I was introduced to carrot cake by my friend, Divya. When we were staying in hostel, she used to bring this delicious carrot cake made by her mom. Those days, since most of my concentration was on eating and not about the behind the scenes part of cake making, I didnt bother about the recipe and all :)
Now coming to the present scenario, after I started baking, I always wanted to try out carrot cake and I even bookmarked a recipe in one of my favorite cooking books, “Everyday Cookery, Baking series”. But again, Divya told me she got a wonderful recipe for carrot cake from one of her aunts and told me its a must try and here I am :)Â and I am repeating her words to you guys, IT'S a MUST TRY!!
Recipe for the carrot cake:
Ingredients
- 3 cups Grated Carrots
- 2 cups Plain Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 1/2 cup Ghee
- 4 Eggs
- 1 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
- 2 tbsp Caramel syrup
Instructions
- For preparing caramel, heat 5 tbsp sugar. Once it turns brown, add 1/4 cup water and let it simmer till it becomes a thick syrup. Remove from gas and let it cool. Please note that the caramel syrup is completely cooled well before adding to the cake mix.
- Preheat the oven at 180 degree, 10 minutes before baking. Sift together plain flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep it aside. Beat the eggs well. Add sugar to the beaten eggs and beat again. Add the sifted powders little by little and keep on beating until the whole lot is added to the egg, sugar mixture. Add oil and ghee and mix thoroughly. Slowly add grated carrots and spice powders and fold into the cake mix. Make sure that there are no lumps. Finally add the caramel syrup (ensure that it is completely cooled) and vanilla essence and combine well. Pour the cake mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.
Check out the Carrot Cake made by Josphine, based on the above recipe. Thanks a lot dear :)
Other recipes of Divya:
Hi Maria, I tried this yesterday and it came out very well.. our Christmas menu was complete and guests kept having the cake, praising it.. thanks for the recipe ?
I wd like to put the pic of my cake here too actually
Merry Christmas!
Hi maria…I tried out carrot cake and it came out tasty.. but I couldn’t add the caramelized sugar as it turned on cooling… ghee was also undr the pan after baking
Hi Maria,
I tried this carrot cake two days back and I have to say it was a HIT. I offered it to the people who came for singing christmas carols , they loved it. The only different step is, my cake was hardly done at 30 minutes,I had to keep it for 45-50 minutes for it to completely cook, other than that everything was as explained in the recipe. Thanks once again:):)
Hi Maria,
Geetha here from Calicut. Made this wonderful carrot cake yesterday, the best ever I made. I am a baking frek and makes cakes occasionally but nothing to beat this one the highlight being using oil and ghee instead of butter. I have tried your other recipes too and everything turned out to be fine. Thanks a lot for sharing recipes as it is and the ingredients measurements correct if not cakes would be a disaster. Do post more innovative ones in future too.
Take care bye Luv Geetha
Hi maria…
Thankyou to you too…Finally i can post my comment for carrot cake :)
I made it and it was so tasty, rich and moist…it is very rarely a cake without frosting tastes so grand…my husband liked it so much too and asked me whether i could bake it again…so i did and we ended up eating two cakes in one week…i made it for our cousin too and they loved it…the only difference was that i added cardamom powder instead of cinnamon because i felt lazy to powder cinnamon and didn’t have the store bought powder…but the cake was still awesome…thanks maria for the recipe and thanks to your friend Divya too :)
I have always been a huge fan of yours and i have told you earlier too that you are the reason i started to take an interest in cooking…thanks a lot again and sorry for the lengthy post
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much dear for your lovely comment :) I’m really happy to know that this recipe was a hit at your place. I’ll pass on your feedback to Divya too. If you like plain cakes, without icing, check out White Chocolate Mud Cake. It’s one of our fav cakes.
Thanks again for your encouraging words.
Cheers
Maria
Will try it out for sure :)
Hi Maria, can we use the cream cheese frosting of your carrot cupcakes for this cake? Or can we make this into cupcakes?
Smitha
Hi Smitha,
Yes, you can use that icing recipe. Also, you can make this cake as cupcakes too..
