BA's Best Carrot Cake

Name: BA's Best Carrot Cake
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 Nonstick vegetable oil spray; 0.5 cup golden raisins; 3 tbsp dark rum; 1 cup chopped walnuts; 1 lb carrots, peeled, coarsely grated; 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature; 2.5 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp ground ginger; 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 2 tsp baking powder; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 0.75 tsp baking soda; 4 large eggs, room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 0.75 cup dark brown sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 0.75 cup vegetable oil; 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature; 0.75 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 Generous pinch of kosher salt; 4 cup powdered sugar; 1 Candied Carrot Coins

From the kitchen of Carly

Moist, spiced carrot cake loaded with toasted walnuts and plump raisins soaked in dark rum. Warming cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg make this the kind of cake that feels both indulgent and wholesome on the same fork.

Dense, spiced carrot cake with real carrot flavor, not the cumin-heavy stuff that tastes like potpourri. Oil keeps it moist for days. The trick: grating your own carrots and letting the rum-plumped raisins sit until they're full and sweet, then folding everything in at the end so you don't overwork the batter. Paired with a proper cream cheese frosting that's tangy and rich.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cupgolden raisins
3 tbspdark rum
1 cupchopped walnuts
1 lbcarrots, peeled, coarsely grated
1 cupbuttermilk, room temperature
2 1/2 cupall-purpose flour
2 tspground cinnamon
2 tspground ginger
1/2 tspfreshly grated nutmeg
2 tspbaking powder
1 1/2 tspkosher salt
3/4 tspbaking soda
4 largeeggs, room temperature
1 cupgranulated sugar
3/4 cupdark brown sugar
2 tspvanilla extract
3/4 cupvegetable oil
12 ozcream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cupunsalted butter, room temperature
1 tspvanilla extract
1Generous pinch of kosher salt
4 cuppowdered sugar
1Candied Carrot Coins

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, then spray the parchment too. If you're going the raisin route, combine them with the rum in a small saucepan over low heat and warm for about 2 minutes. Pull off the heat and let them sit until the liquid is absorbed and the raisins are plump, 15 to 20 minutes.
Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and slide them into the oven while it heats, tossing once, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool. In a medium bowl, stir together the carrots and buttermilk and set aside.
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Drop the speed to medium-low and pour the oil in gradually. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the carrot mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts and the raisins if using, then scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Set the pans on a wire rack and let the cakes rest for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, invert onto the rack, peel off the parchment, and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla and salt. Lower the speed and add the powdered sugar gradually, then crank it back up to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Set one cake layer domed-side down on a platter and spread 3/4 cup of frosting evenly across the top. Place the second layer domed-side down on top, then coat the top and sides with 1 1/4 cups of frosting. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let that base coat firm up. Finish by spreading the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling it as you go, then crown with Candied Carrot Coins if you like.

Tips from the kitchen

Room temperature eggs and cream cheese aren't optional, they are your setup for a smooth batter and frosting that won't separate or break. Cold ingredients cause lumps you can't beat out later.
Grate your carrots by hand or pulse them in a food processor until coarsely chopped, not pureed. You want texture in every bite, not carrot baby food.
Toast your walnuts while you prep the other ingredients. They go in last and folded, not stirred, so they don't get crushed into dust.
If you skip the rum and raisins, the cake is still great but drier. If you use them, let them plump completely before folding in or they'll pull moisture from the batter as it bakes.

Variations

Cream cheese frosting swapped for ermine (cooked flour paste frosting): lighter, less tangy, and stands up better to warm kitchens if you're not serving right away.
Brown butter in the frosting instead of all regular butter: toast 3/4 cup butter until the solids turn golden and nutty, cool it completely, then beat with cream cheese. Adds depth without heaviness.
Crushed pineapple instead of raisins: drain well and fold in with the walnuts. Changes the flavor completely but keeps the moisture intact and adds brightness.
Skip the candied carrot coins and top with toasted walnut pieces instead: simpler, still looks finished, and drives home what this cake is actually about.

Make ahead and storage

Store frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days. Unfrosted layers wrap well and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.