Carrot Cake Without Cream Cheese Frosting
Looking for an alternative to cream cheese frosting for your carrot cake? Discover this delightful Carrot Cake Without Cream Cheese Recipe!
This elegant single layer cake combines carrots with a rich blend of spices, perfectly complemented by a simple vanilla icing instead of cream cheese frosting!
Carrot Cake Without Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This traditional carrot cake skips the common cream cheese frosting for something delightfully different, a silky smooth vanilla frosting!
This cake features a moist base brimming with freshly grated carrots, enhanced with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Each slice of cake offers a rich and inviting flavor profile, perfect for those who enjoy homemade carrot cake!
Instead of the usual cream cheese topping, I’ve adorned this cake with a luxurious vanilla frosting that provides a creamy contrast and a subtle vanilla essence, perfectly complementing the spiced carrot base.
How to Make Carrot Cake Without Cream Cheese Frosting
A full and detailed recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Beat Butter and Sugar: In a separate large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and both sugars. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides.
Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Mix in Wet Ingredients: Pour in the oil and vanilla and beat for low speed for 20 seconds to combine.
Beat in Carrots: Add the grated carrot and beat on low speed for 15 seconds to incorporate.
Combine with Dry Ingredients: Add the dry flour mixture and beat on low-medium speed until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in any excess flour around the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Fold in Walnuts & Transfer Batter: Gently fold in the chopped walnuts, the batter will be thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Cool: Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Sift Powdered Sugar: In a small mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar.
Add Wet Ingredients: Pour in the melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick.
Spread Over Cake: Spoon the frosting onto the cooled carrot cake and spread it out gently. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Measure your baking ingredients accurately: Check out my helpful guide on how to measure basic ingredients.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure the butter and the eggs are at room temperature for better integration into the batter.
- Nut-Free: Substitute the walnuts with raisins or leave them out for a nut-free version.
- Avoid Ovemixing: Avoid overmixing the cake batter after adding the dry flour ingredients to keep the cake light and tender.
- Cooling the Loaf: Allow the cake to cool completely before applying the vanilla frosting to prevent it from melting.
Is vanilla frosting as rich as cream cheese frosting?
Vanilla frosting is generally lighter and less tangy than cream cheese frosting. It offers a sweet and buttery flavor, which can be a delightful contrast to the spiciness of carrot cake.
How to store carrot cake
Store: Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Freeze: Without the frosting, wrap the whole cake or slices of cake in plastic wrap, then in foil. Place into a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-lock bags. Label with the freeze date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw frozen loaf at room temperature for several hours before frosting and serving or thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it’s much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Carrot Cake Without Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups (225g/8 oz.) all-purpose flour, scoop & leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, how to pack
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrot, about 1 1/2 – 2 large carrots
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped, plus extra for sprinkling on icing
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 356ºF (180ºC). Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Beat Butter and Sugar: In a separate large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and both sugars. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides.
- Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in Wet Ingredients: Pour in the oil and vanilla and beat for low speed for 20 seconds to combine.
- Beat in Carrots: Add the grated carrot and beat on low speed for 15 seconds to incorporate.
- Combine with Dry Ingredients: Add the dry flour mixture and beat on low-medium speed until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in any excess flour around the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Fold in Walnuts: Gently fold in the chopped walnuts, the batter will be thick.
- Transfer Batter: Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Cool: Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Vanilla Frosting
- Sift Powdered Sugar: In a small mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Pour in the melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Spread Over Cake: Spoon the frosting onto the cooled carrot cake and spread it out gently. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store: Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- Freeze: Without the frosting, wrap the whole cake or slices of cake in plastic wrap, then in foil. Place into a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-lock bags. Label with the freeze date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: Thaw frozen loaf at room temperature for several hours before frosting and serving or thaw overnight in the refrigerator.