Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot cake is a favorite around here. We love it for fall and we love it for Easter!  This recipe has been on repeat for us the last few years!    

You can bake it in a 9x13 cake pan or in a bundt cake pan if you're wanting something a little fancier.  I love this even more the next day, so if you like to plan ahead you can make it a day or two in advance which makes it a nice option when you have guests to serve.

I'm a bit of a carrot cake purist, and prefer my cake with no nuts or pineapple.  You can totally add nuts in if that's your jam.  I enjoy it chilled, right out of the refrigerator.  I also like to eat any leftovers for breakfast, just so you know.  It has vegetables in it so it's a totally acceptable breakfast food.

If you're on the hunt for a great dessert to serve for a fall gathering or Easter dinner, we hope you'll try this one! 

Carrot Cake

Yield: 1 bundt cake or 1 9x13 cake

Printable Version {CLICK HERE}
Ingredients:

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Cake:

4 eggs

¾ cup oil

½ cup applesauce

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cups carrots, grated (also works well to chop into  bits/chunks in the food processor)

1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

½ cup butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan or 9x13 pan.

Sift dry ingredients together (flour, soda, powder, salt and cinnamon) into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugars, and vanilla until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until combined. Fold in grated carrots (and pecans if desired - or you can sprinkle them on the cream cheese frosting as a garnish). Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-50 minutes for a 9x13 pan or 45-55 minutes for a bundt pan or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool bundt pan for 10 minutes before turning onto plate. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese til smooth. Add salt, vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Frost as desired.

Recipe Source:

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Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com