This Eggless Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing has a moist and tender crumb with perfect texture and flavor. It is heavenly with the luscious cream cheese frosting, and is perfect when you don't want a huge carrot layer cake.
I wanted an carrot cake that was moist and tender, and packed with carrots. But how do you get your cake to rise high and light without any eggs? Team buttermilk and baking soda to the rescue!
Baking soda reacts with the buttermilk acid immediately upon contact to produce carbon dioxide, which expands upon baking, thus leavening the cake.
This cake is deeply moist, not overly sweet and makes a perfect base for the sweet and tangy frosting. It's an easy cake recipe perfect for birthdays, Easter, spring season, Mother's day brunch or just about anytime when you don't want a huge layered cake.
You can decorate it any way you like, whether it’s roughly spreading on the frosting for a rustic look as we have done here or pipe to make pretty swirls.
Ain't a celebration cake without frosting! The frosting is silky smooth, tangy and luscious, similar to the one used in the one layer lemon cake recipe. I hope that you give this cake recipe a try soon! You'll love how amazing it is with a lush tenderness, without any eggs.
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Why this recipe works ?
- Baking soda reacts with the acid in buttermilk, leavening the cake and thus creating a fluffy texture.
- Brown sugar will slow the evaporation and retain the moisture even after the cake has been baked, helping it stay tender as it cools. It also adds a deep molasses flavor and more moistness.
- Grating carrots at home will add more flavor and supreme wetness.
- Using oil instead of butter makes it stay ultra soft even when refrigerated.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
The ingredients you need are simple and you will most probably have most of them in your kitchen right now!
- All purpose flour - provides a soft yet stable texture.
- Sugar - I've come across cake recipes using either all white or all brown sugar. But I like a combination where the white sugar sweetens it and the golden brown sugar, which is about 4.5 percent molasses, provides deep caramel flavor and moisture.
- Baking soda - It will react to the acid in buttermilk upon contact and produce carbon dioxide, which will expand when baking, leavening your cake. It also adds color and hastens browning.
- Buttermilk - It adds tanginess and a crucial ingredient in the eggless cake recipe.
- Oil - Fats are essential in any cake recipe. Because oil remains liquid at room temperature, and does not have a flavor on it's own like butter, the cake stays moist and let's the real flavors shine.
- Carrots - Don't use prepackaged shredded carrots because they can be dry. Shredding your carrot at home will provide so much moisture. You can read more about it in the almond flour carrot muffins recipe.
- Pecans and raisins - They add wonderful texture contrast.
- Spices -If you like a spiced cake, then use a combination of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Pro Tip: The key is to grate carrots on the fine holes of the box grater. This ensures the carrots cook soft in the short baking time, disperse well in the batter and mostly melt into the cake.
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How to store?
A cream cheese frosted dessert need to be technically refrigerated, but most bakers (even professional ones) are okay with leaving it at room temperature for a day or two.
- Cake layer - Wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Frosting - Refrigerate the frosting for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature to make it easier to spread.
- Fully assembled - Fully assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for about 2 months.
Helpful tips
- Toasted pecans adds a nutty, delicious flavor. Don't use raw pecans.
- Pecans and raisins are optional. If you have picky eaters at home, or want to make it nut free then feel free to skip it.
- Do not use pre shedded bagged carrots. Grate your own at home.
- Use chopped walnuts instead of pecans.
- Use a flavorless oil like vegetable or canola oil.
- Make sure that butter and cream cheese is softened to room temperature for a creamy frosting.
Recipe FAQs
The carrot cake can be made using an 8-inch square or round baking pan. The recipe can be doubled to be baked in a 9x13 inch rectangle pan or baked in two round pans to make a double layer cake.
Double the cake batter recipe to make two 8-inch cakes (bake in two pans) and triple the frosting recipe, because you'll need extra to frost the sides too.
If you are out of buttermilk, then it is very easy to make your own in a pinch. Mix ½ cup regular milk and 1 and ½ tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. Stir before using.
Toasting pecans creates an unparalleled deep nutty flavor. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Let them cool down completely before storing. We love to make big batch and store for snacking.
More easy cake recipes
Eggless Carrot Cake
Equipment
- 8-inch Cake Pan
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup 125 g all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup 120 ml vegetable oil
- ½ cup 120 ml buttermilk
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons cup white sugar 75 g
- ¼ cup packed golden brown sugar 50 g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Addional ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups finely grated carrot 162 g, 2 to 3 medium
- ½ cup 62 g chopped toasted pecans, additional for topping
- 3 tablespoons golden raisins
Frosting
- 2 ounces 56 g cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons 29 g unsalted butter, room tempearture
- ¾ cup 90 g confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ pinch salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C), grease a 8-inch round baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Add all dry ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add all wet ingredients into a larger bowl and whisk for about 1 minute, until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Don't over mix. Stir in the carrots, chopped pecans and raisins.Pro Tip: Grate your carrots using the fine side of the box grater.
- Transfer batter into the prepared cake pan, spread evenly and bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes clean.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely,
Frosting
- Add cream cheese and butter into a medium bowl, beat with a electric beater, on high for about 1 minute or until light and creamy.
- Add confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and salt, beat for an additional minute or fluffy. Spread frosting on top of the cake and sprinkle chopped toasted pecans on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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