Scrumptious Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 cup all-purpose flour (or your favorite cup-to-cup gluten-free flour)

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cardamom, optional

Scant ¼ tsp ground cloves

1 ¼ cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla

4 large eggs, room temperature

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup, total, add-ins (raisins, currants, walnuts, or pecans)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp salt

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line loaf pans or cake tins with parchment and spray with a non-flavored cooking spray. If you are making cupcakes, place liners in your cupcake tin. Set this aside.

In a large bowl, mix the sugars, salt, oil, and vanilla using a whisk and making sure no lumps remain.

Add in the eggs, one at a time and whisk well, incorporating each before adding the next.

In a separate bowl, using a clean whisk, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom (if using). Whisking removes the lumps, if any, and helps blend the dry ingredients.

Once well whisked, place half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the grated carrots and mix this in.

Then fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Chop your nuts finely, if you are using them.

I like to toss my add-ins in about 1 T of flour to coat. This helps to prevent the add-ins from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking. In the cake pictured here, I’ve used walnuts. Fold your add-ins into your batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tins and bake, following the baking times listed below:

Cupcakes: 18 – 20 minutes

8” cakes: 34 – 36 minutes

Loaf pan: 40-42 minutes

Check that your cakes are done using the toothpick test. Let them cool in their pans until they reach room temperature, then frost as desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting instructions:

Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat cream cheese, butter, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Beat until incorporated, then increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in vanilla and beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed.