Servings: 12 (one 9-inch cake)

Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter, for greasing
  • All-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting (2 cups / 315g)
  • Baking soda (2 tsp)
  • Baking powder (2 tsp)
  • Ground cinnamon (2 tsp)
  • Salt (½ tsp)
  • Ground allspice (½ tsp)
  • Eggs (4 large)
  • Canola oil (¾ cup / 180 ml)
  • Granulated sugar (¾ cup / 185g)
  • Brown sugar, firmly packed (1 cup / 220g)
  • Buttermilk (½ cup / 125 ml)
  • Carrots, peeled and shredded by hand, lightly packed (3 cups / 375g)
  • Cream cheese, room temperature (1 lb / 500g)
  • Unsalted butter, room temperature (6 tbsp / 90g)
  • Confectioners’ sugar (1¼ cups / 155g)
  • Vanilla extract (1½ tsp)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep) and dust with flour.
  2. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and allspice.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and buttermilk until blended.
  4. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combined. Fold in the carrots.
  5. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
  6. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
  7. Transfer to wire racks and cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks and cool completely.
  8. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 6 tbsp butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth.
  9. Reduce speed to low, add confectioners’ sugar, and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Bring to room temperature before using.
  10. Place one cake layer, top side down, on a plate. Spread 1½ cups of frosting over the top. Place the second cake layer, top side down, on top.
  11. Spread remaining frosting decoratively over the top and sides of the cake.

Notes

  • Can be made as a single-layer 9×13" sheet cake, or doubled for two sheets. Baking time may be longer.
  • Serve right away, or cover with a cake dome and refrigerate up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  • Frosting keeps up to 1 week covered in the refrigerator.
  • Orange frosting variation: add 2 tbsp undiluted, thawed frozen orange juice concentrate and 1½ tsp grated orange zest with the vanilla.
  • Coconut frosting variation: beat in 1½ tsp coconut extract and 1 cup toasted coconut after finishing the frosting.