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The best carrot cake EVER, just in time for Easter!

April 14, 2019

The best carrot cake EVER, just in time for Easter!

April 14, 2019




A Got What It Cakes first…top-secret cakery recipes, included in this post, for the first time ever!

If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!

I owned a cake business for almost ten years, and closed it up about a year ago. It was one of the hardest (and easiest) decisions of my life. That blog post is for another day though! Today, I’m doing something I never did in those ten years…sharing some of Got what it Cakes’s recipes!!! I figured it’s time to give the people what they want, and apparently that’s insider secrets, tips, tricks, and recipes 😉

I know, I know. Yall actually just want me to reopen the cakery, but that’s not gonna happen. #sorrynotsorry 😉

But sharing a recipe is waaaaaaaaaaay out of my comfort zone, let alone THREE, so let’s just celebrate the small victories, mkay? And when I had the cakery, we always offered carrot cake for Easter, because bunnies, obvi, so that’s the cake recipe I’m sharing!!! And we always paired it with our cream cheese filling, and buttercream icing, and you’re getting those recipes too!

It’s like Christmas, err, Easter!!!

So let’s start with the carrot cake, shall we?! First, let me say this…baking is a science. It’s very precise. Use measuring cups for dry ingredients. Use a liquid measuring cup (hint: it’s usually the glass kind) for wet ingredients. Have eggs and butter ready to go at room temperature! Preheat your oven to the correct temp, and use a calibrator if you aren’t sure if your oven is heating correctly. Also, cake pans do make all the difference, and you want them to have straight edges. You can get Wilton ones at a hobby store, and they’ll work just fine! Get a turntable or lazy susan (IKEA sells them for $4 no joke), an offset spatula, and a bench scraper. Now that we’ve covered the basics…on to the hard work!

Carrot Cake

Straight-up carrot cake with no raisins, nuts, or pineapple, with the warmth of cinnamon!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients
  

  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups grated carrots food processor or hand-grated (not a bag)

Instructions
 

  • Step 1:
    Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare cake pans with pan spray. Please be generous with the spray…oftentimes I think cakes don't come out of the pan because there isn't enough spray.
  • Step 2:
    In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with a whisk.
  • Step 3:
    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix eggs, white and brown sugars, OJ, sour cream, oil, and extract. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • Step 4:
    Gradually add in the the dry ingredients, and combine with the wet until incorporated. Scrape the bowl again.
  • Step 5:
    Fold in the grated carrots, and combine the batter until fully mixed.
  • Step 6:
    Pour a third of the batter (a little more than 2 cups) in each 6 inch pan (these are 2 inch high pans) and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Every oven is different, so check every five minutes after 30 minutes, but don't be alarmed if it takes a while to bake…carrot cake is very dense!
  • Step 7:
    When toothpick comes out clean, remove them from the oven to cool for about 15-20 minutes.
Keyword cake, carrot cake

While they bake, can we take a minute to discuss some cake terminology?!

Typical bakery phone conversation:
Customer: “I need a three tier cake for a birthday today!”
Me: “How many people do you need to feed?”
Customer: “Just a small family gathering, so maybe 8-10 people.”
Me: “Oh, you mean a three layer cake?!”
Customer: “Yes. That’s what I said.”
Me: “You said three tier, and that’s why I asked how many people, because our smallest three tier cake feeds 53 people, and we can’t do it with such little notice. But we can do a one tier cake no problem for same day!”
Customer: “Well yeah, I don’t want a single layer. I want it to be taller.”
Me: “Right. Our one tier cakes are three layers of cake and two layers of filling.”
Customer: “Okay, that’s what I need then.”

Now have that conversation 387432204754 times a day 🙂

To recap, each cake TIER is made up of LAYERS of cake and filling. Some bakeries do two LAYERS of cake with one filling in between. Other bakeries do four LAYERS of cake and three layers of filling. We did three LAYERS of cake with two layers of filling, simply because I like that ratio best, and it was my cakery 🙂 The Easter cake in this post is a single TIER with three LAYERS of cake.

If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!

A multi-TIERED cake is when we have more than one tier of cake, and they typically graduate in size. This is a three-TIERED cake…see, three levels essentially. Shall we do some math?! If each tier has three layers of cake, then how many layers of cake are there?! If you said NINE, you win!!!

(You win nothing actually, but I’m appreciative you finally understand me, and that’s a win for every caker in the world)

If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!

I need to stay focused! While the layers are baking, make the cream cheese filling AND the buttercream!

Cream cheese filling recipe is HERE!

Butterecream Recipe is HERE!

