A very soft and fragrant recipe: the Carrot cake and its creamy icing. Carrot and spice cake is the ultimate comforting dessert. Here in a layer cake version for even more indulgence...
For those who are new to carrot cake, don't be put off by the word "carrot" : we do not feel the taste of the carrot in the cake but it brings an ideal moisture / softness to the cake, you will see.
What exactly is carrot cake?
This carrot cake is widely consumed in Anglo-Saxon countries. In the United States, it even has its national day, the 3 February !
The carrot cake is a cake soft texture and a little wet thanks to the grated carrots added to the preparation. His warm spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, add a very pleasant comforting side (and it smells delicious in the kitchen).
It is usually accompanied by a cream cheese frosting (Philadelphia). Its flavor goes perfectly with that of carrot cake. I like its creamy texture, which could almost be eaten alone with a spoon...
To add a little crunchy touch to the tasting, I added some crushed nuts in the cake, it remains optional but personally, I love it.
How to make a carrot cake with icing?
For this big cake, you can go there take in advance. For example, make the 3 levels of carrot cake in advance and wrap them in cling film to keep them until the D-day of the icing.
So we start by preparing carrot cake. First, mix the oil and brown sugar. Don't be afraid of the amount of oil, for a cake of this size it's normal, and it allows for a lot of softness. Then add the eggs one by one and the vanilla.
Separately, the dry ingredients are mixed together and then added to the wet ingredients. Finally we finish by adding the grated carrots and crushed walnuts to the dough. We pour into 3 molds of 15cm in diameter and we put it in the oven.
To realize icing, first whip the butter until it is nice and creamy, then add the cream cheese. A little icing sugar and vanilla, and the icing is ready!
For mounting, we place the first disc on the serving cake pan. I recommend using a turntable to put underneath it's easier to decorate. Then we cover this first cake disc with a layer of icing. We place the second disc and so on. After a thin layer of covering (and a time in the fridge), we garnish the entire cake with icing.
Other recipes to try
If you like this kind of desserts, then I advise you to take a look at these other recipes on the blog:
- Kanelbullar Swedish cinnamon buns
- Pecan butternut cake with icing
- Vanilla pear bundt cake with icing
- Cinnamon pear crumble
- Layer cake gingerbread cinnamon icing
If you make this recipe, don't hesitate to tag @liliebakery on Instagram so I can see your beautiful layer cakes!
- 300 g of flour
- 180 g brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 250 ml rapeseed oil
- 330 g grated carrots
- 0,75 tbsp of natural vanilla extract
- 0,75 tbsp of cinnamon
- 1,5 tsp baking soda
- 0,75 cc of baking powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 0,33 tsp nutmeg
- 80 g crushed walnuts + for decoration
- 450 g natural fresh cheese Philadelphia at room temperature
- 180 g soft butter at room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp of natural vanilla extract
- 240 g icing sugar to be dosed according to your taste
- Preheat the oven to 170 ° C traditional heat.
- Start by making the 3 levels of cakes. Butter and flour 3 round molds 15cm in diameter.
- In a bowl, combine the oil and brown sugar. Add the eggs one by one and the vanilla. Separately, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda). Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix to homogenize. Pour in the grated carrots and crushed walnuts, mix one last time.
- Cook for about 30 minutes (check doneness with a wooden pick). Let cool and unmold on a grid.
- Prepare the icing by starting by whipping the butter alone for one minute, adding the cream cheese and beating both for one or two minutes to obtain a creamy and homogeneous consistency. Gradually add the vanilla, then the icing sugar. Keep cool until assembly.
- For assembly, place the cake on the serving dish, place the first cake disc. Pour a layer of icing and smooth with a spatula. Cover with the second disc and then with a new layer of icing. Place the third disc and cover the entire layer cake with a thin layer of icing and refrigerate for 30 minutes so that it freezes. Then finish the icing on the cake, still using a spatula. Decorate with nuts. Refrigerate until tasting.
Can I come and warm my heart with you? This carrot cake is perfect :)
It's beautiful! *-* I'd love to have a slice! :D
I've never made carrot cake before; I always make pumpkin cake, haha. So, I'm going to use your recipe to finally make carrot cake! ^^
And the pumpkin cake is delicious too! :)
Superb editing! You are not kidding yourself say when you want carrot cake :)
It's very pretty to the eye and I'm very frustrated that I have to just look at it!
Perfect, once again, I was inspired by your recipes for our wedding cakes. The guests seemed to appreciate it, I didn't even have time to eat a piece ;)
Wow! Well, I'm delighted :)
One of my favorite cakes, I absolutely have to try this one!
yum its makes you want as soon as I improve I test ^^
Hello Aurélie, this carrot cake in the form of a layer cake is simply superb :-) I take this opportunity to ask you: where did you find your cake stand? It is very pretty and really shows off your creations. Thank you in advance
Hello Ariane, this is a cake dish from Casa (it's a few years old now...)
