This caramel twist on Ottolenghi's carrot cake recipe is a beautifully moist cake filled with healthy carrots, warm spices and layered with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Adding caramel with caramelized pecans to the chef's recipe takes the cake to a new level. Try it today!
I have been looking for the best carrot cake recipe over the last three to four years. I almost gave up on it!
But once I baked and tasted carrot cake by the Israeli-British chef Yotam Ottolenghi, my first thought was, "Wow!" It is fruit-free, not over-spiced, and incredibly moist.
This carrot cake with pecans is a twisted version of Ottolenghi's carrot cake.
Playing with ingredients, I made a two-layer carrot cake with the doubled cream cheese frosting and added salted caramel with caramelized pecans between the cake layers.
So, if you have already given up with carrot cake, you should try this one as a last resort. You will love it!
Jump to:
What is a carrot cake?
Carrot cake is a moist cake filled with grated carrots. Food historians discovered that its first recipe was published in 1827.
The cake became popular in Great Britain because of rationing during the Second World War.
In 1941, British scientists invented a unique radar system to use at night. It is considered that the carrot cake was born at that time.
The British government started a campaign to increase the gorgeous orange root consumption since it could improve night vision. It is considered that the carrot cake was born at that time.
The cake came to the States during the 1960’ and became one of the most famous American classic desserts.
What is carrot good for?
Carrots are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
- Since carrots contain a significant number of antioxidants that reduce free radicals in the body, the orange root may lower cancer risk.
- Patients with diabetes may benefit from eating carrots since antioxidants with phytochemicals play a significant role in blood sugar regulation.
- Vitamin C of carrots helps boost the immune system during the flu season.
National Carrot Cake Day
Have you heard about the National Carrot Cake Day? This holiday is celebrated annually on February 3rd in the United States.
It is a great chance to make a carrot cake or experiment with the cake batter, making muffins or cupcakes.
I will tell you even more! Carrot lovers all around the world celebrate International Carrot Day annually on April 4th!
This date is the second chance to serve a table with this classic cake.
Carrot cake frosting
Cream cheese frosting is a traditional frosting used for carrot cake.
If you look for other frosting alternatives, make the whipped cream frosting: whisk whipping cream with one tablespoon of icing sugar and spread on top of the cake.
Another non-cream cheese frosting substitute is vanilla buttercream.
If you want to go for a glaze rather than a thick frosting, make a lemon glaze by mixing 150 g icing sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. The lemon note will perfectly fit the cake.
Why you should try this recipe
- Carrot cake is one of the healthiest cakes due to carrots included in the batter.
- Sunflower oil and grated carrots are ingredients that provide the prime moisture for the cake.
- Carrot cake is the best make-ahead cake whose maximum flavors get released the next day. Make the cake one day in advance!
- The cake is so easy to make that even a beginner-baker would be able to perfect this cake. No pipping/cake decorating skills are required.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results.
Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Baking powder, baking soda: these are leavening agents.
Spices: ground cinnamon, ground cloves are used for this recipe.
Eggs: the recipe calls for large eggs. To separate egg whites from the yolks, use chilled eggs and an egg separator.
Sunflower oil: switch it for the flavorless grapeseed oil if you prefer.
Sugar: use granulated white sugar.
Pecans: use raw pecans or candied pecans. You can also replace them with walnuts.
Coconut: use shredded coconut to make the recipe or replace it with the same amount of raisins.
Carrots: grate carrots finely, using the small shred of a grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor. Try to avoid store-bought shredded carrots since they are thick and dry.
Keep grated/shredded carrots in the fridge until you are ready to use them. Make this step yourself a day ahead of time.
Salt: it enhances the flavors of this carrot cake.
Icing sugar: you can make it at home with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.
Cream cheese: make sure to use cream cheese (not cream cheese spread) at room temperature.
Heavy cream: it has to be at least 36% fat content.
Butter: use unsalted butter at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start baking.
Honey: use your favorite honey, but avoid buckwheat honey due to its strong flavor. Use acacia honey as the most neutral one if desired.
How to make Ottolenghi's carrot cake
Preheat oven to 340 F/170 C.
To make the cake batter, sift dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
In a separate small bowl, whisk whole egg with one egg yolk.
Place sunflower oil and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for one minute, using medium speed (photo 1).
Then decrease speed and add beaten eggs. Add chopped pecans, desiccated coconut, grated carrots, sifted flour/spices mixture, and mix just to combine (photo 2).
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt until firm (photo 3).
Carefully add the whites to the main preparation in three times and mix them with a rubber spatula (photo 4).
Grease and layer the bottom and sides of an 8 inch/20 cm round cake pan with parchment paper.
Pour the cake batter into the pan (photo 5) and bake for about 1 hour.
Check the cake's readiness with a tester-skewer: if it comes out dry, the cake is ready. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool (photo 6).
To caramelize pecans, place pecans and powdered (icing) sugar in a non-stick frying pan (photo 7).
Heat the pan over medium heat and mix with a wooden spatula until nuts are covered with caramel.
Transfer pecans on parchment paper and let cool (photo 8). Chop nuts into medium-sized pieces.
To make the salted caramel, heat granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, shaking the pan over the stove.
Sugar will start forming clumps that will eventually melt into a golden-colored caramel.
Remove the pan from heat, add the butter cut into small cubes, and stir.
Add warm heavy cream (be careful of the splash) and bring it to cook for about one minute. Remove from heat and mix one pinch of salt (photo 9).
To make the cream cheese frosting, place cream cheese at room temperature in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer.
In a separate bowl, whisk softened butter, icing sugar, and honey. Add this mixture to cream cheese and whisk again (photo 10).
To assemble the cake, remove the cooled cake from the pan and cut it horizontally with a serrated knife or a cake leveler.
Mix the caramel with two-thirds of the chopped caramelized pecans.
Cover the first cake layer with half of the cream cheese frosting and caramel/pecan mixture (photo 11).
Place the second cake layer, cover with the remaining cream cheese frosting, folding waves on top.
Sprinkle with the remaining chopped caramelized pecans (photo 12).
Expert tips
- Use store-bought caramel instead of a homemade one.
- Use cream cheese (not cream cheese spread) at room temperature.
- Cover top of the cake with foil if it starts getting dark during baking.
- Bake the cake one day in advance, wrap it in plastic film and refrigerate. The next day, assemble the cake and let it chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
- Froze the unfrosted cake for up to 2 to 3 months. To thaw, leave the cake in the fridge overnight.
Frequently asked questions
To simplify this carrot cake, use store-bought caramel and candied pecans or omit the caramel and pecan layer. The simplest version of the cake is a single-layered cake with the cream cheese frosting on top: do not slice the cake and use half of the frosting ingredients.
Sugar is one of the ingredients of the cake that plays a role BEYOND sweetness. Sugar is responsible for the moisture, texture, and structure of the cake. It means that sugar cannot be easily reduced in baking, trying to minimize the calorie intake. It cannot be easily replaced with honey, either. So, I would not recommend changing the amount of sugar in the cake batter.
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Please, note that the recipe was primarily developed using gram measurements for the high precision and then converted to the US volume and weight measurements. I recommend using a kitchen scale for accuracy and the best results.
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Recipe
Ottolenghi's Carrot Cake
This caramel twist on Ottolenghi's carrot cake recipe is a beautifully moist cake filled with healthy carrots, warm spices and layered with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Adding caramel with caramelized pecans to the chef's recipe takes the cake to a new level. Try it today!
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- 1 cup + 4 ½ tablespoons (160 g) flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅔ cup +3 ½ tablespoons ( 200 g) sunflower oil
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (270 g) granulated sugar
- 1.7 oz (50 g) raw pecans
- 1.7 oz (50 g) shredded coconut
- 4.7 oz (135 g) carrots
- 2 egg whites
- 1 pinch of salt
For the caramelized pecans:
- 3.7 oz (105 g) raw pecans
- ½ cup (62 g) powdered (icing) sugar
For the salted caramel:
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (90 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (90 g) heavy cream
- 1 oz (30 g) butter
- 1 pinch of salt
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 12.3 oz (350 g) cream cheese
- 5 oz (140 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (70 g) powdered (icing) sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons (50 g) honey
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 340 F/170 C. To make the cake batter, sift dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. In a separate small bowl, whisk whole egg with one egg yolk. Place sunflower oil and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for one minute, using medium speed. Then decrease speed and add beaten eggs. Add chopped pecans, desiccated coconut, grated carrots, sifted flour/spices mixture, and mix just to combine. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt until firm. Carefully add the whites to the main preparation in three times and mix them with a rubber spatula.
-
Grease and layer the bottom and sides of an 8 inch/20 cm round cake pan with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for about 1 hour. Check the cake's readiness with a tester-skewer: if it comes out dry, the cake is ready. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool.
-
To caramelize pecans, place pecans and powdered (icing) sugar in a non-stick frying pan. Heat the pan over medium heat and mix with a wooden spatula until nuts are covered with caramel. Transfer pecans on parchment paper and let cool. Chop nuts into medium-sized pieces.
- To make the salted caramel, heat granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, shaking the pan over the stove. Sugar will start forming clumps that will eventually melt into a golden-colored caramel. Remove the pan from heat, add the butter cut into small cubes, and stir. Add warm heavy cream (be careful of the splash) and bring it to cook for about one minute. Remove from heat and mix one pinch of salt.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, place cream cheese at room temperature in a bowl beat with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk softened butter, powdered (icing) sugar, and honey. Add the mixture to cream cheese and whish again.