Back to the baked cakes! Let them cool in the pans for 20-30 minutes, and then flip them out, cut off the tops so they’re level, and wrap them in saran wrap. I use a leveler for this part (see how I use it in the chocolate cake video below), but a serrated knife works too!

If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!
bottom of cake goes on sarah wrap
If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!
use a serrated knife to cut off the hump
If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!
don’t pull on the sides of the layers when you wrap them!

The trick is to wrap them when they’re still warm, and that way when you put them in the freezer, the condensation is trapped in the cake layers. YES, I said freezer!!!

Let’s dispel this rumor real quick that freezing cakes dries them out. It’s simply NOT TRUE.

1. Dry cakes are dry no matter what you do with them. The recipe sucks, or you baked it too long. Don’t blame the freezer. 2. Microbiology proves that steam helps keep moisture in things. 3. This is why food commercials say “flash frozen to lock in moisture/freshness.” 4. I promise I know what I’m talking about.

You can let them freeze for as long as you want, but I’d suggest at least 4 hours. If you’re going to keep them in there for a few days, also wrap them in aluminum foil, on top of the saran wrap.

Freezing will not only trap in the moisture, but they will be easier to fill and ice the layers! Here’s the video on how to do that:

Notice in the video I said “crumb coated” the cake. Can we agree to stop saying “dirty ice?” like Buddy the Cake Boss says?! Crumb coating is exactly what it says…coating the crumb. Nothing “dirty” about it. Kthanks. Put your crumb coated cake in the fridge for 20-30 minutes and then it’s time to ice it!!! Here’s the video on how to do that:

To make the buttercream that robin’s egg blue color, add a tiny bit of royal blue food gel, or a few drops of blue food dye will do the trick too! Less is more here! Once you’ve iced the cake, put it back in the fridge, and prep the “splatter” mixture of 1/4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Whisk it together until there aren’t any lumps! I learned that concoction from I am Baker. Check out the video to see how to splatter!

Once you’ve finished splattering the cake, put toasted coconut (sweetened coconut flakes at 350 degrees for 10ish minutes) around the bottom edge of the cake (use a bit of icing to help it stick), and then a nest of coconut on top. Place some mini cadbury eggs in the nest, and voila!!!

The sweetest Easter cake you ever did see…

If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!
If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!
If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!
If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!

DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS!!!

If you've ever wanted to make carrot cake, cream cheese filling, and buttercream from scratch, then decorate it like a pro, look no further! Miranda In Charlotte shares the best way!

Check out the other Easter posts I did this week, HERE and HERE!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Shop the products used:

mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com

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  • deb April 13, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    Awesome post, Mandie! Thank you. Will save!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 7:00 pm

      let me know if you make it! love you!!!

  • Jenny April 13, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    GWIC recipes? This blog just went nuclear!!! Yum yum yum!!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 7:00 pm

      can you believe it?!!! i’m still like “what have you done?!!!” but disney vault does it, so it’s good enough for me too 😉

  • Joya April 13, 2017 at 2:04 pm

    This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try out these recipes! Thanks for sharing Mandie!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 6:59 pm

      awe! thanks for reading friend! love every pic of cora you post! xo

  • Carman April 13, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    Awesome!! Thanks for sharing, I so miss your fakery, but maybe this will be a little piece of something for me to remember it by!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 6:59 pm

      i miss the customers (friends) so much!!! you can recreate this i promise! xo

  • JACKIE April 13, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    I am totally making cruffle pops out of those cake tops….no deliciousness will go to waste!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 6:58 pm

      lol! i think i’m going to make them and raffle them off, or do a giveaway!!!

  • Gloria Alvillar April 13, 2017 at 3:35 pm

    This is amazing!! You are a born educator for sure. Not sure I can pull this off but it sure makes me appreciate what bakeries do much, much more. Thank you.

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 6:58 pm

      you can i promise! you have a good teacher 😉 xo

  • Kirby April 13, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    Thanks for the recipe, cake pro! Keep up the great work with your blog 😘

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 6:58 pm

      thanks cousin!!! love you!

  • Kelley Hurtt April 13, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Bravo friend!!! I thought I’d be the last person you’d ever share your buttercream recipe with 😉 so these blog followers are LUCKY!!!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 13, 2017 at 6:57 pm

      You’ll be the only one who can make it better than me 🙂 Love you!!!

