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Best Homemade Carrot Cake

This cake is absolutely amazing. It's light, moist and full of flavours and textures, and the frosting is out of this world.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • Cake:
  • 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cup organic cane sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon unrefined salt
  • ½ teaspoon unrefined salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 3 pastured eggs
  • ¾ cup organic whole milk, or almond or coconut milk (mix with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar)
  • ¾ cup organic grapeseed oil, or melted coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups freshly shredded carrots
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • Frosting:
  • ½ cup grass-fed butter, softened
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups sifted organic powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Candied carrots (optional):
  • 2-3 medium carrots
  • 1 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  • In a measuring cup, combine milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
  • Grease 3 9-inches cake pans (for a 3-layer cake) with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, ginger and cloves.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs and add in milk, oil and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine shredded carrots, nuts, pineapple and raisins, stir and add to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir again to combine.
  • Now put wet ingredients into dry, stir well and divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.
  • Bake in the oven for about 1h or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.
  • Frosting:
  • Put butter into your mixer and mix on medium speed until fluffy.
  • Add cream cheese and mix again until well incorporated.
  • Add powdered sugar, one cup at the time, and mix until smooth.
  • Add in vanilla and whisk again.
  • Reserve frosting until ready to use
  • Candied carrots:
  • Peel the carrots completely until you can't anymore.
  • Put cane sugar and water into a small saucepan.
  • Add carrot peels
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  • Drain carrots into a sieve and let stand another 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 250F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add carrot strips onto the baking sheet and bake in oven for about 1 hour or less if you want them a little more moist.