Carrot Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting
Thanks to a boxed cake mix, this recipe comes together with very little effort, making it perfect for busy holiday preparations. The result is a wonderfully moist cake that’s easy to adapt. You can use a traditional, keto, or gluten-free mix and bake it as a simple 9x13-inch cake or dress it up as a beautiful round layer cake. The bright citrus flavor of the frostingmakes this cake truly special. It’s silky, tangy, and completely irresistible; the kind of frosting you might be tempted to eat straight from the bowl.
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple drained
- 2 cups carrots shredded
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup coconut optional
- 1/4 cup raisins optional
- For the Frosting:
- 2 sticks butter room temperature
- 2 blocks cream cheese softened
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. orange juice
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a mixer, add cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and ginger. If you are using a gluten-free or keto cake mix, make sure the mix weighs about 15.25 ounces, the same as a regular box of cake mix.
- Mix the wet ingredients in the mixer for 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Fold in the pineapple, carrots, pecans, raisins, and coconut. If you don't want to add any of these items, you can leave them out.
- Transfer the cake batter to a greased 9x13-inch pan or two 8-inch round pans.
- Bake the cake according to the directions on the cake mix box for the size of pan you are using.
- Check for doneness using a toothpick or skewer. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Cool the cake completely.
- Combine all the ingredients for the frosting in the bowl of a mixer.
- Beat on low using the whisk attachment for 1 minute.
- Increase the mixer speed and beat until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cake. If you are making a layer cake, spread the frosting between the layers and around the outside.
- Decorate the cake with pastel sprinkles, nuts, coconut or leave it plain.