Incredible Irresistible Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This carrot cake with an orange cream cheese frosting tastes incredible and is irresistible. It's nut free and easy to make milk and egg free as needed.
Ingredients
- 4 oz carrots 4-5 medium, organic if possible
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Rodelle ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon Rodelle ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium oranges divided (used for zest and juice)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- ½ cup raisins
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter or non-dairy equivalent
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- Orange zest
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x9 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
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Scrub carrots and grate the carrots, you will need 1.5 cups grated carrots (packed) and set aside.
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Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg to a medium sized bowl.
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Wash and dry one orange and zest it over the flour bowl, whisk the ingredients together, and set aside.
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Juice the orange, set aside.
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Beat 2 eggs in a large mixing bowl, add brown sugar, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined (it should look creamy and lighter in color).
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Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine 50%.
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Add grated carrots and raisins and stir until combined.
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Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top so that the cake is level.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes on the center rack, the cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Cool completely before frosting.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting instructions:
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Place cream cheese and butter into a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to cream them together for 1 minute.
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Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, add powdered sugar, cream together for 1-2 minutes.
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Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula again.
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Wash, dry, and zest the second orange over the frosting mixture (reserve or eat the second orange).
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Add 1 tablespoon of orange juice to the frosting mixture.
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Cream the frosting for 1 minute until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cake and serve.
Recipe Notes
Allergy adaptations: use your favorite milk and egg substitutes as needed for milk-free and egg-free options.
Nutrition facts are approximate.