Perfect Carrot Cake, a wonderfully moist spiced cake with a delicious orange-flavored frosting. Make a cake or cupcakes. You choose! This Carrot Cake is perfect in every way. You only have to look at the ingredients to see that it will be a moist, full-flavored cake, and have that wonderful aroma that a good carrot cake has from those lovely spices.
Ashleigh has also used this recipe many times to make cupcakes.
The frosting used takes this cake to the next level, with the use of fresh orange zest, what more could you ask for!
Ashleigh is a baker and is well on her way to making a successful career from baking her wonderful cakes, and Lovefoodies are very proud to be able to showcase some of Ashleigh's creations.
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 - 45 minutes
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Yield
12 servings
You will need
3 round 8 inch / 20 cm cake pans

Ingredients
The Cake Batter
450 g or 2 & ⅔ cups Peeled & finely grated carrots
2 Tbsp Peeled & grated root ginger
80 ml or 1//3 cup Buttermilk
3 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
350 ml or 1 & ½ cups vegetable Oil
420 g or 2 cups Caster Sugar (fine sugar/ cake sugar)
80 g Pecans, roasted & chopped.
500 g or 4 cups All-Purpose Plain Flour
2 Tsp baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
The Frosting
100 g or ½ cup unsalted butter
600 g or 5 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Finely grated orange zest
250 g or 8 oz packet full fat cream cheese
Check out our handy Oven Temperature Conversion Guide!
Instructions
1. Line 3 x 8 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 170 C / 325 F / Gas 3
2. Mix together the first 7 ingredients until well combined.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices
4. Add to the carrot mixture ⅓ at a time. When combined, divide the mixture equally into the 3 cake pans.
5. Bake in the oven until spongy to touch and clean toothpick test.
6. It should take around 45 minutes, but keep checking after it has been cooking for 30 minutes. All ovens are different. If making cupcakes, bake for approx 20 minutes.
Make the frosting
1. Mix together the butter & powdered sugar until combined.
2. Add the orange zest & cream cheese and mix until light and fluffy.
Build the cake
When the cake has cooled completely, sandwich together the cakes with layers of frosting between and then completely cover the outside of the cake, and ENJOY!
Recipe Card

Perfect Carrot Cake
Perfect Carrot Cake, a wonderfully moist spiced cake with a delicious orange-flavored frosting. Make a cake or cupcakes. You choose! Easy recipe
Ingredients
The Cake Batter
- 450 g or 2 & ⅔ cups Peeled & finely grated carrots
- 2 Tbsp Peeled & grated root ginger
- 80 ml or 1//3 cup Buttermilk
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- 350 ml or 1 & ½ cups vegetable Oil
- 420 g or 2 cups Caster Sugar, fine sugar/ cake sugar
- 80 g Pecans, roasted & chopped.
- 500 g or 4 cups All Purpose Plain Flour
- 2 Tsp baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
The Frosting
- 100 g or ½ cup unsalted butter
- 600 g or 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Finely grated orange zest
- 250 g or 8 oz packet full fat cream cheese
Instructions
- Line 3 x 8 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 170 C / 325 F / Gas 3
- Mix together the first 7 ingredients until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices
- Add to the carrot mixture ⅓ at a time. When combined, divide the mixture equally into the 3 cake pans
- Bake in the oven until spongy to touch and clean toothpick test.
- It should take around 45 minutes, but keep checking after it has been cooking for 30 minutes. All ovens are different. If making cupcakes, bake for approx 20 minutes.
Frosting
- Mix together the butter & powdered sugar until combined.
- Add the orange zest & cream cheese and mix until light and fluffy.
Build the cake.
- When the cake has cooled completely, sandwich together the cakes with layers of frosting between and then completely cover the outside of the cake, and ENJOY!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 774Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 392mgCarbohydrates: 119gFiber: 2gSugar: 83gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
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Ingrid Lynch
says:No salt ? Add a 1/2 tsp of table salt. for that many ingredients.,
lovefoodies
says:Hi Ingrid, yes, salt should be used in baking cakes, I often use it in my own cakes. There is already 1 teaspoon of salt listed in the ingredients for this size of cake. (It is just above the bicarbonate of soda listing). I hope this helps!
Thank you!