Thank you for your answer Aurélie :-)
Thank you for this great recipe that I just tested by making a simple cake. It was delicious!! Next step, try the layer cake assembly, yours is magnificent! I added a little powdered ginger as you advised in your first Carrot Cake recipe
Top Zoe! And very good idea for the ginger on top of that
Hello
That's a lot of brown sugar, right?
Not so much, I don't find it too sweet to taste... There is a balance thanks to the carrots.
Hello, I find this cake magnificent. Phew I'm almost drooling but I have a question that has nothing to do with the recipe: I had one of your books (the title is "Anglo-Saxon delicacies") and I couldn't make one of the recipes that I liked, I searched on your site and I couldn't find any of the recipes (I had written them on a sheet), I would like to know if it's me who is wrong dear Bernard or if it's because you only wrote them in your books and not on your blog?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Goodbye
Hello, the recipes from the book are not published on the blog, I have given up the rights to the recipes, so I cannot publish them on the site.
[…] Carrot Cake recipe originally comes from the Lilie Bakery blog, it’s the one that piqued my curiosity the most, it was the one that seemed to me to be […]
I tested this carrot cake for a birthday at the end of April and it was a unanimous success, young and old loved it! Contrary to what you might think when you see it, it is not too heavy to digest (if you eat it in moderation of course!) and quite simple to make (even if you have to allow a little time).
Not having found a 15cm mold, I increased the proportions to make it with a larger mold and have enough dough to make the different layers. And the cream cheese icing is a real delight! Thank you for this great recipe! To be done again...
In fact, it remains a rather autumnal recipe that we take the time to make and that we like to enjoy as a snack when it's cold outside ;)
I only have a 21 cm mold, will that be ok or do I need to increase the quantities?
Thank you very much
Hello, you have to increase (calculate) otherwise it will be completely flat
I find this recipe great and would love to try it out. Do you think cakes can keep 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator?
Mmmm. I'm going to try this for my daughter's birthday. But what does 3/4 tbsp of cinnamon mean? Is it 3 to 4 tbsp or three quarters? Thanks
[…] described as heavy and too sweet, I found a pretty good recipe on the Lily Bakery website. I modified it a bit though to make it lighter and less […]
I just tested this recipe (my first carrot cake) and it's perfect even with cake molds. I then cut the cakes lengthwise and the result is very good, the dosage between spices, sugar, softness, bravo for the recipe, I impressed my friends and what's more it's very beautiful!
The carrot cake is always a very popular cake I think! :)
Hello Lilie
Thank you for this recipe! He is divine!
I made a mistake and left the carrot outside tonight With the icing under a bell. Is it still edible?
Hello
I would like to make 4 floors
Should I increase the quantities by adding 1 third or do I just make 4 molds without changing anything?
Thank you
Hello,
It's decided, I try it! It makes me drool!
Do you think I can do it the day before?
Thank you in advance
Hello yes no problem!
It's sublime! I would like to try it for my daughter's birthday. But suddenly, I have a question... For those who don't like the salty side of Philadelphia in cakes, is it possible to change it with mascarpone? Do you think the cream would hold up as well?
I tried it and I really liked it! I'm keeping the recipe, thank you! My daughter loves the icing but not the cake. It's impossible to make her swallow vegetables... even in a cake.
your cake has been eyeing me for so long that I think I will test it soon :)
Do you think that we can do it in the form of cupcakes, but suddenly in your opinion the cooking is halved or we maintain the same time? thank you in advance see you soon;)
Perfect recipe and total success with the three generations who have tasted it!
A real success for this layer cake that I chose to make on 2 levels with a 20cm base while keeping exactly the same proportions. I had already made carrot cake but I really appreciated your recipe for its softness and its fragrance.
(NB: I used pecans, extended the cooking time by 8 min since the discs were a little thicker and added a hint of nutmeg)
A delight! The hardest part was convincing my niece to try it... "what carrots? No thanks Auntie, but there's no chocolate in your cake?!!"
Loool... in the end she loved it! :)
Gorgeous! A killer! My friends keep asking for it as soon as October comes around.
Missgredin.
Hello,
If the cakes are baked the day before, how do I store them?
Thank you for this recipe !
Hello, you can wrap them in film and leave them at room temperature until the next day ;)
Hello! Great recipe! I would like to try it. Do you think I can put the dough in a single mold and then cut it into several layers?
Hello, it's possible if you're used to doing it like this, you'll have to adjust the cooking time so that the big cake is well cooked through. That's why I prefer to cook in several molds :)
I have the same question as a lady, to which the answer has not been given, is this three quarters of a tablespoon for spices or about 3 to 4 tablespoons depending on taste?