  • Susan Kelly April 13, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    This post is solid gold, and makes me realize life is not worth living as a gluten and dairy free person. Thanks for sharing!!!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 14, 2017 at 1:30 am

      are you gluten and dairy free?!!!! i think i did that when i was paleo? but obvi, i’m not anymore 😉

  • Chrissy baldelli April 14, 2017 at 1:44 am

    Yay! I’m terrible at actually baking. I attempted a yellow cake once and it came out so bad I was scared to do anything else. Hopefully through your blog I’ll be inspired again. Thanks for sharing!!!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 14, 2017 at 3:38 am

      i promise you can do it! please tag me if you give it a shot! xo

  • Amy Morgan April 14, 2017 at 3:35 am

    OMG… the buttercream recipe!!! Day made! Your buttercream is my favorite!!! Awesome blog!!!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 14, 2017 at 3:38 am

      i’ve made many people happy today, and that’s the best feeling ever!!! xoxxo

  • Sonja April 14, 2017 at 4:31 am

    Wow Mandie!! Your videos were great! I only bake for my kids’ birthdays and at the holidays, so it always feels like I’m just starting over and trying to remember what I did last time. I got a little laugh at the end when you splattered it after being so careful not to get any crumbs in the frosting! That’s the look I’m always trying to AVOID! 😂 Two easy questions. 1) Do you just wipe the cake board up at the bottom after you frost the cake? Yours looked so nice and neat at the end! And does no one use the doilies any more? I bought some but can never figure out how I’m supposed to use them without getting icing all over it. 2) When’s the best time to make the icing? Is it best to make the cakes and freeze them and then wait to make the icing just before you’re going to take them out. Or do you not have a problem putting the icing in the refrigerator and taking it out later? Maybe bringing it to room temperature. I just hate to think about dirtying up my stand mixer again to get it fluffy! Sorry to be such a brat with all my questions; but I know you know!! Thanks Mandy and awesome post!!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 17, 2017 at 1:33 pm

      hey girl!

      1. yep! just wipe it with a damp paper towel! i use the cardboard rounds that have a smooth (wipe-able) surface on top, so I can get water on it. any craft store will sell them! no one uses doilies anymore because, like you said, they don’t make sense! people used to transfer the cake on top of them, but the icing border’s grease still “leaked” on them.
      2. I’d say make the icing 1-2 days in advance and just let it sit in an airtight container on the counter (the sugar and salt “kill” the dairy in the butter and milk, so no worries of spoiling!) If you want to make it far ahead of time, you can! Just put it in the fridge and pull it out 1-2 days ahead of time to completely thaw! And stir it really well!

      thanks for reading and watching!!! xo

  • Angela Barton April 16, 2017 at 3:02 am

    Oh my!! I wish I could share a picture with you, but I just made the cake and the cream cheese! Nothing like procrastinating till almost Easter to make this! But hey it’s family!! Can’t wait to pull it together for our desert tomorrow afternoon! You CC has NO powdered sugar?!? I was like wait…but it sure does taste good!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 17, 2017 at 1:27 pm

      so glad you shared the pic with me! it looks great! and yep, marshmallow fluff is the trick! sweet, but not too sweet, and no grit at all! xo

  • Kristen April 16, 2017 at 7:48 am

    Newbie question – if I’m serving this shortly after finishing the icing – how far ahead should I do it so it doesn’t feel frozen when serving? I’ve never frozen cake. Thanks!

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 17, 2017 at 1:26 pm

      Sorry just seeing this!!! The layers will start to thaw as you’re filling and icing and decorating it, but I’d still say to give four hours on the counter for it to come to room temp!!!

  • Allyson April 19, 2017 at 9:21 am

    Great post! I always knew I was on to something by freezing cake! 😏

    • mirandaincharlotte@gmail.com April 19, 2017 at 12:17 pm

      absolutely girl!!! you know what’s up 🙂 xo

  • Jaime March 27, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Great post! Love!

  • Kelly Yale April 16, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    I have to make this!!

  • Leanna April 12, 2020 at 8:03 pm

    Making this tonight/tomorrow morning for Reagan’s birthday (on Wednesday!) Her request for carrot cake 😀 Wish me luck!

  • About Me

    About Me

    Hey Peeps!

    I'm Miranda, and I'm formerly lots of things (I sold dumpsters, fro-yo, and car parts to name a few), but most recently I was a cakery owner of Got What It Cakes. I'm a mom of two daughters whom I call my "minis,” and the wife to Joshua, whom I call "Stud" (yes, he's even in my phone under that name). Most days you can find me oversharing about my insane life on my InstaStories, in a segment I call "carpool confessions." Follow along as I decide what to be when I grow up, while I navigate my other love, the queen city of Charlotte! I also tend to go by "Mayor Miranda," and am awaiting my key to the city ;) Read More

    xo, Miranda

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