Deliciously moist and perfectly spiced carrot cake with bits of carrot and toasted nuts. Covered in the silkiest brown sugar cream cheese frosting that elevates the cake with light caramel and cinnamon notes pairing wonderfully with its tender carrot crumb. Mini carrots are piped around the cake showcasing its flavor and charm.

Spring has arrived so you know what that means… time to decide on which carrot cake recipe to make and how to design it. In the past, I’ve made a simple carrot sheet cake and cute cupcakes however, this is my first carrot layer cake so I wanted to keep the design relatively clean and classic. I have plans on another layer cake with an autumnal twist for the fall season that I’ll likely posh up for fun.

Having the traditional band around the bottom of the cake with toasted chopped nuts was a must because, let’s be real, it helps hide any imperfections. Am I right? And because there weren’t enough nuts, more was added across the top. Just in case you didn’t get any from the cake itself, just kidding!

Carrot Cake with Mini Frosted Carrots Piped on Cake | URBAN BAKES

Using a large star tip, dollops of brown sugar cream cheese frosting was piped around the edge. And yes, you read that right. This recipe has a little spark of something special and that’s brown sugar with a side kick of cinnamon! If you wondered why the frosting has a light tan shade rather than white, this is why. See the little specks?

I’ve made classic cream cheese frosting a million times and was in dire need to spice it up. However, if you prefer sticking to the classic, I get it, simply void ground cinnamon and swap out the brown sugar for a total of two to three cups of powdered sugar. Keep in mind, powdered sugar has a fine texture therefore, cup for cup, it will be sweeter than brown sugar. Start on the lower end and gradually add more powdered sugar based on your desired level of sweetness.

As for which brown sugar to use? I highly recommend LIGHT brown sugar. Although many recipes will allow interchanging of light vs dark brown sugar, using only light brown sugar for this frosting will allow the caramel notes to shine through with enough sweetness to not overpower the cream cheese flavor. In addition, using light brown sugar helps keep the color resembling closer to the classic white-ish shade that traditional cream cheese frosting gives. And because dark brown sugar has more molasses, using it could alter the consistency of the frosting making it droop more due to its moisture level therefore, it’s best to use light brown sugar.

Birds Eye View of Carrot Cake | URBAN BAKES

If you were around to see these delicious carrot cupcakes, then you probably thought these piped mini carrots looked familiar. And that’s because it originated from those cupcakes each having its own frosted carrot. Aren’t they the cutest?! And they’re soo easy to do! Don’t forget to check out my Instagram reel showing how to quickly frosted mini carrots come to life.

How to Make a Carrot Layer Cake | URBAN BAKES

Carrot Cake

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Author: URBAN BAKES
Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: 8 inch, 3 layer cake 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Deliciously moist and perfectly spiced carrot cake with bits of carrot and toasted nuts. Covered in the silkiest brown sugar cream cheese frosting that elevates the cake with light caramel and cinnamon notes pairing wonderfully with its tender carrot crumb. Mini carrots are piped around the cake showcasing its flavor and charm.

Instructions

CAKE: Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray the bottom and sides of three 8-inch (20 cm) round baking pans with baking spray with flour; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; set aside.
Using an electric mixer or a large bowl fitted to an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low to medium speed, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla until well combined. Decrease speed to low and slowly add in the flour-mixture until just combined, do not overmix.
Using a rubber spatula, add 1 cup (150 grams) nuts and carrots and continue to mix until evenly incorporated into the batter.
Divide batter equally between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry with a few crumbs. Remove cakes from the oven onto a wire rack. Leave cakes in the pan to rest for 10 minutes before removing the pans to further cool to room temperature.
FROSTING: Meanwhile, using an electric mixer or a large bowl attached to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low to medium speed, mix all brown sugar cream cheese ingredients together until light in color and smooth.
ASSEMBLY: In 2 small bowls, separate 1/3 cup of frosting into each bowl.
In the first bowl, place a drop of orange food gel color and mix thoroughly until the frosting becomes uniform in color. Fit a pastry bag with a coupler set and a small round tip such as Ateco #4. Fill bag with orange frosting.
In the second bowl, place a drop of green food gel color and mix thoroughly until the frosting becomes uniform in color. Fit a pastry bag with a coupler set and and a small round tip such as Ateco #2. Fill bag with green frosting. From the open end of each pastry bag, twist tight to seal in the frosting, cut and discard the plastic tip of the bag, and set filled bags aside.
Once the cakes have cooled to room temperature, place one layer over a cake plate or board. Using an angled spatula, generously frost the top. Stack a second cake layer on top and frost. Place the third cake on top and frost the top and sides of the cake.
In a third pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, fill bag with remaining frosting and twist tight to seal in the frosting, cut and discard the plastic tip. Around the perimeter of the top of the cake, pipe straight down a dollop of frosting releasing pressure as you pull up and away from the cake. Use a palette spatula to lightly push down onto the tip of the piped dollops. This will help create a flat foundation for the piped carrots.
Over each piped dollop, in a zig-zig motion, pipe a narrow upside-down triangle of orange frosting; this will be the carrot. Using the green frosting, pipe a few lines from the wide-end of the piped “carrot” to make the “stems.”
Decorate the bottom 1/3 of the cake with about 1/2 cup of toasted chopped nuts. Use the remaining toasted nuts to sprinkle over the center top of the cake. Slice and ENJOY!

Notes

To toast nuts, heat oven at 200°F (95°C). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Evenly spread chopped nuts and bake for 10 mins. Nuts should be dry, crisp and give a nutty aroma.

If you have red, yellow and blue gel food colors, red and yellow mixed together will create orange gel food color. And blue and yellow will create green gel food color.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Cake
Cuisine: American