We finally harvested the last of our garden and had a bumper crop of carrots. We love eating carrots, both raw and cooked around here but this is like, a crazy amount of carrots. Since I’m too lazy (or maybe just plain tired out from a super busy few months in the Leger household) to blanch and freeze OR preserve the carrots, I thought I’d make a carrot cake with some of them.
There’s still a ton left so I’ll probably have to just give in soon and figure out something easy to do with them or risk losing them. If they don’t succumb to freezing out in my garage, the pesky little squirrel that’s been sneaking in there to nibble at our bucket of chicken feed will start to nibble on them. Stay tuned for what happens with the remaining carrots, LOL.
I found a great recipe online at Live Well Bake Often and was intrigued by the addition of unsweetened applesauce. I’ve never made a carrot cake that included applesauce so I thought I’d give it a try. It turned out amazing! I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it as much as my family did!
free of chemicals and pesticides made the cake taste even better!
Carrot Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Kitchenaid Mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Parchment paper
- Cake release
- 8 inch round cake pans
- Food processor with grater attachment
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
For the carrot cake:
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tsp baking powder
- 1 Tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp Kosher salt
- 3/4 Cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 Cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Cups grated carrots
For the cream cheese icing:
- 1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Carrot cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat bottom and sides of two 8 inch round pans with cake release using a pastry brush. You can also add rounds of parchment paper in the bottom of each greased pan and then grease the paper to give additional protection against sticking.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until combined.
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the grated carrots and mix until combined.
- Remove bowl from mixer and add dry ingredients. Fold in with a spatula until combined but do not over mix.
- Pour batter evenly into two 8 inch round pans. Tap firmly on countertop before placing in a 350 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
Cream cheese icing
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
Assemble the cake:
- Level tops of cakes with a cake leveller if necessary. Place one cake layer on cake stand or platter and spread approximately 1/2 cup of icing on the cake layer. Place second cake layer on top and spread remaining icing on top and sides of cake. Chop 1 cup pecans or walnuts and place on top of cake and around bottom and/or sides.
