This is the BEST Carrot Cake Recipe made with fresh carrots, dried currants, aromatic spices, toasted pecans, and a rich cream cheese frosting, you’ll get rave reviews every time you make this single-layer confection.
There are lots of Carrot Cake Recipes out there, but this one is my all-time favorite! This cake has the perfect balance of flavors thanks to warm Speculaas spice, Vietnamese cinnamon, toasted pecans, and Zante currants.
Topped with a homemade cream cheese buttercream frosting (similar to the one I use on my Banana Cake recipe), you’ll love this cake from the first bite to the last!
Where Did It Originate?
Who would think to mix carrots into a cake? The carrot cake may have evolved from recipes for carrot pudding dating back to the Medieval times.
Since carrots are naturally sweet, they were often used in place of sugar, which was an expensive commodity. These dishes were often made with the same warm spices found in today’s carrot cakes!
What’s In It:
- Toasted pecans – Toasting the pecans darkens the color, amplifies the flavor, and strengthens the texture so they don’t get soft once baked into the cake — all you need is a cookie sheet and 10 minutes of bake time!
- All-purpose flour – Using this instead of cake flour gives this cake the ideal density and texture.
- Speculaas Spice – This is a Dutch spice mix that’s made of a warm blend of spices like cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and more. This is THE key ingredient in this recipe, but it will still be good if you have to substitute, read how in the recipe notes. And yes, these are the spices found in Speculoos, aka cookie butter!
- Vietnamese cinnamon – This has a stronger flavor than regular cinnamon.
- Baking powder & soda – Leavening agents to make the cake rise.
- Kosher salt – A bit of salt always amplifies sweetness and is often found in baked dessert recipes.
- Dried Zante currants – These are slightly tart for a more balanced flavor.
- Vegetable oil – To keep the cake super moist.
- Dark brown sugar – This also adds moisture and depth to the flavor.
- Granulated sugar – A must for sweetness and texture!
- Eggs – Using room temperature eggs ensures that they’ll mix more evenly with the ingredients so they properly bind together.
- Grated carrots – The namesake ingredient, carrots work in cake because they’re naturally sweet and pair well with spices.
How To Make It:
Making a carrot cake from scratch is actually quite easy and WAY better than a store-bought mix! I love that this single layer cake only requires one cake pan, it makes it even easier for people to make!
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- Combine the wet ingredients.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Add to the cake pan and bake.
Use Bake Even Strips!
Never heard of Bake Even Strips? Well, if you bake a lot of cake, these babies will blow your mind! Just dampen the strips and wrap them around the pan before baking. The moisture in the strips keeps the edges of the pan cooler for perfectly level and deliciously moist cakes—every time!
No leveling means no wasted cake! Plus decorating is a breeze! They’re adjustable too for different size pans! And they’re pretty affordable and mine are 6 years old and still going strong!
Recipe Tips & Variations:
- Speculaas Spice is an incredible spice blend that takes this cake from basic to AMAZING! You can order it online here. If you don’t have it and don’t have time to order it, you can use a substitute of 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon of each: white ground pepper, ground ginger, and cardamom. You’ll also want to increase the ground cinnamon to 1 1/4 teaspoons.
- If you don’t have Vietnamese cinnamon, regular ground cinnamon may be used.
- Light brown sugar may be used if you don’t have dark on hand.
- Dried Zante currants should be available in the same aisle as the raisins at your local grocery store. They are smaller than raisins and that’s why I like to use them in this recipe as I find they give a better texture to the cake. However, raisins or golden raisins can be used instead. You can always chop the raisins for a better texture.
- Do not use matchstick carrots. Make sure that you use freshly grated carrots.
- Make sure you toss the pecans and currants with the dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- The cake can be placed in the fridge after baking to cool quicker.
- You can turn this carrot cake into a layer cake by doubling the recipe and using two cake pans.
- This recipe calls for a 9-inch cake pan. You can use a 10-inch cake pan but DO NOT use a smaller one unless you’re dividing the batter to make two small layers like a 6-inch cake.
More Delicious Recipes
- Hummingbird Cake – Filled with tropical flavors like banana, coconut, and pineapple, it’s topped with a caramel cream cheese frosting.
- Banana Bread – This one is dense, moist, and studded with walnuts. Try enjoying it with a layer of cream cheese!
- Coconut Cake – Light and fluffy, this one also has a coconut-infused cream cheese frosting.
- Zucchini Bread – Another sweet recipe with hidden veggies! This one is also laced with cozy cinnamon spice.
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread – A pumpkin lover’s dream with a creamy twist!
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Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup chopped pecans3 toasted
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons Speculaas Spice1
- ½ teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon2
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup dried zante currants4
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar5
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2½ cups grated carrots6 about 3 large carrots
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To toast the pecans, spread them on a small baking sheet and bake them for about 5 minutes, stir, then toast for another 5 minutes.
- While they're toasting, spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Once the pecans are toasted, add about ¾ cup to the flour mixture along with the currants and stir to coat.7
- In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugars, and eggs.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the carrots and dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes at 350°F until a cake tester or toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. The flip onto a cooling rack and cool to room temperature before frosting.8
Frosting
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and salt.
- Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Frost cooled cake and top with the remaining toasted pecans.
Video
Notes
- Speculaas Spice is an incredible spice blend that takes this cake from basic to AMAZING! You can order it online here. If you don’t have it and don’t have time to order it, you can use a substitute of 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon of each: white ground pepper, ground ginger, and cardamom. You’ll also want to increase the ground cinnamon to 1 1/4 teaspoons.
- If you don’t have Vietnamese cinnamon, regular ground cinnamon may be used.
- Toasting the pecans will darken the color, amplifies the flavor, and strengthens the texture so they don’t get soft once baked into the cake.
- Dried zante currants should be available in the same aisle as the raisins at your local grocery store. They are smaller than raisins and that’s why I like to use them in this recipe as I find they give a better texture to the cake. However, raisins or golden raisins can be used instead. You can always chop the raisins for a better texture.
- Light brown sugar may be used if you don’t have dark on hand.
- Do not use matchstick carrots. Make sure that you use freshly grated carrots.
- Make sure you toss the pecans and currants with the dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Cake can be placed in the fridge after baking to cool quicker.
- This recipe calls for a 9-inch cake pan. You can use a 10-inch cake pan but DO NOT use a smaller one unless you’re dividing the batter to make two small layers like a 6-inch cake.
Julie says
I have two 5″ x 3″ Fat Daddio tins. Can you advise if these would be OK to use and also, how long to cook for.
Thanks
Julie