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria, Saw this recipe yesterday and I couldn’t wait to try this out. :) Tried last night and it came out so well.. I added 1 and 1/2 cup of maida and half a cup of whole wheat flour and added some chopped cherries and dates too :D .. Lovely.. and the taste was heavenly.. :) https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4fc4bd5c61b313ee91fd0f0b005ca8afcebc7b548649b84e711d226d4f02fefd.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fe0f2e34de0eec0f399077513d797942a52847001cb69b019f51fcdd9d6a094c.jpg
Hi Sminu,
Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment here :)
Really happy that you liked the cake recipe. Thanks for sharing the pics too. Will add it on MM FB page in the next batch.
Happy cooking :)
Cheers
Maria
Hai Maria,
I don’t have a conventional oven,only have microwave oven.
I just wanna know whether I can bake the cakes you have uploaded in microwave oven.If so,please help me.
Hi Gigin,
Please check out the below link to know about baking in MW:
https://mariasmenu.com/desserts/double-chocolate-brownies-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-microwave-baking-guest-post
Hope this helps..
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria…
I had a read through the carrot cake recipe….cant wait to try it out…:)…since I am just a beginner in baking cakes, i would be happy if you could give me your suggestions on the size of the baking tray to be used…
The size of the tray I use at home is 4.44 cms deep and 22.8 cms wide…
what changes would you suggest in the ingredient measures, if I were to use the same baking tray?
looking forward to your reply….
Hi Binthiya,
I guess you can use the same qty of measurements listed on the site for your cake pan. However the cooking time varies for each oven, keep that in mind while baking the cake.
Hope your cake comes out well, all the best and happy baking :)
Cheers
Maria
I tried . But it sinks while baking. Tastes delicious. Oven temp. 180 . Rest all cakes r perfect. Can u tell me why?
Hi Roshan,
I’m sorry to hear that it didnt come out perfect :( Please check out the below link. Hope it helps..
http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2010/11/kitchen-tip-5-ways-to-keep-your-cakes.html
I started baking 1 month back when my baby started saying “caikku”..Followed your recipe & as everybody said here- the cake is very tasty..Tried your moist chocolate cake too..very delicious..Keep up the good work :)
Hi Danya,
That’s so sweet of you to start baking for your baby :)
I’m really happy that you liked the cake recipes. Hope you get to try more baking recipes when time permits.
Thanks a lot for the comment!
Cheers
Maria
I tried this recipe and thanks it came out so well! I always loved the carrot cake my friends mom used to prepare but she never disclosed the recipe :) Thanks to you that I was able to get the recipe and try it ..
Hi Niv,
Thank you so much for your comment :)
Nice to know that you got the recipe you were looking for!
Cheers
Maria
Tried this recipe yesterday…came out very well…thanks Maria :) Baked it in my LG microwave oven and it took me exactly an hour in a 9 inch round cake pan to get it completely done. Thought of mentioning the time for the benefit of those yet to try it.
Thanks a bunch Asha for trying the recipe and also for sharing he details. I’m sure it will be helpful for other readers :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria,
Thanks for this delicious recipe I made this carrot cake and it was my first cake and it came out really good. Everyone at home like it very much.Its sooo tasty. Once again hearty thanks and looking forward to recipes. God Bless U
Jeena
You are welcome Jeena :) Glad that it was liked by your family. Thanks a lot for the comment.
Cheers
Maria
i tried making this cake…was a lil worried about the batter being a little loose…but the cake came out really well and is amazin !!!
thanks a lot maria…your blog encourages me to try my luck in kitchen work :-)
Thank you Grace! Good to know that your cake came out well. It’s a pleasure to know that this space encourages you to cook, thanks again :)
Cheers
Maria
Hello
I finally got to make the cake..it’s one super moist delicious carrot cake…I added a cup of chopped walnuts for an added crunch..Btw it took nearly an hour and 10 mts for the cake to bake…I used a 8 inch round pan…I was freaking worried if it was gone a be big flop…but the cake came out beautifully…we shared it with friends too since I didn’t want all that oil and ghee to sit on my hips :)
Keep doing the good work and a big thank u to u and ur friend for this recipe.
Hi Darshana,
Thanks dear :) Good to know that the cake turned out well for you..
The baking time varies for each oven..
