Description
This moist carrot cake recipe comes packed with warm spices, fresh carrots, and rich brown sugar flavor. The homemade maple glaze adds the perfect buttery finish and makes this Southern carrot cake completely irresistible.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups shredded carrots
⅓ cup whole milk
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup raw cane sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup real maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add vegetable oil, brown sugar, raw cane sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and applesauce to a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Fold shredded carrots into wet ingredients. Stir gently to combine.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top evenly.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick before removing from the oven.
- While the cake bakes, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Remove the glaze from the heat and whisk in powdered sugar until creamy. Stir the glaze again before pouring.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Pour glaze over cooled cake before slicing and serving.
Notes
Use freshly shredded carrots for the best texture and moisture.
Do not overmix the batter or the cake may turn dense.
Do not overfill the loaf pan with batter.
Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup, for the glaze.
Stir the glaze before pouring because it thickens while cooling.
Store covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern / American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice, 1/8th
- Calories: 345
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 48g