I try it on Christmas and suddenly I will need this answer, it seems absolutely divine, thank you for sharing
Hello Elise, it's 0,75 tbsp. Spices should always be used sparingly :)
Wow! Delicious recipe! Followed to the letter by doubling the quantities because there are many of us at birthdays and just adding a handful of grapes (because I like the combination). I always refused to try to make a carrot cake because it is my favorite cake and therefore I am very critical. Well there Bravo, a faultless one! Yum! Thank you for your incredible recipes!
Oh thank you very much Leïla for your comment! It makes me really happy that you like the recipe so much :)
Hello :) same opinion as Leïla, I am a big fan of carrot cake and not being a great pastry chef, I have never dared to make one, certain that it would not be up to par... And there, but what a treat, it is as good as my favorite of favorites!! Perfect recipe, a big thank you
A big thank you Léa for your return on the Carrot cake! Goodbye :)
Great Cake!! I made it for my daughter's 2nd birthday. Everyone LOVED it!!! :) :)
The only thing: for the icing I put much less icing sugar than indicated in the recipe because I found it sweet enough.
It may be due to this lack of icing sugar that I struggled to make it set in the fridge!!! Despite 1 night in the fridge it was still too liquid :( :(
Hello Axelle, I'm glad you and your family enjoyed this carrot cake! Indeed, you have to keep the proportions of icing sugar because it has a thickening role in icings in general. If you change it, you won't get the expected result. See you soon :)
Excellent cake and I made it as on the recipe and it is delicious !!!!!!!
Thank you Audrey for your feedback! Goodbye :)
Hello, we made this cake yesterday, it is very good, soft, we had a 20cm mold so we made it in 2 floors.
Only downside the icing is a bit disgusting I find, maybe too much butter? Is it possible to put less?
Hello Emilie, no it's not from the butter, it's just that you don't like the taste of Philadelphia. You can replace it with mascarpone if you prefer. See you soon :)
A treat! I've been wanting to try this recipe for a long time and I'm definitely not disappointed! This carrot cake is very moist, full of flavors and the combination with the creamy frosting is perfect. I even find it even more fragrant the next day!
Not having a mold of the right diameter to make it into a layer cake, I made a large cake in a mold about 20 cm in diameter, which I covered with almost all of the icing (the rest was eaten with a spoon, yum!).
I would do it again without hesitation!
Thanks Astrid for your feedback! I'm really glad you like this carrot cake, it's really a perfect dessert for the season! See you soon :)
Hello,
Congratulations for this recipe. On a completely personal note, I made the frosting with half cream cheese / half mascarpone. A delight, the whole family helped themselves to some and are already asking me for it again. Thank you!
Thank you Helena for your feedback! Glad you like it so much :) see you soon
Here I tried my first carrot cake, of course I followed the recipe from Lilie Bakery and as usual everyone is delighted.
A delicious recipe, easy to make and very well explained, thank you very much Aurélie
Thank you Emilie for giving me your feedback on this layer cake! See you soon :)
Good morning. The recipe makes my mouth water but I don't see where the ingredients are indicated?
Hello Camille, the complete recipe card is located at the bottom of the page, after my written advice. See you soon :)
Hello,
I tried this dessert for my birthday. I am a big fan of Carrot Cake but I never make it because my partner and my children don't like it. Finally made it yesterday while everyone was busy, I added dried cranberries in addition to the nuts and it was amazing! Everyone loved it even Monsieur and the children since they didn't know what recipe I had made. Like what, without prejudice everything is better
Thank you very much for your recipe. I love your blog, I often try your pastries and they are always a success.
Thank you very much Angélina for your message and your loyalty to the blog! I am delighted that you and your family like this carrot cake. See you soon :)
Hello, can we prepare it in advance by putting it in the freezer?
Hello Philippe, yes it is possible to freeze it. However, it must be well protected from the humidity of the freezer! It defrosts slowly in the fridge. See you soon :)
A delight! Fabulous! I didn't know about carrot cake. It has become THE cake to make for Christmas for me!
Thank you very much Rachel! I understand you, the flavors of carrot cake are ideal for the holidays! See you soon :)
A real delight! Melting texture, soft, just right perfumed. There is none left. I cooked everything in a single 24 cm diameter mold, and then cut it in two along the thickness.
This was our Christmas dessert today.
Unfortunately the frosting was a little grainy, why?
Hi Julie, glad you like it so much! A grainy frosting is an over-beaten frosting! See you soon :)
Hello, what could I replace nuts with for someone with a nut allergy?
This cake looks delicious!
Hi Priscilla, you can simply remove the nuts from the recipe. See you soon :)