SPRING IN CHICAGO
SPRING MEANS EASTER TO ME
When I think of Spring there is one thing that immediately comes to mind: Easter. Bunny rabbits, Cadbury Eggs, colorful baskets and freshly pressed church clothes all flood my thoughts. I start seeing everything with pastel colored lenses and the smell of phantom tulips waft in the air.
EASTER MEAL MEMORIES
Easter holds a special place in my heart because like most other holidays it’s a time when my entire family comes together. Every year we gather for an Easter Sunday lunch where the table is full of delicious food. The adults sit around the table filling their plates while the children dye eggs and decorate sugar cookie bunnies. The room fills with laughter, love and light but at the center of it all are the recipes we love to enjoy together. All of us contribute to the meal whether it something small like refreshments or an entire vat of collard greens. As I’m sure you guys could’ve guessed I love to bring dessert.
CARROT CAKE RECIPE
CLASSIC EASTER RECIPE WITH A TWIST
EASY CARROT CAKE RECIPE
WHAT’S CARROT CAKE MADE OF?
WHAT MAKES THIS CARROT CAKE RECIPE DIFFERENT?
This easy carrot cake pound cake recipe will definitely get you in the Easter mood in no time without all the fuss.
If you want more pound cake recipes, click HERE
EASY EASTER CAKES
-
ORANGE CARROT CUPCAKES
- 7 UP POUND CAKE
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon McCormick vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons McCormick ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon McCormick ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick ground nutmeg
For the Glaze:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla extract
- Optional: toasted coconut for garnish
- Optional: robin eggs for garnish
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In one large bowl, whisk together shredded carrots, granulated sugar, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and McCormick vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, McCormick ground cinnamon, McCormick ground cloves, and McCormick ground nutmeg.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk together until well incorporated.
- Add the batter to a non-stick sprayed 10 inch bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn the cake out on a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze:
- Add cream cheese to your mixer (or use a hand mixer and medium size bowl) and mix on medium high speed.
- Turn mixer down to slow speed and carefully add in confectioners sugar in two separate intervals until incorporated.
- Next add orange juice and McCormick vanilla extract and mix until smooth and pourable (add a little bit more orange juice if you want the icing a little looser or until you get the consistency you prefer).
- Drizzle icing over top of cooled cake.
- Optional: Garnish the top of the pound cake with toasted coconut and robin eggs and serve.
Nutrition
One of the best carrot cakes I have ever had and was so simple to make!! Came out pretty with lots of flavor not drowned out by overwhelming sweetness. My daughter wanted the icing sweeter but I LOVED the little tanginess of it!
This cake was simple to make, and delicious. At first it seemed pretty heavy texture-wise but it was just the moisture from the carrots.
Lovely flvour with all the spices, not too sweet, and the glazing is lovely (which I don’t say often because all frostings/glazings/icings are usually way too sweet and cloying for me).
Thanks so much for the recipe! This makes me want to check other recipes from your site.
Now I’m thinking about modifications I’d love to try, and would like to ask you if you think this could work with brown butter instead of oil, I love the nutty taste it adds to baked goods. Also, do you think the cake would take the addition of raisins and walnuts? What quantities would you recommend? Thanks again!
For the frosting can you sub fresh squeezed lemon juice for the orange juice?
I made this after stumbling across your site and oh so glad I did. You live up to your name with this one. The icing was the perfect balance to the pound cake. I will definitely make this for the fall and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or cider. What a great combination of the two.
It was delicious! My family loved it. I took half of it in to work and my co workers loved it too. The icing is perfect and not overly sweet. I did cover mine in toasted coconut. I do not own a pretty bundt cake pan.
Hooray that sounds lovely. So glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use 2 loaf pans instead of the bundt pan?
Yes you can!
I don’t have sour cream, what can use instead?
Do you have greek yogurt?
Love this. Definitely adding to our table this Easter!
Hooray I hope you enjoy!!
Update! Made this for Easter, the cake was so moist and perfectly spiced. The orange cream cheese icing was really good too. I might opt to add a little more powdered sugar to the icing next time so it’s just a little sweeter. Currently trying not the eat all the leftovers in one day, it was a winner!