Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Moist Carrot Cake, filled with banana, figs, and a touch of coconut. Perfectly spiced and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 313 grams all purpose flour 11% protein
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 220 grams dark brown sugar packed
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 171 grams mashed over-ripened banana
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 224 grams sunflower oil or liquid coconut oil
- 200 grams fresh carrots peeled and grated
- 42 grams shredded sweetened coconut *keep shredded or blitz in food processor for smaller granules
- 96 grams dried figs chopped *optional to swap for raisins or dates
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 113 grams unsalted butter European Style 82% butterfat softened
- 125 grams full fat cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teasoon fine sea salt
- 330 grams powdered sugar sifted
Topping
- shredded sweetened coconut sprinkle on top of frosting
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 180℃ / 160℃ Fan (convection). Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.313 grams all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Place eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla extract into a separate large bowl. Hand whisk together until smooth.220 grams dark brown sugar, 100 grams granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 171 grams mashed over-ripened banana, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add in room sunflower oil and whisk until mixed in.224 grams sunflower oil or liquid coconut oil
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula and mix until just combined. Don't over mix the batter.
- Fold in the carrots, coconut, and figs in intervals.200 grams fresh carrots, 42 grams shredded sweetened coconut, 96 grams dried figs
- Scoop the cake batter into the two prepared cake pans dividing the batter evenly.
- Bake for 33-35 minutes on the middle rack. Check for doneness when the tops of the cakes have a slight spring and a toothpick inserted into the center of each one comes out clean.
- Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, invert the pans and place the cake layers right side up, directly onto the wire rack to cool completely.
- Remove bottom layer of parchment paper before assembling the cake with frosting.
- Place a single layer on desired cake dish. Top with cream cheese icing, sprinkle with shredded coconut.
- Place second layer on cake and repeat by covering the top of cake with icing and a sprinkling of more shredded coconut.shredded sweetened coconut
- Slice and serve.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment on high speed, beat together softened butter and cream cheese, until fluffy without lumps. (3-4 minutes) Mix in the honey, vanilla, and salt.113 grams unsalted butter European Style 82% butterfat, 125 grams full fat cream cheese, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teasoon fine sea salt
- Reduce speed to low and slowly spoon in the sifted powdered sugar. Whip on medium high speed until smooth. (2-3 minutes)330 grams powdered sugar
Video
Notes
- Ingredients Used
- Flour: Gold Medal All Purpose Flour 10.5-11% protein
- Cream Cheese: Philadelphia full fat block cream cheese
- Oven: This recipe was written for a conventional oven (top and bottom heat). For convection fan ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness 75% of the way through baking.
Weigh your flour: The measurement I use: 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams. This amount can change based on a different baker’s recipe or using a conversion tool. The weight listed in the recipe is how it was tested and should be used for accuracy. Different brands of flour are made with soft or hard wheat and have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high. This can change the final result of a baked good, giving different outcomes on the same recipe. I list the level of protein in the ingredients, the brand of flour tested with and a link to My Baking Ingredients for additional details. When choosing a flour, look at the protein level on the back of the bag and consult the recommended amount for the recipe.