When my mother worked as a nurse, she would occasionally bring her famous carrot cake to share with her colleagues. This is her one of those cakes that people actually contend with. It is very tasty. Secret ingredient? The citrus is tripled in his thanks to the orange peel and orange extract in the cake, plus the mouth-watering orange cream his cheese frosting is drizzled all over. It’s a bomb.
I usually request cream cheese frosting on this orange carrot cake for my birthday (Yes, my mom still makes my birthday cake, I’m lucky!) But I just realized I’ve never shared it with you here! Scroll down to find out everything you need to know about the best orange carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
How to make carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Impressive look? Yes, but it’s not complicated at all. With cream his cheese frosting, this carrot cake is served in one bowl, you You can choose to have a two-layer carrot cake or a three-layer carrot cake. Here’s an overview:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, blend the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients.
Then stir in all the good stuff: grated carrots, orange peels, and orange extract to make a double whammy of citrus, toasted pecans, and sweet currants.
If you want a taller cake with lots of frosting, divide the 9-inch cake tin into three. Either amount of dough will work, two cake pan roots will result in a thicker layer.
When the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool before slathering it with the most dangerously delicious orange cream cheese frosting.
How to frost a beautiful layer cake
i’m not a pro but bottom I learned a few things in a cake decorating class my mom and I took together at Michaels Arts & Crafts in 2001 (true story). Not sweaty. have fun. This is not high science and you can’t really screw it up. Here are some cake decorating tips that worked for me.
Refrigerate or Freeze Cake Layers
you don’t want them frozenbut you want them chilled enough that they will hold up and not crumble when you start adding the frosting.
Line a cake stand with parchment paper.
Add a few strips of parchment under the bottom cake layer (see photo below). After frosting the cake, pull out the parchment strips and clean the edges.
Hold the frosting tool at a 45 degree angle
Whether you’re using an offset spatula or bench scraper, hold it at a 45-degree angle to smooth the edges of the cake. Also, having the cake at eye level allows you to see exactly what’s going on as you smooth everything out.
smooth everything with a bench scraper
I like to apply matte with an offset spatula, but I always finish things off Use a bench scraper for a smooth final look. Hold the bench scraper in your dominant hand and the cake stand or turntable in your other hand. Rotate the cake and gradually press the bench scraper against the sides, continuing to roll at a steady pace until smooth.
Tips for making this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
As promised, this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is simple, but there are a few tips to make it even easier.
grate the carrots in a food processor
My food processor has a “grater” attachment that I break out whenever I need to grate a large amount of carrots for a recipe. And once you take it out, you can also use it to chop nuts.
Some Tasty Swaps I Tried
This recipe lends itself to some easy adaptations, based on personal taste and what you have on hand.
- If you want a more nutty, more complex flavor, replace half the flour with whole wheat flour.
- Substitute toasted walnuts for pecans.
- Substitute raisins or chopped dates for currants.
- Use your favorite oil. I like the neutral flavor and health benefits of avocado oil, but you can use canola or olive oil instead.
Some other spring cake recipes we love!
This is my absolute favorite cake to make for a child’s birthday party. Yes, you can perfectly use cake mix in a pinch.
rhubarb meringue cake
Last spring, Alan Goyoaga made me a cake with me for our brunch, and I still dream of this light, airy meringue cake with spring rhubarb.
best lemon loaf cake
I’ve tried the best lemon loaf cake recipes on the internet and this one is 100% better than Starbucks.
explanation
This orange carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is truly the best. It’s a family classic in style!
- 1 1/4 cup Oil of your choice*
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- Four big egg
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cup julienne carrot
- grated peel of 1 fresh orange
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup currant
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped, for garnish
For cream cheese orange frosting:
- 12 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup softened butter
- grated peel of 1 orange
- 6 cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two or three 9-inch round cake tins (how many layers you want is up to you).
- Add oil and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer and mix over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and use a fork to whisk the dry ingredients together, then turn the mixer on low heat. beat until blended.
- Stir in carrots, peels, extracts, nuts and currants.
- Divide into prepared cake buns and bake in center of oven for 30-35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
- Chill for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Cream cheese orange frosting:
- Mix cream cheese, butter, zest and extract until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Frost cake between layers, sides and top. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired, and store in the refrigerator.
Note
*I like to use avocado oil, but you can use olive oil or canola oil if you prefer.
