My Signature Carrot Cake
A classic, generously spiced carrot cake made with grated carrots, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, golden raisins, and toasted walnuts, then finished with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For The Carrot Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for tossing mix-ins
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots grated on the large holes of a box grater and lightly squeezed
- 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple drained well
- 1/2-3/4 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup toasted walnuts chopped
- 3 ounces shredded coconut
For The Frosting
- brown butter cream cheese frosting for filling and frosting the cake
Instructions
- Prep The Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Whisk The Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Mix The Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
- Prepare The Carrots: Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the carrots into long shreds. Place them in a clean kitchen towel and lightly squeeze to remove excess moisture.
- Toss The Mix-Ins: Toss the walnuts and raisins with 1 tablespoon flour.
- Combine The Batter: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
- Add The Carrots And Mix-Ins: Fold in the carrots, drained pineapple, shredded coconut, and the floured walnuts and raisins until evenly distributed.
- Fill The Pans: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake: Bake for 30 to 36 minutes, until the centers spring back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- Chill The Layers: Wrap the cooled cake layers and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight, before frosting.
- Frost The Cake: Assemble with brown butter cream cheese frosting. Apply a thin crumb coat, chill for 15 to 20 minutes, then finish with the final layer of frosting.
- Slice Cleanly: For especially clean slices, chill the frosted cake for 30 to 40 minutes before serving and wipe a long sharp knife between cuts.
Notes
This recipe is written for two 9-inch cake pans, though it also works in two 8-inch pans with slightly taller layers and 3 to 6 additional minutes of baking time. For this cake, the carrots are grated using the larger holes of a box grater, which creates a more rustic crumb and allows the carrot texture to remain visible in the finished cake. Lightly squeezing the grated carrots removes excess moisture while keeping the cake tender. Tossing the walnuts and raisins in flour helps keep the mix-ins evenly distributed, and chilling the cake layers before frosting makes for a much smoother final finish.