Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This carrot cake is moist enough to be eaten without being weighed down by a thick layer of frosting.

Servings
12
Prep Time
30 Min
Cook Time
40 min
Recipe by
Plugrà® Kitchens
Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. (9.6g) baking powder
2 tsp. (9.6g) baking soda
¾ tsp. (4g) salt
1 tsp. (3g) ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. (1g) ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. (.5g) ground cloves
1 cup (227g) Plugrá® Premium Butter, unsalted, very soft
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
4 lg. (200g) eggs, room temperature
3 cups (330g) finely shredded carrots
1 cup (120g) shredded coconut
¾ cup (84g) coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Frosting

8 oz. (227g) cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tbsp. (113g) Plugrá® Premium Butter, unsalted, at room temperature
3 cups (360g) confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. (14g) milk
Steps
1
Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3
Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, scraping down the bowl between additions and continue to beat until the mixture is well blended
4
Add the flour mixture and stir on low speed until just blended. Scrape down the bowl and stir in the carrots, coconut, and nuts.
5
Divide the batter between the pans and bake 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean; the cakes will just start to come away from the edges.
6
Transfer the pans to cooling racks, cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool to room temperature.
7
Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is smooth. Beat in the milk to attain a spreading consistency.
8
Place one layer of the cake, right-side up, on a cardboard round or a cake plate. Smooth a small amount of the frosting on the top of the cake layer. Invert the second layer onto of the first so the bottom side is facing up. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
9
Serve when the frosting is set. Store in the refrigerator. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving.