- Do not use pre-shredded carrots. Many supermarkets sell pre-shredded carrots in a bag. These carrots are harder and drier than fresh carrots that you shred yourself with a grater. They would not add as much moisture to the cake than fresh shredded carrots.
- Use the full amount of cinnamon and spices in the recipe. Arrow cake is essentially a spice cake with carrots, so the spices need to be present.
- Add nuts and raisins if desired. I don’t use them in this recipe, but the addition of nuts and raisins would be a delicious alternative to the original recipe.
Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
When I think of desserts for Easter, the first one I think of is carrot cake. And we make one every single year. This moist carrot cake layers are filled and frosted with a rich orange cream cheese frosting.
Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely grated carrots
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish
- Chopped walnuts
- Fresh rosemary
Cake
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 inch pans with baking spray. Set aside.
In a stand mixer add oil and sugar. Mix at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Mix again. Mix in shredded carrots. Add dry ingredients. Mix and add buttermilk at the same time.
Divide batter between the the baking pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting
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Add butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed while adding vanilla and heavy cream. Add orange juice and zest and mix again. Set aside.
Assembly
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Level each cake layer. Place one layer on a cake plate. Frost the first layer. Place a second layer of cake on top. Use the remaining frosting to frost the entire cake. Garnish cake with walnuts and fresh rosemary at the top.