Take care
Maria
Hi Darshana,
Thanks a bunch! I’m really honoured to know that that this is your first blog experience and I do hope you like the experience :)
hhmm, I’m not sure the above qty will fit in 2 loaf pans. However it depends on the size of your loaf tin, if it’s small loaf tins, it should be ok.
I used a 7 inch square tin for making this cake.
Hope you could bake it sometime soon. Happy baking!
Cheers
Maria
hi Maria,
Hope u r doing well. I am a regular follower of ur site.
Eagerly waiting for ur new posts
Today I tried carrot cake and it came out well. It was my
first successful baking attempt. Last year on my hubby’s bday, I tried to
surprise him by making cake……………but it was a true flop………From
then I never had the courage to experiment on baking. But since I started
following ur site and after trying out quite a few number of dishes, I got the
confidence that I just need to blindly
follow ur measurements and methods.
And finally, I tried it today. I took only 1 cup of grated
carrot(bz of prev experience, I don’t want to waste more) and I adjusted qty
accordingly. I even used my calculator to get the actual proportion hi hi. It
was truly worth the effort. It was so good to believe that it was made by a
fresher in baking.
My kids don’t like cake much. But I hoped they would give a
try since their amma made it. But it was a misunderstanding of my kids. Anyway,
we like cakes and finally we were on track to do justice to the cake. But with
every piece of cake, we gulped set of guilt feelings as both of us are bit
overweight and are on so called ‘dieting’ ;)
By the way, I always wonder how u stay fit and trim(I had a
peep over ur facebook account…)Almost all cooking experts are on the higher
side of weighing scale. They are not to be blamed, they are making so many food
experiments and they should taste and rate it. Even I feel, I gained weight
recently only trying 8 to 10 dishes from
ur site J If u can smell a kind of ‘kusumbu’, it is not
any mistake, it is there he he….I am sure u r following a healthy life style
and hav a control over ur intake even if it’s a totally  new dish(which I am lacking L)
I am so sorry for taking ur time
writing this much bla blas. But I just can’t control my excitement when that
cake came out well.
Love u dear…….keep up the good
work
sandhya
Dear Sandhya,
Thanks a ton for this lovely comment. Sorry for the delayed reply, I’m away on holiday, hence the delay.
I’m really thrilled to know that carrot cake was a huge hit at your place and your kids also enjoyed it. Thanks for trying the recipes from here.
Btw, I’m not that slim, it’s all photo technique ;) However I try to do some exercise once in a while when I feel that I’m crossing the weight limit. Even I dont have control in eating, my will power is very bad :(
Cheers
Maria
Dear Sandhya,
Thanks a ton for this lovely comment. Sorry for the delayed reply, I’m away on holiday, hence the delay.
I’m really thrilled to know that carrot cake was a huge hit at your place and your kids also enjoyed it. Thanks for trying the recipes from here.
Btw, I’m not that slim, it’s all photo technique ;) However I try to do some exercise once in a while when I feel that I’m crossing the weight limit. Even I dont have control in eating, my will power is very bad :(
Cheers
Maria
i made this today with honey instead of caramel syrup & 100% oil instead of ghee…good one ..kids loved it.
Thanks a lot sweetie :)
hiiiii maria ,
                i made ur carrot cake many times ….came out very well.. kids loved it …..my friends hav got the recipe frm me … i made it for my husband’s b’day  topped it with some fluffy vanilla icing… was great..!!!                    thanx a lot maria :-)                                                               i tried apple cake with th same recipe………..added grated apples…..was more juicy .. so didnt add all the juice…. that too came out well !!
              thanx and take care
                                                priya (doha)
Hi Priya,
Belated b’day wishes to your husband! Nice to know that you liked the cake recipe. I’ve always wondered whether I could make apple cake in the same way but never tried. But after reading your comment, I’m confident :)
You too take care…
Cheers
Maria
most be great love to teast
Hi Maria ..Thanks for the wonderful recipes..I did bake the carrot cake( which turned out to be very soft and tasted good) and my kids finished it in a day.They dont usually eat veggies and I always look for some healthy , easy recipes to get some veggies into them.So this was a great one ! I made few variations- added 1/2 cup of grated coconut(dried), and butter instead of ghee,also grated clove n nutmeg instead of cinnamon.Once again hearty thanks and looking forward to new cake recipes….
