Offset spatula, piping bags, and piping tips for frosting
Ingredients
Perfect Carrot Cake Recipe
Cooking Spray
2½cupsall-purpose flour
2tspbaking powder
1tspbaking soda
2tspground ginger
¼tspsalt
2cupsgranulated sugar
1¼cupsvegetable oil
4largeeggs
2cupsgrated carrots
½cupunsweetened applesauce
1tsppure vanilla extract
1Tbspfresh gingergrated
1Tbsporange zest
Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
1tspground ginger
1Tbspfresh orange juice
½tsppure vanilla extract
1brickcream cheeseroom temperature
4Tbspunsalted butterroom temperature
3cupspowdered sugarsifted
Instructions
Perfect Carrot Cake
To start, preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat 2 9-in round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and salt onto a large paper plate.
Beat together orange zest, fresh grated ginger, granulated sugar and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl with a whisk. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add in the apple sauce and vanilla. Gently stir in the carrots. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, but only mix until smooth and combined. Do not over mix.
Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool. If you aren't frosting until the next day, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge.
Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
For the frosting, begin by whipping the cream cheese and butter for 5 minutes until very fluffy. Add in ginger, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
Then slowly add in your powdered sugar.
Place the first layer of cake on your serving dish, rounded side down. Spread ½ cup of frosting on top, thickly. Place the second cake on top, rounded side down. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Use your preferred frosting method to make it pretty.