Carrot–Honey Layer Cake (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Serves 12
Sugar
23 grams (down from 49)
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
1¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon salt ⅓ cup plus ¼ cup honey ¾ cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2⅔ cups shredded carrots (4 carrots)Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, softened8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened2 teaspoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons honeyBefore You Begin
Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. If using dark colored cake pans, start checking the cakes for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier. Do not substitute low-fat cream cheese here or the frosting will have a soupy consistency. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it until firm. We prefer the flavor of Honey Cream Cheese Frosting on this cake; however, Easy Vanilla Frosting will also work well.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in bowl. In large bowl, whisk honey, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in carrots. Add flour mixture and fold with rubber spatula until mixture is just combined.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans and smooth tops. Bake until cakes are set and center is just firm to touch, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discard parchment, and let cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour. (Cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, add honey, and whip until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean and place dab of frosting in center to anchor cake. Place 1 cake layer on platter and spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Top with second cake layer, press lightly to adhere, then spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Spread remaining frosting evenly over sides of cake. To smooth frosting, run edge of offset spatula around cake sides and over top. Carefully remove parchment strips and serve.
for the carrot cake
for the honey cream cheese frosting
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Serves 12Sugar
23 grams (down from 49)Ingredients
Carrot Cake
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Why This Recipe Works
For a naturally sweetened version of our traditional carrot cake, our goal was twofold: to keep the recipe as simple as possible, and to sweeten the cake only with honey, since its floral nuances seemed like a natural pair with the sweet carrots and warm spices. To keep the recipe streamlined, we wanted to avoid getting out the electric mixer and instead rely on an easy bowl method. Tasters preferred cakes made with neutral-flavored oil over those made with melted butter, since the oil didn’t detract from the other flavors in the cake. Our traditional recipe called for four whole carrots and we found that this amount worked perfectly to contribute both flavor and sweetness to the cake without impacting the texture. Finally, we bolstered the cake's flavor by increasing the amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Before You Begin
Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. If using dark colored cake pans, start checking the cakes for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier. Do not substitute low-fat cream cheese here or the frosting will have a soupy consistency. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it until firm. We prefer the flavor of Honey Cream Cheese Frosting on this cake; however, Easy Vanilla Frosting will also work well.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in bowl. In large bowl, whisk honey, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in carrots. Add flour mixture and fold with rubber spatula until mixture is just combined.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans and smooth tops. Bake until cakes are set and center is just firm to touch, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discard parchment, and let cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour. (Cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, add honey, and whip until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean and place dab of frosting in center to anchor cake. Place 1 cake layer on platter and spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Top with second cake layer, press lightly to adhere, then spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Spread remaining frosting evenly over sides of cake. To smooth frosting, run edge of offset spatula around cake sides and over top. Carefully remove parchment strips and serve.
for the carrot cake
for the honey cream cheese frosting
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