This quick and easy carrot cake is bursting with carrots, raisins and cinnamon. It's topped with maple whipped cream so it's not as heavy as the typical cream cheese frosting.
Carrot Cake Recipe
It's funny that as a person who is obsessed with vegetable cakes enough to write a cookbook on the subject, that I haven't blogged a carrot cake!
I get all excited by vanilla pea cake or kale cake and somehow bypass the classics.
But let me tell you, I love making carrot cake.
It's my husband's favourite flavour and I can pack it full of veggies.
I've given this recipe a few tweaks though.
I've left out the walnuts, and added Greek yogurt to make it light and moist.
Maple syrup replaces much of the sugar and adds extra flavour to the topping.
Rather than a heavy cream cheese frosting, I've used a maple whipped cream so it doesn't overpower the cake.
This cake is moist, delicate and filled with sweet earthy carrots.
The heady scent of cinnamon and the sweet plump raisins all mingle together in a delicious classic bake.
It's a slice of nostalgia and your gateway to more unusual vegetable cakes.
Easy carrot cake
The flavour of maple syrup always takes me right back to Canada, where I was raised.
It's funny how a song or a smell transports you right back to a moment in time and the smell of maple reminds me of breakfasts around the table with my family when I was young.
I've been a vegetarian since I was 12, but I remember my sisters pouring maple syrup on their sausages!
A hint of nostalgic maple now and again harks me back, and what better vegetable cake recipe to put it in than carrot.
The maple flavour is very subtle, so I've enhanced it with a maple whipped cream topping.
I find the typical cream cheese frosting to be a bit too rich, so this super-quick whipped cream is a lighter way to enjoy all the flavours of the sponge.
How to Make Easy Carrot Cake
Carrot cake is really simple to make and it's moist and delicious.
It only takes 10 minutes to get all the ingredients mixed together before you put it into the pan and bake it.
Here's how to do it in step-by-step pictures.
Scroll down for the full ingredients and instructions in the recipe card.
1 - Peel and grate the carrots, then add the carrots and the raisins to a bowl
2 - Sift in the whole wheat flour, bicarb of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, then mix well.
3 - In another bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, maple syrup, oil (I used Mazola 100% pure corn oil) and plain Greek yogurt.
4 - Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and gently combine.
5 - Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Get the easy carrot cake recipe
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts.
Maple Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 2 carrots (approx 300g)
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 ⅔ cup (200g) all-purpose wholemeal flour (plain flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb of soda)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup (130g) plain Greek yogurt
For the Maple Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup (250ml) whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease a 9” cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking paper.
- Peel and grate the carrots into a large bowl and add the raisins.
- Sift the flour, bicarb, baking powder, cinnamon and salt over them (adding any sieved out bran back into the bowl). Stir to coat the carrots and raisins.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, maple syrup, oil and Greek yogurt together well (by hand or with an electric mixer).
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry gently and combine.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan, take off the baking paper and cool completely on a rack.
For the Maple Whipped Cream Topping
- Whip the cream and maple syrup together with an electric mixer until it starts to stiffen. Refrigerate until ready to use.
(Note: the amount is enough to completely cover the cake)
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
simran
This was really great and easy
Emma Jones
I adore carrott cake but have never successfully made it! Going to give this a go x
chichi
this is deliciousness, can't wait to try over the weekend.
miranda
i love your recipe. it makes it seem so fun and easy. even though carrot cake is my favourite i have never attempted making it out of sheer fear that i'll ruin the taste for it. ahah
Jenny
I love a good carrot cake. The maple whipped cream sounds like an interesting addition - I need to try this!
Patrick
I love a nice fresh tasting carrot cake....with lots of raisins. A light frosting is my preference as well as carrot cake is so dense. This is making me hungry!
kirsty
I've never actually eaten a carrot cake before but the swap of using maple syrup instead of sugar for a healthier and less artificially sweetened product sounds great to me. I really need to try this cake now!
Edyta at Innocent Delight
I love carrot cake. This looks like a perfect dessert for Easter.
Jennifer
I never knew how easy it would be to make a delicious carrot cake!! Thanks for the recipe!
Annie @ Annie's Noms
Love the fact you've used something different to cream cheese frosting on this cake! Maple and carrot go so well together and I am salivating at how delicious this cake must be with its whipped cream topping. Carrot cake is a firm favourite in my house hold and I will definitely be making this soon!
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter
Carrot cake is probably one of my favourite cakes and yours looks so stunning and I bet it was utterly delicious! Would love to have a slice with my afternoon tea:)
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables
I've actually never made carrot cake before! This recipe looks delicious though, especially with that frosting!
Diana
I think that carrot cake is my all time favourite cake! The maple frosting sounds amazing. I also use Mazola corn oil in my cooking and baking.
Natasha Mairs
oh this looks so nice. I love a good carrot cake. Never thought about adding maple syrup to cream, will have to try this.
Christy
I love carrot cake and I really like using maple syrup in recipes as I think it really does taste better. I'm going to give this a go for my next cake.
Nicolette Lafonseca
Carrot cake always makes me feel.more grown up like I am not even indulginging in cake