I never really gave carrot cakes much thought until I came to Singapore. Cedele bakery in Singapore kind of opened my eyes to them with their really good carrot cakes with tons of walnuts in them. For the longest time, I really believed that they had the best carrot cake in Singapore!
Until one day I saw this box in our office pantry labeled “Sample for Google Employees”. Inside was an 8″ carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that was still cold from the fridge. I took half a slice, brought it back to my desk and forgot about it for the next couple of hours. Big mistake!
Eventually, when I did end up taking a bite, it was a virtual explosion of taste and texture in my mouth. That is hands down the best carrot cake I have ever tasted! If you are in Singapore and you wouldn’t mind a carrot cake changing your life forever, order one from Calendar’s.
Anyway, all this carrot cake overload made me want to bake my own and I was aiming for a moist, dense, yet soft one like they baked at Calendar’s. The following recipe worked great!By the way, you may also be interested in this great banana cake with cream cheese frosting that I love. Or maybe a chocolate fudge cake?
Moist Carrot Cake Recipe a la Calendar’s Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour / maida
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon (not optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (optional but really adds flavour)
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used veg oil with carotene which explains the deep orange colour of my carrot cake)
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk (I used milk)
1.5 cups peeled, shredded carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
How to make Moist Carrot Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180C
2. Butter and flour a cake pan of choice. I used my 8″ square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and allspice. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl or using your stand-mixer, whisk the eggs, oil, both sugars and milk (or buttermilk) until blended. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combined. Fold in carrots and walnuts.
4. Transfer to your greased and floured baking tin. Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and let cook completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
I always use my own eye-balled measurement for frosting. Most of the frosting recipes I come across have too much sugar and since I don’t ever pipe on icing to cakes (I prefer the slathering technique), I just follow what I want to put together frosting, tasting as I go.
Ingredients:
Half a block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (about 125gm) – at room temperature
4 tbsp unsalted butter – at room temperature
1/2 to 3/4 cup icing sugar (taste as you go and stop when its sweet enough)
1 tsp vanilla extract
How I Made It:
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Then add the sugar and vanilla and beat until blended. You can do this by hand or using an electric beater. Spread evenly over the cooled carrot cake and serve immediately. I prefer a thin layer but go with what your heart says!
Refrigerate remaining cake for up to 4 days but make sure you bring to room temperature before serving.
You may also like this tutti frutti cake or a lovely apple streusel cake.
Hi Nags, have made this twice and both my daughter & son just loved the cake. making it again this time for Christmas since no one wants the usual X-mas cake this year.
Thanks for the recipe & God Bless U.
Merry Christmas & a very Happy 2016 in advance.
rgds.
Kapil
Thank you Kapil, Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!
Hi Nags,
I tried this cake over the weekend and it was such a wonderfully moist cake that it never felt like the main ingredient was carrot. I too, like parijat, who has commented above, used Demerera Sugar instead of Brown sugar, as I have still not been able to lay my hands on brown sugar in Chennai, where I stay. As I used a hand mixer to mix the ingredients, I went about adding the Demerera sugar just as it is, without any grinding, and it still got dissolved. As for oil, I used olive oil, and the taste was marvelous. Just a doubt, the nuts part – does it have to be walnuts only? or can we replace it with cashews or almonds, etc.? if we don't have walnuts in hand. Would it change the taste?
Hi Nags, I chanced upon your blog quite a while ago and jotted a long list of recipes to cook/bake…but somewhere down the road I forgot !( the OS crashed, my bookmarks went with it and all my treasures went with it). Anyway glad that I got back to your blog when I was looking for a recipe on potato wedges (baked and low cal). I couldn't delay any further and quickly baked, they turned up awesome (i reduced the olive oil to 1/2 the qty and still they turned up great). In the past one week I made palak khichdi, soya chunks biriyani and 1/2hr back I baked your moist carrot cake. Now how lazy can I be not to post my feedback after all the success. Every recipe I cooked/baked from your blog turned out great. Thank you for having such a wonderful treasure of recipes here. Planning to bake the lemon diva cake and date cake with toffee sauce over the next few days. Rock on lady ! Love your blog 🙂
Just made this beautiful cake today…. was tasted my 1 year old daughter first and she loved it… Being a fussy eater, thats an achievement 🙂
The cake turned out really moist and was Yum….
Made the eggless chocolate cake last weekend and that too was amazing….
Thanks a lot 🙂
Surya
Thank you Surya 🙂 I am really glad you enjoyed both the cakes, especially the eggless chocolate cake on Edible Garden!
Nags,
the cake slice is so yumm…i can't resist it.
But being veg, I need a substitute of eggs, if you can tell
~Rashmi
hmm not sure how to make this carrot cake eggless. yogurt may work. try it?
thanks..will try next time
The carrot cake is right now baking away in the oven and giving out some delicious smells 🙂 But I want that carotene oil u used….just cud not find it anywhere here. Ur cake has such a lovely orange color!!!
This is the first time i have tried my hand at baking, and the carrot cake cake out great. Thanks Nags
I tried this recipe today, it came out great. Thank you so much Nags.
Tried and turned out yummy 🙂 Thanks!
Hi guys, i have tryed this recipe. Its too good. i would strongly recommend to u all.
Check this recipe too ….. Carrot Cake Recipe.