- To assemble the cake, remove the cooled cake from the pan and cut it horizontally with a serrated knife or a cake leveler. Mix the caramel with two-thirds of the chopped caramelized pecans. Cover the first cake layer with half of the cream cheese frosting and caramel/pecan mixture. Place the second cake layer, cover with the remaining cream cheese frosting, folding waves on top. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped caramelized pecans.
Notes
- Soften butter at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge 2 hours before baking.
- Grate carrots finely, using the small shred of a grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor. Try to avoid store-bought shredded carrots since they are thick and dry.
- Keep grated/shredded carrots in the fridge till you are ready to use them. Make this step yourself a day ahead of time.
- Feel free to replace chopped pecans with walnuts and to add raisins instead of coconut.
- Switch sunflower oil for the flavorless grapeseed oil if you prefer.
- Use store-bought caramel instead of a homemade one.
- Use cream cheese (not cream cheese spread) at room temperature.
- Cover top of the cake with foil if it starts getting dark during baking.
- Bake the cake one day in advance, wrap it in a plastic film and refrigerate. The next day, assemble the cake and let it chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
- The unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 2 to 3 months. To thaw, leave the cake in the regular fridge overnight.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 715
- Sugar: 45.5 g
- Sodium: 257 mg
- Fat: 52.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 20.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.7 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 106 mg
Keywords: Ottolenghi carrot cake, caramel carrot cake, carrot cake with pecans, moist carrot cake
The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool. Please, read the disclaimers in our Privacy Policy.
The recipe was adapted from https://ottolenghi.co.uk/. It was originally published on November 10, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Kim says
This is seriously the best carrot cake I've tasted. It's super moist, perfectly spiced and quite easy to make. This is now my go-to recipe for when I'm craving carrot cake. Thank you so much for the inspiration.
★★★★★
Irina says
I am so happy to hear that you liked the cake. Thank you!
Elena says
I'm interested in ur recipes.
Irina says
I am happy to hear that, Elena. Please, follow me on FB, IG or Pinterest, or subscribe to recipe newsletters.
Alexandra Coleman says
What kind of flour is used? Plain flour?
Irina says
Yes, it is all-purpose flour.
Beth says
This recipe would be a huge hit around my home but I do like your idea of changing it up with a lemon glaze - Delish!
★★★★★
Irina | Baking Like a Chef says
I believe that a tangy lemon glaze would perfectly fit the Carrot cake. Thank you for your comment.
Natalie says
I love a good carrot cake! Looks so delicious and soft!
★★★★★
penelopi says
I love carrot cakes! I will try to Veganize it and bake it ?
★★★★★
Irina | Baking Like a Chef says
Great idea! Enjoy!
Laura | Wandercooks says
OOoh yes, who knew the humble carrot was such a powerhouse ingredient! Just the justification I needed to eat this frequently haha. 😀
★★★★★
Irina | Baking Like a Chef says
I know, I know.. There are so many Carrot cake recipes! I hope you enjoy this version of Carrot cake!
Farah says
This looks so moist and decadent. I absolutely love carrot cake! Will have to give it a try thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Irina | Baking Like a Chef says
I might fall in love with this Carrot cake!:) Enjoy!
Michelle Miller says
This Carrot cake looks absolutely fantastic!!! So moist!!!
★★★★★
Irina | Baking Like a Chef says
It is so moist. You are right! Thank you, Michelle!
Anita says
This is definitely one of the best carrot cake recipe I've tried. The cake is moist and paired perfectly with the cream cheese frosting. Definitely a keeper. 🙂
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you so much, Anita! Happy baking and enjoy!:)
Suzy says
I love finding out the history of where classic foods come from! This looks so good!
★★★★★
Irina says
I hear you, Sizy!:) Thank you for your comment.
Farah says
I loved Ottolenghi during my London trip, and now I have to try this recipe! Thank you for this!
★★★★★
Irina says
Here we go, Farah! Please, enjoy the recipe!
Michelle Miller says
Quite easy indeed! Not too overwhelming to make and it looks super moist which is important!
★★★★★
Irina says
Yes, Michelle, this Carrot Cake is easy, moist and delicious! Thank you for your comment.
Jo Allison says
Love how beautifully moist and simply delicious this carrot cake is. I will be making it again and again.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you! I am happy to hear that you love this cake!
Aimee Mars says
Carrot cake is so delicious and I think it works year-round. I also love the little history lesson you included. This recipe looks great!
★★★★★
Irina says
Digging into a cake history gives some ideas and inspirations. I find it interesting and useful. Thanks!
Georgie says
This looks amazing! I love carrot cake and that frosting is to die for! Can't wait to make this!
★★★★★
Irina says
Please, let me know how it went, Georgie!
Irina says
You will love this caramel version of the carrot cake. Enjoy the recipe, Georgie!