Pumpkin Carrot Cake With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

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I love creating new cakes and desserts in my kitchen. The experimentation and imagination, all the different techniques and possibilities, the wonderful feeling of self accomplishment when something turns out right, this is my world and it is limitless 🙂

I especially love it when my family likes my creations. Even the picky ones! My sister doesn’t like carrot cake, weird I know, but this she devoured 😉

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A beautiful marriage of two very popular cakes, pumpkin and carrot, united together with a boat load of warm and delicious spices and topped with my now favourite spice cake frosting. This cake is one of my all time favourites, it is so delicious I just love it!
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The crumb is sooo soft and moist and the flavour is spectacular. I was really trying to make sure that both the pumpkin cake and the carrot cake flavours shine through without one overtaking the other.
I had to play around a bit but this cake is the definition of perfect! You need to make sure to add enough spice as pumpkin cakes need that to boost their flavour. I’ve used dark brown sugar here because that extra molasses-y taste is delicious and really goes well with the rest of the ingredients.

For an extra moist and velvety crumb I’ve used oil instead of butter as well as a bit of applesauce. I love to combine these two because it makes everything super moist without being greasy.

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One thing I’d like to mention is that it’s totally fine to use homemade pumpkin puree and homemade applesauce. I know that some of these are hard to find so you can just as easily make them on your own.

I’m still thinking about this frosting! It’s soo good I can’t even explain. I actually didn’t have enough ingredients to make a proper amount and the weather was horrendous, going out was not an option so I had to settle on just a little but I’ve written the amounts for the full recipe below.

As with all pumpkin and banana cakes it’s best to make them a day in advance so that they have enough time to fully develop. Seriously the cake I ate for breakfast the next day was not the same as the one before. It’s insane! 🙂

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Make this, eat it and tag me with your pics! @dutchbakerblog
Pumpkin Carrot Cake 

Makes 1 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups/190gms all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice or use 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and pinch of cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup/120mls oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup/100gms dark soft brown sugar, light is okay too
• 1/4 cup/50gms white sugar
• 1/2 cup/120gms pumpkin puree*
• 1/4 cup/60gms unsweetened applesauce or freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup finely shredded carrots
• Optional: 1/2 cup nuts, raisins, dried fruits or shredded coconut

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting

• 6 tablespoons/65gms softened butter
• 1/2 cup/4oz cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups/150gms icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Grease and flour a cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt and baking powder and soda until very well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin puree until well combined.
4. Add in half of the flour mix until just combined. Whisk in the applesauce or orange juice until just combined.
5.  To the remaining flour mix, toss in the carrots and stir to coat. This helps distribute the carrots evenly throughout the cake. Add this carrot flour mix to the batter and whisk until just combined. Don’t over mix, batter will be slightly thick and lumpy.
6. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until cooked through, 32 – 35 minutes. Check for doneness by gently pushing in the middle of the cake, if it springs back then it’s done. Cool cake completely before frosting.

For the frosting

1. Whisk butter and cream cheese until combined and creamy about 2 minutes.
2. Add in icing sugar and whisk smooth.
3. Add in vanilla and cinnamon to taste along with pinch of salt if needed. Frost cooled cake and top with nuts or caramel.

* If you can’t find ready made canned pumpkin puree then make your own by boiling or roasting a pumpkin until fork tender. Once done, remove the skin and puree the pumpkin in a food processor/ blender then squeeze through a cheesecloth or clean tea towel to remove any excess water.

To make your own applesauce, peel and chop one large apple. Cook in a saucepan over medium heat along with 2 tablespoons water until thickened. Puree in a blender and cool completely before using.

Recipe by the Dutch baker.