Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 16 servings.
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 2 cups sugar; 1 cup canola oil; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 2 cups grated carrots; FROSTING:; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 3 ounces cream cheese, softened; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk; 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional; Orange and green food coloring, optional

A pleasingly moist cake, this treat is the one I requested that my mom make each year for my birthday. It's dotted with sweet carrots and a hint of cinnamon. The fluffy buttery frosting is scrumptious with chopped walnuts stirred in. One piece of this cake is never enough—better than all the other carrot cakes I've tried!—Kim Orr, West Grove, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups grated carrots
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Orange and green food coloring, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and oil. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; beat into egg mixture. Stir in carrots.
Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For frosting, in another large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired spreading consistency. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting for decorating if desired. If desired, stir walnuts into remaining frosting.
Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. If decorating the cake, tint 1/4 cup reserved frosting orange and 1/4 cup green. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert #7 round pastry tip. Fill the bag with orange frosting. Pipe twelve carrots on top of cake, so each slice will have a carrot. Using #67 leaf pastry tip and the green frosting, pipe a leaf at the top of each carrot.
Store cake in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 531 calories, 28g fat (7g saturated fat), 67mg cholesterol, 203mg sodium, 68g carbohydrate (54g sugars, 1g fiber), 5g protein.

Originally published as Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake in Taste of Home April/May 2001

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Tammie

Oct 30, 2018

How can anyone say this was dry. Maybe the size of your grated carrot? Omg so moist. At least mine was. So flavourful. Will definitely be making this again.
Sheila

Oct 18, 2018

This was not the cake I envisioned...I made it without changing a thing. It was dry and was lacking flavor. Will not make again.
Crystal

Jul 1, 2018

BCVigil I actually made cupcakes today. And they were a hit.
BCVigil

Apr 9, 2018

The cake was simple to make and the end result was very moist and tasty. I made a double-layer cake, however, cupcakes would be perfect!!! Does anyone know what the approx. bake time for cupcakes using this recipe would be?
wintermom9597

Apr 2, 2018

Definitely not my most favorite of carrot cakes - too dry for me. And I doubled the frosting amount hoping that would help.
ndnmac

Mar 27, 2018

I make a much moister 3 layer carrot cake that has coconut and pineapple in it. Everyone says it is the most moist and greatest tasting carrot cake they have ever eaten. I am ask to bake them for dog rescue charity sales every year. Some of the charity people order them before the charity even starts to make sure they get them...yes their money goes to the dog !!!!
turitsky

Mar 8, 2018

This is a recipe I have used for years but I make a few changes. I put pecans in the batter and black walnuts in the icing. I have had people ask me to make this cake for them for holidays and parties.
Bobbie

Mar 5, 2018

I have used this recipe for many years and gotten rave reviews. The two changes I made were to increase the amount of grated carrots to a heaping 4 cups of organic ones and to use a 9x13" pan. Oganic carrots are so much more flavorful. Using a Salad Shooter to grate the carrots makes quick work of a tedious process.
Kasha

Apr 19, 2017

made this in 2 loaf pans and after an hour they passed the toothpick test... but they collapsed and had to be recooked as runny in the middle. Used exact recipe. However they got rave reviews for taste and looked fine with icing on them. Just a little dense. Will try again and see. Not dry at all.
Paula

Apr 10, 2017

I found this recipe online last week. I followed it exactly as it was listed. It is the driest cake ever! It is not worth keeping. I looked up some other recipes and found they used crushed pineapple with the juice, and one more cup of carrots. I am sure they will not be dry! Very disappointed in this from Taste of Home!As I was just re-reading the other reviews....I noticed a few ingredients that were not at all listed in the recipes. Like applesauce, and carnation milk. Also Sour cream. I know these were add ins or subsitutes, but should have been mentioned in the recipe.