Carrot cakes are delicious, moist and tempting. They take a simple vegetable and transform it into a delectable dessert, bright orange and yummy. But most carrot cake recipes call for eggs, making them rather inaccessible to many people with dietary choices that include refraining from eggs. But that doesn’t mean one has to miss out. So follow this detailed eggless carrot cake recipe to make the perfect eggless carrot cake recipe.
Ingredients:
- 180 gm whole wheat flour (leveled)
- 1.5 teaspoons levelled baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder (ground cinnamon)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder (ground or grated nutmeg)
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder (ground ginger)
- 400 gm sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk – chilled or at room temperature
- ¼ cup sunflower oil – use neutral tasting oil or olive oil
- 200 gm finely grated carrots or 190 to 200 grams carrots or 1 large delhi red carrot
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 452 gm full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 113 gm unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 480 gm confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C.
- Grease a cake pan with butter. Set aside.
- Rinse, peel and finely grate the carrots.
- In a bowl, sieve in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and ginger powder. Mix and set aside.
- In another bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, milk and oil. You can add more sugar to this mixture if you want a sweeter cake, although keep in mind that the condensed milk naturally sweetens the cake. Whisk it all together. Now add the grated carrots and mix well.
- A little by little, pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Don't overmix. The batter should have a good volume and not fall flat. It also should not become too dense and thick. The batter should have a pouring consistency.
- Now pour the batter into the greased pan. Tap the pan against the counter to level the batter.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. Youll know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a wire rack and let it cool. Make the frosting in the meantime. In a bowl, add the cream cheese and butter and beat with a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Then add the sugar, vanilla and salt pinch and beat for a few minutes. Everything should be well combined and creamy. If the frosting is too thin, add more sugar and if the frosting is too thick then add more milk. If it's too sweet, add more salt. The frosting should be soft but not runny.
- Remove from the pan and place on a serving plate or cake stand. Layer the top and the sides of the cake with the frosting. Create designs from a piping bag too, if desired.
- Slice and serve.
Notes, tips and tricks:
You can make the batter and frosting ahead of time and bake the cake a day later. Store them in the fridge. Whisk the batter well before transferring to the oven.
You can store leftover cake in the fridge for 2 days or freeze for 3 months.
You can add chopped nuts like almonds, cashews and others to the batter if you prefer.
It's best to use full carrots and grate them yourself instead of buying grated carrots from the market.
In the frosting, the butter and cream cheese should be at room temperature. If they are stored in the fridge and are cold, let them sit at room temperature till they warm. If you use cold ingredients, the frosting won't mix evenly and you’ll have a lumpy frosting. If you try to rush the process by melting the butter, it will turn out warm and the frosting will become runny as a result. So make sure both the ingredients are at room temperature and then make the frosting.