Name: Best Homemade Carrot Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 3/4 cup vegetable oil; 1/2 cup applesauce; 2 cups granulated sugar; 2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger; 3 cups lightly packed finely grated carrots**; 2/3 cup chopped pecans optional; 8 oz cream cheese, cold 1 – 8 oz package; 3/4 cup granulated white sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream cold

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12

Calories 629kcal

Ingredients

Cake

4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cups lightly packed finely grated carrots**
2/3 cup chopped pecans optional

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, cold 1 – 8 oz package
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream cold

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 9″ round cake pans with parchment paper, spray with baking spray or butter and dust with flour, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, combine vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla.
Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir in pecans and grated carrots. Divide mixture evenly into the 2 prepared cake pans.
Bake cakes in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in the pans before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting Flip cakes upside down when frosting.
Chill a large bowl for the whipped cream.

For the whipped cream cheese frosting:

In a large chilled bowl, whip cream with a mixer until it forms stiff peaks.
In another bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla until fully combined and creamy. Make sure the sugar has dissolved completely.
Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream, then use mixer until it’s fully combined and fluffy.

Notes

**I use the food processor to grate the carrots and then I chop them up smaller. Faster than hand grating and you don’t end up with long carrot strings in the cake.