Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- If baking right away, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour two round 9-inch cake pans, or line them with parchment paper.
Make Cake Batter
- Add the eggs, melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, and peach jam to the large bowl and beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt) to the wet ingredients and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer and whisk attachment to beat for 3 more minutes.
- Add the grated carrots, shredded coconut, and chopped walnuts to the carrot cake batter and fold in with a spatula.
Bake Cake
- Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake the two cake layers in a preheated oven at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Do not overbake or the cake will be dry.
- Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool in the cake pans for 30 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Place the wire rack and cakes in the fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process if you're in a hurry.
Make Frosting & Toast Coconut
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on high for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on high for 2 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream (or eggnog if making eggnog carrot cake) and mix on high for another 2 minutes.
- Set the frosting aside.
- Toast the coconut in a skillet on low or in the oven at 350°F on a baking sheet until it is golden brown.
Assemble Cake
- Once the cake layers have cooled, place the bottom layer on a cake plate and spread 1 cup of cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
- Place the second layer on top of the frosted first layer, make sure it is centered on the cake, and press down on the top a bit to keep the cake from sliding off as you finish frosting the top and sides of the cake.
- Use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Then top the cake with the toasted coconut.
- Serve right away or refrigerate the carrot cake and serve it cold.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Tips for the Best Sourdough Carrot Cake Recipe
- Bake the cake ahead of time: Give yourself a head start by baking the cake several hours before serving. Let it cool completely before frosting. Why? This keeps the frosting from melting and helps the layers hold their shape. Also, a fully cooled cake also releases from the pans more easily.
- Don't skip the peach jam: This fruity ingredient is what makes the cake so moist and delicious! You can substitute applesauce if you don't have peach jam. Crushed pineapple works as well.
- Prep the cake pans well: It's really difficult to assemble a layer cake when half the cake sticks to the cake pan, so don't skip the pan prep! Even when I use non-stick pans, I still grease and flour just to be safe.
- Make a sheet cake or cupcakes: This moist carrot cake recipe works wonderfully as a sheet cake in a jelly roll pan or as carrot cake cupcakes. Just adjust the baking time as needed.
- Make eggnog cream cheese frosting: Use your eggnog instead of heavy cream, and you'll still get a rich cream cheese frosting. I do this often, not just when I'm craving a festive holiday flavor.
- Use all-purpose flour: I recommend all-purpose for the best results, but you can use bread flour or a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour. Bread flour gives a slightly denser texture, while whole wheat adds nuttiness but may make the cake a little drier. Be sure to adjust liquids as needed and avoid overmixing to prevent chewiness from higher protein flours.
Storage
- Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. Freeze them wrapped tightly for longer storage and thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To store carrot layer cake or carrot sheet cake, cool completely first. If unfrosted, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before frosting or serving.
- What if the layer or sheet cake's already frosted? In that case, chill the cake first to firm the frosting, then wrap gently and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge fully before unwrapping to keep the frosting looking fresh.