I’ve had very memorable carrot cakes 3 times in my life, once at Porto’s a cuban bakery in California known for their desserts, a second time in New York at a bakery called Little Cupcake shop, and a third time by one of my best friends Layla. Ever since then I’ve played with the idea of creating a traditional bakery-style fully-loaded, moist, carrot cake obviously with a classic cream cheese frosting. I wanted an explosion of flavor and ingredients in every bite. I never did it because I had such high expectations in my mind, I went through some trial and error & created my own recipe I’m happy with this outcome!

Cake:

• 1 and 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 cups grated carrots (about 5 large) (don’t use pre-shredded–shred it yourself!)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins (mix of yellow and brown is best!)

*you can replace a 1/2 cup of oil with crushed pineapple, it adds a ton of moisture and flavor, but in my opinion takes away from the authenticity of a true carrot cake if that’s the vibe you’re going for.

*You can also add a half cup of sweetened coconut flakes as an extra mix in ~it’ll become more of a hummingbird cake than a carrot cake by adding these two extra things but it’s super good!

Frosting:

• One 8 oz cream cheese at room temp
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

-place your walnut and raisins in a bowl and place about a tablespoon of flour and coat them with the flour. This will ensure that they won’t sink to the bottom when you mix them in

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-In a bowl mix the two sugars and oil. Next, whisk in the vanilla and eggs.

-In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices. Mix your wet and dry ingredients together.

-Add in your carrots and stir gently

-Add in your coated walnuts and raisins and give it a final mix.

-Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is in the oven, start making your frosting

-With an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese until it’s soft and there’s no bumps. Then add in the butter and heavy cream. When the mixture is creamy add in powdered sugar. Taste the frosting and see if it needs more powdered sugar, adjust to your liking.

-When the cake is cooled, frost it and enjoy!