Best Ginger Carrot Cake

Ingredients

This is a versatile recipe with mostly simple ingredients:

For the cake:

• Carrots - you can peel them or not. And I recommend grating them with a large-holed grater and at the last moment. That way they retain the moisture better and don't become soggy.
• Unsalted butter.
• Flour: I use both all-purpose flour and superfine whole wheat flour. But you can substitute the latter and only use white flour (AP or cake flour).
• Baking powder: it helps the cake grow as it bakes, so make sure it's not expired.
• Milk: whole milk makes for a richer cake, but reduced-fat milk can be used.
• Brown sugar: it adds moisture and gives it a wonderful caramel undertone.
• Spices: the only ones that are essential for a great flavor are cinnamon and ginger. I also like to add nutmeg and allspice and others add cloves. So adjust to your own personal taste.
• Vanilla - I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine. 

For the frosting:

• Cream cheese: full fat, regular cheese (I use Philadelphia cream cheese).
• Cream: use double, whipping, or heavy cream. Or use the same amount of sour cream or even milk.
• Powdered sugar: it's superfine and soft, also called confectioners' sugar or icing sugar in some countries.

Tips to make this cake

• Creaming: this cake uses the creaming method (butter and sugar are well beaten and the eggs are added one at a time) and it's easier to make with an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. You can mix it by hand but be ready to use some arm muscle!
• Sifted flour mixture: both flours, salt, and baking powder need to be sifted. You can choose to have them measured and then sift them over the cake batter as you add them, or sift them in a separate medium bowl beforehand. Whatever works best for you.
• Beating after adding the flour: it's important to not overbeat at this point. Flour starts to develop gluten if beaten (or kneaded) and that will make the cake tough. So use the low speed of your mixer.
• Carrots: I highly recommend grating (with a large hole grater) or shredding (in the food processor) them at the last minute. This will prevent the liquids to start being released and turn the shredded carrots into a soggy mess.

Spice mix

I have my favorite mix of carrot cake spices and I'm sure you have yours.

So, even though the recipe specifies a certain combination, feel free to increase or decrease them or even use one you already have, like pumpkin spice which goes really well with carrots too.

Fresh ginger: I like to add a small amount, no more than ½ teaspoon, of grated fresh ginger to the batter. It will give it an extra kick. But don't go out of your way to buy it. This recipe is still great without it as it has ground ginger both in the cake and the frosting.

Ginger frosting

The frosting in this carrot cake has cream cheese but is lighter because it has no butter. It's more of a cream cheese icing. The ginger can be optional if you already use fresh ginger in the cake batter, but I think it adds a zing that is fantastic! Some of us are fanatics lol.

Alternatively, use a traditional cream cheese frosting (find the recipe in the Hummingbird Layer Cake post) with cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. Add some chopped crystallized ginger (also called candied ginger) on top for an extra dose of this peppery spice.

Storing

Room temperature: this cake keeps well at room temperature for a day or two after it's baked. Always make sure it's wrapped or under a cake dome to prevent dryness.

Freezing: carrot cake in general freezes wonderfully and this is no exception. After the cake is cooled, wrap it in plastic and then in foil or a Ziploc bag or something similar and freeze for a month or two.

Vintage Kitchen tip: cakes that have vegetables and fruit added to them are best kept refrigerated after a day or two at the most. Why? Those ingredients tend to ferment, especially if the room is warm or not cool enough. The cake will go bad quickly. So to prevent that, wrap or cover well (to prevent dryness) and keep in the fridge.

Pan sizes

• Cake and loaf: This is a recipe that can be baked in an 8-inch square or round pan (in the photos here), a loaf pan about 4x11-inches.
• Cupcakes: this recipe renders 10-12 regular cupcakes.
• Double the recipe and make it as a 9-inch tube or bundt cake. Or 3 8-inch layers, baked in separate pans.

Variation: Zucchini Cake

Did you know you can also make zucchini cake with this recipe? Or bread, if baked in a loaf pan.

How-to: follow the recipe below but substitute an equal amount of coarsely grated zucchini for the carrots and only use ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. You can add 2 tablespoons of raisins or chopped walnuts/pecans.