This Eggless Carrot Cake 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 layer cake.
I wanted an eggless carrot cake recipe that was moist and tender, and packed with carrots like the carrot walnut cake. 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 eggless carrot cake.
This cake is deeply moist, not overly sweet and makes a perfect base for the sweet and tangy frosting. It's an easy one layer cake recipe like the almond flour cake, and 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 this eggless carrot cake 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 eggless carrot cake frosting is silky smooth, tangy and luscious, like in pumpkin cake. 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 just like the microwave carrot mug cake.
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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 eggless carrot cake. It also adds color and hastens browning.
- Buttermilk - It adds tanginess and a crucial ingredient in the eggless carrot 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.
1.Mix together all purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
2 to 4. Add vegetable oil, buttermilk, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract into another larger bowl, and whisk to combine.
5. Add the mixed dry ingredients and fold gently until you no longer see any flour mixture.
6 & 7. Add finely grated carrots, toasted and chopped pecans, and golden raisins. Gently fold into the batter.
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 eggless carrot cake.
8. Transfer batter into a parchment lined cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 28 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes clean.
Tip: Line your pan with parchment paper to ensure easy removal. First grease your pan and then line with a round of parchment paper. The paper makes it easy to flip the cake out of the pan, without any need to worry about the cake layer falling apart.
9. Add room temperature cream cheese and butter into a bowl and beat with a hand held electric beater until smooth and creamy.
10 & 11. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla extract. Continue beating until it is fluffy and luscious.
12. Add the frosting on top of the cake and spread evenly.
Pro Tip: Make sure your cake has cooled completely to room temperature before applying the frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt.
How to store?
A cream cheese frosted dessert like pumpkin cupcakes, needs to be technically refrigerated, but most bakers (even professional ones) are okay with leaving at room temperature for a day or two.
- Cake layer - Wrap the eggless carrot cake 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 eggless 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.
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Eggless Carrot Cake
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 sugar 75 g
- ¼ cup packed golden brown sugar 50 g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Addional ingredients
- 1 and ¼ cups finely grated carrot 162 g, 2 to 3 medium
- ½ cup 62 g chopped toasted pecans, additional for topping
- 3 tablespoons 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
Items used
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.Tip: Line your pan with parchment paper to ensure easy removal. First grease your pan and then line with a round of parchment paper. The paper makes it easy to flip the cake out of the pan, without any need to worry about the cake layer falling apart.
- 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: 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 eggless carrot cake.
- 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.
- Frost Spread frosting on top of the cake and sprinkle chopped toasted pecans on top.Pro Tip: Make sure your cake has cooled completely to room temperature before applying the frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt.
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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