This carrot pound cake is a simple and moist loaf cake scented with spice and topped with a fluffy cream cheese buttercream!
Author:Kate Wood
Prep Time:15
Cook Time:45
Total Time:1 hour
Yield:8 Servings (1 Loaf)
Category:Cake
Ingredients
For the loaf:
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1–1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1–1/3 cup freshly peeled and grated carrots
½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts if you’d prefer
For the frosting:
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
To prepare the loaf:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and 8×4” loaf pan and line the bottom (if desired) with a trimmed piece of parchment paper for easy removal. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing gently at each addition, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger, stirring only until combined. Add the carrots and nuts and fold until integrated. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the loaf in the oven about 45-47 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before inverting the pan on a cooling rack to allow to cool completely. If desired, top with frosting.
To prepare the frosting:
Cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed in a medium-sized mixing bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar, stirring on low until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Pipe or spread on the cake as desired. I used a 1M piping tip to pipe the design shown.