in my carrot cake.

Faatoiaboy June 17, 2018

This is the best recipe for carrot cake. I usually add crushed pineapple but it didnt need it. I used raw sugar and made all the icing. Enough coverage for sides too, just yummy! Next time I might add the pineapple and cut the sugar down.

adnilggoh April 29, 2018

This is my husband's favourite cake! I only use half the icing on it as the recipe makes enough for two cakes! I tried making it with brown sugar but prefer it made with white sugar. It is very sweet. However, a lovely cake. I make it with sultanas and walnuts.

Jewels4thee October 28, 2017

The cake is absolutely delicious and seems foolproof. But it seems very sweet so I cut down the amount of sugar by 2/3 and was still very sweet. You could probably reduce by half even. The frosting also uses a ton of butter and cream cheese so to make it a bit healthier, substituted light sour cream and added a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese and enough icing sugar to make a nice consistency. Icing tasted delicious but a different texture than if I used the full amount of butter and cream cheese. All-in-all loved this cake and will add raisins and walnuts next time.

msytc July 01, 2017

WOW, this cake is devine! I reduced the sugar to 1 1/3c and I used only wholemeal flour and it was still so moist and delicious. There were lots of rave reviews, thanks Annabel for sharing these recipes. P.s. The extra additions are great!

sharona_hohneckf2 October 16, 2016

Hello, are small eggs size 6 eggs? Thanks.

Pepper June 22, 2016

Can I freeze this cake uniced?

Kath February 11, 2016

I don't have a food processor. Can I use a blender for the first three ingredients? Staffygirl

Staffygirl December 17, 2015

Can the carrot cake be frozen?

robster December 12, 2015

I found this too sweet two cups of sugar maybe reduce the sugar It is a big cake I made in a 20cm tin and had a volcano but did find It very sweet,

Bridgetnewy October 26, 2015

I added walnuts, dried cranberries... looks good, will try tomorrow.

bkburge September 09, 2015

This is a very very good cake, never fails. I sometimes add a banana and chopped apricots to mine.

morangienz May 27, 2015

I've made this cake for my work colleagues, family and friends, at Christmas and for birthdays...now I get requests to make as its SO good. Making my tenth today for visiting family. Walnuts plus sultanas for sure! Thanks A.L. :-)

MJF2404 April 26, 2015

Hi echoes – The ginger is ground ginger. Enjoy!

Annabel Langbein April 14, 2015

This is the best carrot cake we have ever made. My husband makes it for us all the time and we get wonderful comments about how good it is. Even my kids love it.

kmt568 February 15, 2015

I love carrot cake so am really looking forward to trying to make one! Just a (potentially dumb) question, is the 1 teaspoon of ginger fresh ginger or ground ginger?

echapps February 11, 2015

So easy to make! Never made carrot cake before and love this processor type recipe thank you, got very good feedback :-) I only added raisins as not keen on walnuts but a great extra..

Woodzz September 05, 2014