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Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

I’ve been wanting to add a simpler carrot cake like this one to the blog for some time now. My other carrot cake recipe is so good, and I’m not sure it’s possible to beat that one (which I’ve made here, here and here) but it does require a lot more work and ingredients. I wanted to make a recipe that was really simple and also delicious, and with if I may say so, the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made. The cream just takes it to another level, and makes it so fluffy. You can of course omit the cream if you don’t have any at home, but I do recommend trying it at some point. So good!

This is my first time (ever) growing flowers and herbs in a raised bed! I haven’t lived in a house with a garden since I was a kid. I still don’t have a garden, but our landlord provided us with a raised bed where I could plant some things. It’s been so much fun to see everything grow and to be able to use flowers and herbs from there. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to grow carrots like these ones!

CARROT CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Serves 8-10

This cake is so simple to make, and oh so delicious! Make sure not to overbeat the eggs and sugar, it should just get a little thicker, and lighter in color – or the cake will become crumbly. The frosting is probably my favorite ever! It’s not ideal for piping something intricate since it’s a little loose, but you can place the bowl in the fridge for a while to firm it up a little. You could also add more powdered sugar to the frosting, but that will make it a lot sweeter. Feel free to use unsalted butter for the frosting if you prefer that!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

  • 180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. flaky salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) vegetable oil
  • 225 g (about 1 1/2 cup, packed) grated carrots, about 3 carrots

FROSTING & TOPPING

  • 200 g cream cheese, at room temp.
  • 100 g (1 scant stick) salted butter, softened
  • 100 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 4 tbsp. (60 ml / 1/4 cup) heavy cream
  • fresh herbs
  • lemon and lime zest

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 1 1/2 litre (6-7 cup) loaf pan. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until slightly lighter in color, about 1 minute. Stir in the oil, grated carrots and the flour mixture.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

FROSTING

  1. Combine cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and heavy cream and beat until fluffy. If you think the frosting is too loose, place the bowl in the fridge for a while.
  2. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle. Pipe the frosting on the cake (or spread it over the cake if you prefer that!). Top the cake with lemon and lime zest and fresh herbs before serving.

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