Carrot Cake

4.75 from 4 votes
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Friends, I have been dying to show you this recipe! Carrot and coconut flakes in a cake? Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Seriously, nothing could be better. My mint tea has found a new bestie in this carrot cake.

carrot-cake-slice

Apart from the fact that the orange colour makes it visually appealing (I mean, just look at that!), this cake has an awesome taste. It is sweet, moist, full of carrots, dense, divine, heavenly, phenomenal, fantastic!

AND the cream cheese frosting on the top is everything! See, I’m not a fan of frosting on my cake. This is how I like to have my cake:

carrot-cake-without-frosting

Without the ‘sinful’ frosting. BUT the cream cheese frosting used in this recipe is so cheesy, creamy and yummy that I couldn’t resist adding it. Just a heads up though that I use less sugar in my cake and frosting compared to others because I don’t like/want anything overly sweet. And I do not want my girls to like anything very sweet so my sugar is always low. Feel free to add more sugar if you wish.

Let’s talk aout this cake for a minute. It is so easy to make. You need  flour, shredded carrots, shredded coconut, apple sauce, oil, sugar, eggs.

carrot-cake-ingredients

You also need baking powder, baking soda, salt and some ground cinnamon. If you do not have cinnamon, feel free to substitute with nutmeg.

more-carrot-cake-ingredients

You make the cake by mixing all dried ingredients then adding the wet ingredients gradually to form this stunning orange-looking batter. It’s a one-bowl mixing affair!

carrot-cake-batter

Then you put the batter into a cake pan and bake to perfection. You could alternately put the batter into cupcake pans and bake. This recipe will make about 24 cupcakes.

carrot-cake-in-pan

Aha!

baked-carrot-cake

When your cake is ready, let it cool completely while you make your cream cheese frosting. You need some unsalted butter, cream cheese, confectioner’s (icing) sugar and vanilla extract.

cream-cheese-frosting-ingredients

Mix them all together. Oh honey!

cream-cheese-frosting

I flipped my cake so I could spread the frosting on the side which was flat.

flipped-carrotcake

Spread all of that creaminess on top. Oh baby!

cream-cheese-frosting-on-carrot-cake

At this point, ladies and gentlemen…

Eat. Eat some more. Collapse. Wake up. Eat again.

If you are like me, cut some and put in a bowl so you can tightly cover and place in the referigerator for further fuss-free enjoyment.

carrot-cake-recipe

Carrot cake recipe

Carrot Cake

4.75 from 4 votes
This is a classic carrot cake recipe with the added goodness of coconut flakes. Perfect for snacking and great with tea.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 24 servings

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups (250 g) flour all-purpose
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce unsweetened
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder or nutmeg
  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar icing
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Grease a 9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil or line 2 cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit or 176 Degrees Celsius.
  • Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon (or nutmeg) powder in a bowl.
  • Add in coconut flakes, shredded carrots, vegetable oil and apple sauce then mix until it forms a very thick paste.
  • Beat eggs and add in one at a time and beat with the mixture. The batter will get lighter and lighter as you do this.
  • Pour batter into greased baking pan or cupcake pans and place in oven to bake for about 30-45 minutes. 
  • It is ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
  • Allow to cool completely for about an hour then you can proceed with the frosting.

For the frosting

  • Place butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl.
  • Beat with an electric mixer until it gets easily spreadable. Note that the more you beat it, the softer it becomes. If you do not have an electric mixer, place your butter and cream cheese out of the fridge for a while so they get to room temperature and become softer. Then use a spoon to mix everything together with the dry ingredients.
  • Spread frosting over cake then cut and serve.
  • Eat and enjoy your life!

Notes

In the place of apple sauce, you could use crushed pinneaples. To make apple sauce at home, simply peel and cut some apples, boil until soft then blend into a paste.
For those without access to coconut flakes, coconut sweet (a sweet snack made with shredded coconuts will be a good option). Otherwise, you could just use freshly shredded coconut.
You could add the sugar quantity for the cake batter and particularly for the frosting if you so wish. I do not have much of a sweet tooth so I tend to use less sugar while baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1940IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 313
Tried this recipe?Mention @preciouscore or tag #PreciousCore!

 

WHY IT’S A SMART CHOICE

carrot-cake-nutrition-facts

If you make this recipe, please post a picture on my Facebook page, Precious Core. I’ll love to see!


About Precious

Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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28 Comments

  1. Hi precious have learnt so much from your blog you are doing a great job 👍👍👍 will try out this carrot cake using your recipe. Thanks so much

  2. Hello Precious dear. That carrot cake looks delicious, I tried it without eggs and it was wonderful. But am still waiting … you promised doing something for vegans …

  3. Carrot and flakes baked in a cake. I mouth watering likely wonder how it feels to slowly chew into a bite, savouring every single particle. If wishes were horses.