Orange Carrot Cake
This incredible cake boasts flecks of tender carrots in an orange-scented, ultra-moist batter. It’s not just the coupling of oranges and carrots that make this cake shine, warm cinnamon scents the batter and vanilla perfumes the tangy cream cheese frosting. Imagine each forkful – sweet, citrusy cake and rich, satiny frosting. Carrot cake nirvana.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
And this is the easiest carrot cake ever! You need 2 bowls, one whisk and one baking pan! Follow my tips and tricks below and you will create the most scrumptious carrot cake you’ve ever tasted.
Most carrot cake recipes call for crushed pineapple, but why? Pineapple contains enzymes that break down protein and tenderize food. In the case of carrot cake, they break down the proteins in the flour and soften the carrots, which yields a tender, moist cake. Plus, pineapple juice is sweet and while carrots are “sweetish” when compared to other vegetables, they’re not “cake sweet”. The great news is, orange juice/zest perform the same function! The coupling of zingy oranges and sweet carrots gives the classic carrot cake a refreshing makeover. The juice keeps the cake moist, sweetens the batter, and adds an unrivaled burst of flavor. You need to try it!
Carrot cakes are traditionally made with oil instead of butter. Here’s why: oil keeps carrot cake moist and helps it last for days (if it doesn’t get gobbled up on the first day). This helps with cleanup too. There’s no need for an electric mixer since we’re not aerating butter by beating it with sugar – a technique used to create a lighter, tender cake. This carrot cake is perfectly light and tender, without an aerated batter.
Here are a few tips for carrot cake perfection:
- Grate your carrots correctly. I suggest using a food processor fitted with the grater blade for consistency, efficiency, and easy cleanup. You can also use the large holes of your box grater. This carrot cake only bakes for about 30 minutes, which doesn’t give the carrot shreds long to soften. Bigger chunks of carrots won’t get soft in 30 minutes, and nobody wants a crunchy cake.
- Precisely measure your ingredients. As with all cakes, proper measuring is the key to a successful outcome. Add a little extra sugar and the cake may sink in the middle. Too much flour, and the cake will be dry. Don’t eyeball it – use measuring cups and spoons and level them off with the flat side of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Even though we’re whisking and stirring by hand in this recipe (not using an electric mixer), overmixing the batter will overwork the gluten in the flour and can yield a tough, chewy cake. Blend just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the “wet” carrot mixture.
A few more tips:
- Cool the cake completely before frosting, a minimum of 1 hour. The frosting is made with cream cheese and butter, and both will melt if you try to frost the cake when it’s warm.
- If possible, chill the cake before serving, a minimum of 2 hours. As hard as it may be to wait, the cake and frosting are better when they’ve had a chance to commingle for 2 hours. Don’t worry though, t’s not the end of the world if you want to enjoy the cake sooner.
- Carrot cake needs to be refrigerated. Since the cake includes fresh carrots, and the frosting is made with butter and cream cheese, this carrot cake needs to be refrigerated. You can leave it in the cake pan, covered with plastic or foil, or transfer it to a sealable container. The cake will last up to 7 days refrigerated.
Orange Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake
- Cooking spray, oil, or butter for coating the pan*
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely grated carrots, about 5 medium carrots
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, about 1 orange
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray, oil, or butter*.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in the carrots and orange zest.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (just until the flour mixture is incorporated; do not over-mix).
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cake on a wire rack (cool completely before frosting; at least 1 hour).
- To prepare the frosting, in a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar – one cup at a time – and mix until blended, light and creamy.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, spread the cream cheese frosting over top. Serve or, for the best results, chill for a minimum of 2 hours.