{"id":23270,"date":"2024-03-18T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/?p=23270"},"modified":"2024-03-18T08:00:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T15:00:35","slug":"carrot-cake-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/carrot-cake-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrot Cake"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/the-best-carrot-cake-recipe\/\">Live Well, Bake Often<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You Will Need<\/h2>\n<p>While there are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, I promise it\u2019s fairly simple. I won\u2019t cover every single ingredient, but I wanted to touch on a few important ones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Spices: <\/strong>There\u2019s a mix of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. All three spices add such a wonderful flavor to this cake, but aren\u2019t too overpowering. Feel free to add more spices, if you prefer though.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oil: <\/strong>Any kind of neutral-flavored oil is fine to use here, but I typically use vegetable or canola oil. You may also use melted coconut oil, just make sure all of your other ingredients are at room temperature so that it doesn\u2019t solidify.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Applesauce: <\/strong>This adds the perfect amount of moisture, so you end up with a moist cake that isn\u2019t greasy. I always use unsweetened applesauce whenever I make this recipe. If you can only find sweetened applesauce, just reduce the granulated sugar by 2 to 3 tablespoons.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sugar: <\/strong>I use a bit more brown sugar than granulated sugar because it adds more moisture and flavor to this carrot cake.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Carrots: <\/strong>I don\u2019t like to skimp on the carrots when it comes to this recipe, so&nbsp;there\u2019s 3 cups of grated carrots. Make sure to use freshly grated carrots here too. Avoid using a bag of pre-shredded carrots as they are often too dry and thick for carrot cake.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cream Cheese: <\/strong>Make sure to use a block of cream cheese. Avoid using cream cheese that\u2019s either whipped or in a tub, it\u2019s typically too thin and will result in a runny frosting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How To Make A Carrot Cake<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make The Cake Layers<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Preheat your oven to 350\u00b0F (180\u00b0C). Spray two 9-inch round cake pans well with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottoms of each pan with a <a href=\"https:\/\/rstyle.me\/+6G_mQ7IJWl-QykHJnEN8bg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">parchment paper circle<\/a>. This will make it much easier to remove your cake layers from the pan!<\/li>\n<li>Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt to a large mixing bowl and give it a good whisk.<\/li>\n<li>In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together your oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract.<\/li>\n<li>Add the grated carrots to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Adding them at this point will ensure that they are fully incorporated into your batter and prevent you from over mixing it later on.<\/li>\n<li>Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Make sure not to over mix your batter! This can overdevelop the gluten and cause the cake to turn out dense\/gummy. Trust me, no one wants that.<\/li>\n<li>Divide the cake batter evenly between both cake pans. <strong><em>Tip:<\/em> <\/strong>If you want to get perfectly even cake layers, I recommend using a <a href=\"https:\/\/rstyle.me\/+E7mWJXBHettrjtejHXUzCQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">food scale<\/a> to weigh your cake batter.<\/li>\n<li>Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly in the pans, then remove the cake layers from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mix Together The Cream Cheese Frosting<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li>Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the butter and continue mixing until well combined.<\/li>\n<li>Lastly, mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. If needed, stop and scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl to ensure that all of the frosting ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assemble &amp; Frost The Cake<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol start=\"10\">\n<li>Level the tops of each cake layer. You may use either a large knife or a cake leveler for this step, I personally love this <a href=\"https:\/\/rstyle.me\/+DlINYrSaPT0MG6jPuxEehg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">cake leveler<\/a>. It\u2019s a great option for beginners too!<\/li>\n<li>Place one of the layers on a cake stand and scoop a little over 1\/2 cup of the frosting on top, then smooth it out evenly.<\/li>\n<li>Place the other cake layer on top and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. An angled spatula or even the back of a spoon works great for this step! If you want to add a little something extra, feel free to toast some chopped pecans or walnuts and sprinkle them around the top of the cake.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1697131581127\" class=\"schema-faq-section\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Does carrot cake need to be refrigerated?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes, if you frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting it does need to be refrigerated. It will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1697131600716\" class=\"schema-faq-section\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can you freeze carrot cake?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Of course! You can wrap individual slices with plastic wrap and freeze them in a large freezer bag.<\/p>\n<p>The cake layers and frosting can also be frozen separately for up to 3 months. I do suggest wrapping the cake layers tightly with plastic wrap before freezing them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1697131612251\" class=\"schema-faq-section\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How do you grate carrots for carrot cake?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The easiest method is to use a box grater and grate the carrots just like a block of cheese. If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, that works too.<\/p>\n<p>I also recommend peeling your carrots and removing any brown spots or blemishes before grating them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1697131634690\" class=\"schema-faq-section\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can I add nuts or raisins?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Absolutely! Chopped walnuts or pecans would be fantastic in this recipe, I suggest using about 3\/4 to 1 cup. If you love raisins, you may also add 1\/2 cup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adjusting Your Pan Size<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most common questions is whether or not this recipe can be baked in another pan. The answer is YES!<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few more commonly used baking pans that you can bake this cake in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>9\u00d713:<\/strong> Pour the batter into a greased 9\u00d713 pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>8-inch round pan:<\/strong> Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper circle. Pour the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cupcakes:<\/strong> The full&nbsp;recipe will make 28 cupcakes. Only fill each liner about 2\/3 of the way full so that they don\u2019t overflow and bake for 16 to 20 minutes. I also recommend doubling the frosting to have enough to cover all of the cupcakes. If you prefer a smaller batch, try my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/carrot-cake-cupcakes\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">carrot cake cupcakes<\/a> instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-lightmint-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Baking Tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>When measuring your flour, don\u2019t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife. I have a whole post that explains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/how-to-measure-flour\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">the spoon &amp; level method<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t have any applesauce? You may replace it with 1\/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or one 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple that\u2019s been drained.<\/li>\n<li>I opted to stick with my favorite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/cream-cheese-frosting-recipe\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">cream cheese frosting<\/a>. It makes enough to frost the carrot cake like you see in the pictures. If you really love frosting, then I suggest increasing the recipe by half.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Additional frosting options:<\/strong> If you want to try another frosting, my&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/how-to-make-buttercream-frosting\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">vanilla buttercream frosting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/ermine-frosting\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">ermine frosting<\/a>,&nbsp;or the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.livewellbakeoften.com\/pistachio-cake\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">whipped honey mascarpone frosting<\/a>&nbsp;I used on my Pistachio Cake recipe would be delicious too.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Live Well, Bake Often What You Will Need While there are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, I promise it\u2019s fairly simple. I won\u2019t cover every single ingredient, but I wanted to touch on a few important ones: Spices: There\u2019s a mix of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. All three spices add such &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/carrot-cake-4\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Carrot Cake&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grandpas-private-collection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23271,"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23270\/revisions\/23271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grandpacooks.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}