This Moist Apple Carrot Cake is a delightful blend of sweet apples, earthy carrots, and crunchy walnuts, perfectly spiced with cinnamon. Easy to make and incredibly moist, this cake is ideal for any occasion, topped optionally with creamy cheese frosting.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsPro Tips
- Grating and Chopping: Grate carrots finely to blend seamlessly into the batter; chop apples into small, uniform pieces (about ¼-inch) to ensure even cooking.
- Avoid Soggy Cake: Pat grated carrots and chopped apples with a paper towel if they’re very wet to remove excess moisture.
- Toasting Walnuts: For deeper flavor, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, then cool before adding.
- Pan Options: If using a different pan size (e.g., two 8-inch rounds), adjust baking time—check at 45-50 minutes.
- Storage: Store unfrosted cake at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate frosted cake for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly.
Optional Variations
- Spiced Version: Add ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger for a warmer flavor profile.
- Nut-Free: Omit walnuts or substitute with raisins or shredded coconut.
- Gluten-Free: Replace all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Mini Cakes: Use muffin tins for cupcakes; bake at 325°F (160°C) for 20-25 minutes.
Ingredients
Cream cheese frosting (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil until smooth and well combined. This should take about 1-2 minutes by hand or with an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to ensure even distribution of leavening agents and spices.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix until just combined—avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
- Add Mix-Ins: Fold in the grated carrots, chopped apples, and walnuts gently until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Check at 60 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. If frosting, allow it to cool completely.
- Optional Frosting: Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake for added richness (recipe below).
Cream cheese frosting
Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until creamy. Spread over cooled cake.
Comments
Can I use coconut sugar instead?
Coconut sugar should be ok to replace sugar. Happy baking :)
Shall I want to beat sugar, egg and other ingredients also?
Came out great! Two thumbs up!
You can use refined brown sugar.instead of the usual white sugar....it tastes great just the same. And more healthier.
brown sugar is not healthier, its white sugar with molasses.
ur dumb
This cake came out great! I didn’t use nuts I added a few golden raisins. It is moist indeed.
Can I substitute
vegetable oil with butter?
I find using oils instead of butter makes it super moist. At best use both, but half the recipe quantity.
Delicious cake
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Yes, you can definitely use whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour might be better. But either way works.
Modified this recipe a lot, but turned out amazing! Reduced carrot to 1 cup, added pineapple and banana, no walnuts, same amount of apple. Used an erythritol/stevia/sugar sweetener combo. Reduced oil to 2 tablespoons and added non-fat greek yogurt and applesauce to replace the fat content and keep the moisture. Also added lemon zest, and cardamom bitters.
Sounds great -- but a whole different recipe :-)
Lemon zest sounds like a good idea.
That sounds amazing, I might steal some of those ideas ;)
I used half of the following: brown sugar, white sugar, oil and butter. Followed every other instruction to the teeth. Turned out beautifully. Thanks.
Instead of egg what i can use
Mashed banana
It is not a bad recipe, but it tastes very oily, not moist.
What apples should I use and can I make this into a round cake
i used just what the recipe called for, have made this before with raisins one-time, one-time brown sugar, another time raisins, added pineapple, all delicious.
Do I peel the apple?
Can I prepare this recipe with coconut flour?
Has anyone tried to sub out honey for sugar?