Easy Peasy Carrot Cake With Buttermilk Frosting

Carrot cake with buttercream frosting is the cake that not only goes with every occasion, but it’s the #1 favorite cake of every weekend as well!

It is completely effortless, and the buttermilk frosting doesn’t even need a piping bag. You can put the frosting jar in the fridge for up to 4 days and use it according to your needs.

This is the perfect carrot cake with buttercream frosting to cook on a Thursday night, an hour or two before you go to sleep. The process is quick, super easy, it won’t take you a long time. Oh, and if you have a sweet tooth, do not feel guilty!

Keeping a balanced diet allows you to have a carrot cake with a buttermilk frosting like this once a week. I mean, that’s great news!

Anyways, if you still think there is too much sweetness, consider that oranges, carrots, and the heaven-on-earth frosting on top have, maybe, the perfect substitute for the sugar.

Carrots are wrapped up with sweetness at this part of the year; Oranges, on the other hand, are top fruit rich in vitamin C, while hazelnuts just put the cherry on the cake as the ultimate nut that goes perfectly with every dessert. I mean, it’s all so packed!

Yes, try adding hazelnuts just before you serve the cake. For example, chop some hazelnuts and spread them on top of the frosting. This is a piece of this cake the next day it is baked.

Enough with the mouthwatering..let’s make it!

Carrot Cake With Buttermilk Frosting’s Ingredients

Begin with two mixing bowls. Whisk the dry ingredients together in 1 bowl, then the wet ingredients in another bowl.

  • All-purpose flour and 00 flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, a pinch of salt. These are the dry ingredients for this recipe.
  • The chopped butter. Make sure it is at room temperature.
  • Three whole eggs. It is preferred for eggs to be at room temperature too.
  • Granulated sugar and brown sugar. The reason why we choose brown sugar is its color. It makes the cake a little darker, and carrots have a better appearance. But you may not use brown sugar and only go with the white one instead.
  • One orange (juice and zest) and half a lemon (only liquid). You can choose to zest the lemon, but I prefer to dominate the orange as I like its sweetness.
  • Grated carrots. Make sure you grate them at the last minute so they do not lose color. Also, do shred them yourself at home, as it gives extra moisture to the cake.
  • As for the frosting, go with powdered sugar. It melts easily, and it created the perfect consistency a frosting needs.

Procedure For The Cake

First, mix sugar and butter until they become a paste.

Next, add the eggs one at a time until all the mixture becomes smooth.

Than, zest and juice both of the orange and half a lemon into the wet ingredients until they thoroughly combine.

Add the dry ingredients slowly until they all incorporate.

Last, add the grated carrots.

Stir with a spatula and transfer the mixture into a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350F and check if it’s ready with a stick. If the bar comes out clean, it is prepared!

It Is Time To Prepare The Frosting

While the cake is baking, mix butter with a hand mixer for around 5 minutes. The butter needs to be very soft and really smooth. The lighter its’ color becomes, the easier it will be for the sugar to get incorporated.

Add the powdered sugar while checking for sweetness. A pinch of salt would help offset the sweetness too.

Last but not least, add a tablespoon of milk. This last step ensures the frosting is “hydrated.” By that, I mean that milk creates the silkiness of the whole mixture. It is worth the wait, trust me!

That’s it! It is ready.

Tips For The Frosting

Pop it into the fridge, so the next day, the only thing you will have to do is chop the hazelnuts. But if you will eat the cake the next day and think preparing the frosting now is too much ahead of time, you can make it 30 mins before actually eating the cake.

Preparing the frosting will only take a few minutes, but I suggest chilling it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving. This guarantees the creamy frosting will hold its shape.

Roast the hazelnuts before chopping. This will add extra flavor and give a darker color to the nuts.

And by the way, look how this cake is a little cracked in the edge. That because I did not spread butter evenly around the edge of the springform. So, please do not avoid this step.

Please do not bother using a piping bag for spreading the frosting. It is so easy and on hand using a tablespoon.

The taste is just as heavenly. Enjoy every single bite of it!

The cake is so soft and fluffy. I don’t think anyone in the family will resist its smell. I mean, this cake shouts, “Eat me, now!”.

I heard it right! I showed this piece of cake a good time.🤣 Done! 😂 In three minutes. I don’t lose my time.

Ladies and gentlemen… thank me later.

Print
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carrot cake with buttermilk frosting

Carrot Cake With Buttermilk Frosting


  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup 00 flour
  • 1/2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/3 tbsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
  • a pinch of salt
  • a pinch of nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 orange (zest and juice)
  • 1 lemon (only juice)
  • 4 carrots (around 1 1/2 cup)

Buttermilk Frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup powder sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

  1. Mix all the dry ingredients and set aside .
  2. In the other bowl mix butter for 2 minutes.
  3. Add both of the sugars and keep mixing until the mixture is incorporated.
  4. Add the eggs one by one, while mixing with a hand mixer.
    carrot cake
  5. Add orange juice + zest and, lemon juice.
  6. Start adding the dry mixture little by little, while mixing for each portion at a time.
    carrot cake
  7. In the end add the grated carrots.
    carrot cake
  8. Transfer all the mixture into a springform pan and bake for around 25 minutes in 350°F until the wooden skewer comes out clear.
    carrot cake

For The Buttermilk

  1. Mix the butter with a hand mixture for around 5 minutes until butter is very creamy.
  2. Add powdered sugar and keep mixing for 2-3 minutes.
    buttermilk
  3. Finally add a tbsp of milk and give it one last mix.
    buttermilk

Notes

  1. Start mixing the dry ingredients, and set them aside. This step will allow the dry ingredients to incorporate with one another.
  2. Add the ingredients in the order mentioned in the recipe. Be patient with the mixing. Each step is important.
  3. You can skip the lemon for this recipe. I like orange to dominate the taste.
  4. Adding the frosting once the cake is at room temperature will ensure the cake will remain soft for the next 48 hours.
  5. Do not add all the frosting, though. Only put on the cake enough cream so the cake can absorb it and remain soft. You can put it in the fridge for the rest of the frosting, and it stays fresh for 2-3 days.
  6. As for the flour, I also used 00 because it makes the cake softer. You can skip this and only use all-purpose flour.
  7. Never forget to spread some butter around the springform edges. I forgot, and the cake cracked a little when I opened the ring. I’ll attach a picture of this in the post.
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

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