Best-Ever Homemade Carrot Cake
This carrot cake is perfectly spiced, moist and unbelievably good! Using candied carrot peels as decoration (optional), cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut, this cake is simply the best — I make it all the time!
Ingredients
Candied Carrot Peels
- Peels from 2 pounds organic carrots washed - Make sure you get a nice thick peel, if they are too thin, they will fall apart while you candy them. My peeler produces just the right thickness, but you may need to press a bit harder to get a nice peel.
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- Pinch kosher salt
Carrot Cake
- 4 cups (450g) loosely packed finely grated carrots
- 2 1/3 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) mild-flavored oil such as vegetable oil
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 1/2 large orange
- 1 3/4 cups (150g) sweetened shredded coconut plus 1 3/4 cups additional for decorating the outside (if desired)
- 1 cup (160g) chopped dried fruit such as apricots, raisins, cherries
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 1/2 lb (680g) cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (330g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract optional
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5 cups (600g) confectioners' sugar
- 2 tbsp Lyle's Golden Syrup see note
Instructions
Candied Carrot Peels
- Preheat the oven to 200°F / 95°C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the simple syrup, orange blossom water, and salt and warm to a gentle simmer. Add the carrot peels and cook just until the peels are turning translucent.
- Strain the peels in a fine-mesh sieve and then lay them out on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until the carrot peels start to curl up, anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending on their thickness. Turn the oven temperature to 100°F / 40°C and bake until completely dry; this can take several hours. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 48 hours.
Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously grease two 8 by 3-inch cake pans, then line them with greased parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla, orange zest, 1 3/4 cups / 150g of the coconut, dried fruit, and carrots. Then add the dry ingredients and mix just until uniformly combined.
- Divide the batter into the two prepared pans and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Gently tap the pans on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
- Bake until a tester comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cakes cool completely before removing from the pans. Remove the parchment paper and place one cake layer on a serving plate.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Make the icing by blending the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon juice, confectioners' sugar and Lyle's Golden Syrup, until smooth.
- Put one of the layers of cake on a 8-Inch Cake Circle and then top it with 1 cup of the cream cheese icing.
- Cover the cake with a thin crumb coat (watch video for crumb coat instructions). Then finish with a smooth coating of the cream cheese icing (watch video for smooth icing instructions). If using, arrange candied carrot peels around the cake or press additional shredded coconut to the sides of the cake.
- Serve cake immediately or store in the refrigerator (see note about candied carrot peels), covered, for up to 48 hours. If refrigerated, bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Rate and Review!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!
Notes
Once you put the peels on the cake, you want to serve it immediately. Refrigerating the carrot peel candy will cause them to wilt.
Golden syrup is like a light caramel but not as overpowering a flavor; it just adds a nuance that is exquisite. Golden syrup is a staple in most British kitchens, but if you happen to find it in your own grocery in the United States, give it a try.