Spiced Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
We raised horses for many years. That meant we always had carrots on hand. And what better way to use carrots than in an a delicious, moist spiced carrot cake!
This is a great winter dessert: dense and heavy with a wonderful carrot flavor, redolent with the spices of the season, and the coconut cream cheese frosting even looks a bit like snow.
It's practically a meal in itself with fresh eggs, fresh grated carrots and raisins.
This recipe is so easy and whips up in just minutes. The cake batter can be made by hand with just a whisk and large bowl, but for the frosting you'll want to use a handheld or stand mixer. Enjoy!
In a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth, then add:
3 cups coarsely grated fresh carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots)
Mix until ingredients are combined.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch cake pans. Pour batter evenly into the two pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for ten minutes, then turn cakes out of pans onto racks to cool completely.
Add ingredients one at a time, beating until well blended. Frost the cake, stacking one layer on top of the other with a nice, thick layer of frosting in the middle (be generous with the frosting, there will be plenty).
Press shredded coconut onto the top of cake.

Spiced Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 eggs
- 1-1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 3 cups coarsely grated fresh carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup coarse chopped walnuts
- 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
- 16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Shredded coconut for garnish
instructions:
- Preheat over to 325 degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk or stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, sugars and vanilla bean paste.
- In a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth, then add the carrots raisins and walnuts and stir until well combined.
- Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch cake pans. Pour batter evenly into the two pans.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool on wire racks for ten minutes, then turn cakes out of pans onto racks to cool completely.
- Add frosting ingredients one at a time, beating until well blended.
- Frost the cake, stacking one layer on top of the other with a nice, thick layer of frosting in the middle.
- To garnish, press some shredded coconut onto the top of cake.
