King Arthur's Carrot Cake

star rating (59) rate this recipe »
Recipe photo

King Arthur's Carrot Cake

star rating (59) rate this recipe »
Published prior to 2008

Always a favorite, this dark, moist carrot cake appears regularly at King Arthur birthday parties.

Cake
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil
2 cups (14 ounces) sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 cups (11 1/2 ounces) finely grated carrots
1 1/2 cups (5 3/4 ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
one 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla OR 1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups (10 to 14 ounces) glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
milk or cream to adjust consistency of frosting, if necessary

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9" round layer pans, or one 9" x 13" pan.

Beat together the oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and spices. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir in. Add the carrots and nuts, and mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan(s).

Bake the cake(s) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cake(s) to cool completely before frosting. (If you're using round layer pans, remove the layers from the pans after about 15 minutes, and place them on a rack to cool.

Frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread; add additional sugar if it's too thin.

Frost the sheet cake right in the pan. For the layers, frost the top of one layer, top with the second layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Yield: 1 cake, 16 to 24 servings.

Reviews

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  • star rating 04/09/2012
  • barbara1021 from KAF Community
  • This cake is delicious! It was easy to prepare and was a hit at Easter. I added golden raisins to mine (soaked in hot water for a few mins, then dusted w/ flour before adding to the batter). The only thing I didn't like was in the icing...I would start w/ 1 tsp of extract in it instead of 2. I'm not a huge citrus fan, so it was a little overpowering for my taste. My family said I was crazy to say that though...they really enjoyed it. Recipe is definitely a keeper!
  • star rating 04/07/2012
  • emilyolin from KAF Community
  • I made the recipe exactly as written except for I used 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 cup pecans and it was a hit!
  • star rating 03/16/2012
  • dannilyons3 from KAF Community
  • Easy to make. and it's the best cake I've ever made. Tell me, how do you get the nuts so evenly around the side of the cake? Love the look, can't figure out the technique.
    It is easiest to do this with the cake on a fitted cardboard (same size as the layers,) support it with one hand, use the other hand to press the nuts into the frosting while turning the cake at the same time. You can also use a cake decorating stand aka, lazy susan and turn the cake that way as you press the nuts into the side of the cake. Please call our baker's hotline if you have any questions. ~Amy
  • star rating 03/09/2012
  • doryces from KAF Community
  • Best cake ever - dust the pans with flour as it does stick - but otherwise it was perfect. We are picking carrots everyday at this time of year and i try lots of different recipes but this was the best and uses the most carrots.
  • star rating 03/03/2012
  • junerine from KAF Community
  • There is only one thing to say about this recipe ( OUTSTANDING )
  • star rating 02/15/2012
  • clgorrell from KAF Community
  • I received this recipe in with an order for parchment paper and decided to try it right away. I just pulled it out of the oven and my kids had to have a slice. It had been out about 5 minutes or less. I went to cut a slice and it had sunk in the middle. I wish I had gotten online to see how others had made the recipe a little different because I didn't have enough vegetable oil and used a bit of olive oil to make it 1 1/2 cups oil. I never thought to use applesauce. They really liked the cake but was it the oil that made it sink in the middle? I used a 9 x 13 pan and used the cake tester to check it. I think the next time I make it I may substitute some applesauce for some oil. I'd really love to hear what you think I did wrong? Sorry to hear of the difficulty. It sounds like the cake could have used just a little more oven time. We try really hard to cover all the options when we test a recipe in the test kitchen. But sometimes, depending upon the type of pan used, the baking times can very by 5 minutes or so, for a fully set structure. Frank @ KAF.
  • star rating 02/13/2012
  • jadeskiss83 from KAF Community
  • The flavor of this cake was pretty good but I found it a bit too dense for my liking and I felt as though the large amount of oil left an oily residue in my mouth. I topped my maple cream cheese frosting and it was just okay.
  • star rating 01/25/2012
  • elainad from KAF Community
  • This carrot cake is delicious. I replaced the oil with applesauce and still had a perfectly risen and moist cake. Though with oil, I'm sure it tastes even better! The frosting is perfect. This is my husband's new favorite, and he is a carrot cake junkie!
  • star rating 01/06/2012
  • audreyhildreth from KAF Community
  • i was never a huge carrot cake fan. let me start by saying that. a women that i work with is a carrot cake fanatic though, and so, for her birthday, i made this cake. its turning even me into a believer! she of course raved, i am now asked to make this cake for almost every office function. lol. EVERYONE loves it. i use the fiori di sicilia in the frosting and everyone comments on a taste they 'cant quite place, but love' it always makes me smile. thanks for a great recipe KAF! i look forward to trying new recipes all year!
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