Hi Maria ..Thanks for the wonderful recipes..I did bake the carrot cake( which turned out to be very soft and tasted good) and my kids finished it in a day.They dont usually prefer to eat veggies and I always look for some healthy , easy recipes to get some veggies into it.So this was a great one ! I made few variations- added 1?2 cup of garted coconut(dried),added garted clove n nutmeg instead of cinnamon.Once again hearty thanks and looking forward to new cake recipes….
Hi Shaalu
Thank you so much dear for trying this cake. Its really nice to know that your kids liked it, my hi to them :)
Adding dried coconut sounds great and I’m sure that clove & nutmeg enhanced the flavor of the cake.
Btw, please do check out the blueberry muffins & dates cake recipes. Hope you will like it.
Happy baking :)
I’m sorry for the delayed reply, I was on a holiday & hence the delay.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria, thanks to you I’ve been hooked to baking. Can you pls advise if I could use more healthier flour substitute for maida…can wheat flour or nachni atta work well for cakes? Deepa George
Hi Deepa,
Glad to know that you enjoy baking :) I’ve used wheat flour (atta) for some baking recipes. Though I’m not sure whether you can substitute atta for all cake recipes. May be you can try using half maida n half atta.
Please check out the following recipes:
Eggless Cinnamon cake
Oatmeal, dates & raisin cookies
Happy baking :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria…I made this cake…this was my first time at baking and thanks to you, I’ve been hooked! I wanted to check with you if I could use some healthier flour other than maida…can nachni atta or wheat flour work? I have a one year old so was thinking of making it more nutritious. Look forward to your comment.
Thanks again!
hi maria.
i love ur cookingblog,i follow it quite regularly,these days…
tried out this carrot cake of urs-was heavenly!but u know sumthing funny happened wen i made it the second time-silly me,forgot to add the oil/ghee(i was baking two cakes at the same time,mebbe thats y)…anyways,i wondered y my cake was a bit rubbery and then i realised the truth…
maria,do u have any suggestion wat i shud do with this lil cake disater of mine?i dont feel like throwing it….mebbe u cud suggest a pudding thing i can make with it…sorry if my query sounds silly to u,and i hope i am not wasting ur time…thanks…
Hi Bins
First of all I’m sorry for the delayed reply :( I was a busy with some project.
Its nice to know that you visit this space regularly, thank you so much :) About using the carrot cake…may be you can crumble it and add some custard & fruits and use it as a pudding. Or again crumble the cake and make into small balls & dip it in melted white chocolate & let it dry completely.
Hope this helps..
Cheers
Maria
Thanks Maria,u certainly are a creative cook!good luck to you…
Bins – :), thanks dear. Btw, did you try anything with that cake?
Cheers
Maria
yeah,maria,i did…thanks for asking….since the cake was losing its shelf life,i had to act quickly before ur reply…i cut it horizontally into two,layered it alternately with sum custard and crushed almonds…nothing special…but mebbe i’ll use ur advice for any other of my floppable cakes in the future….thanks again maria…
Hai Maria.
yesterday I tried your carrot cake. So delicious that not even a single piece left for the next day. It’s a MUST TRY as you said.
Can we substitute butter instead of ghee and oil?
Hi Mithin,
Thank you so much :) Really happy to know that it came out well.
You can use butter instead of ghee & oil.
Cheers
Maria
Hello Maria!
This is the first time i’m writing to you & the first time i have used one of ur reciepes. I dont like cooking much but thought to give it a shot due to one jobless week end !
Yesterday was the first time i attempted to bake a cake, ( I have neither baked nor seen anyone bake a cake before ).
After 2 hrs of efforts poured out in baking the cake, everyone appreciated it at home! hubby, folks n a friend loved it but you should be given due credit! Thanks a mill & God bless ! :)
Hi Sweety,
I’m very excited that you baked your first cake using a recipe from here :). Thank you dear.
Once you start baking you will be hooked :)
Btw, I got this recipe from one of my friends, I will pass on your comment to her as well :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria,
I was looking for carrot cake recipe for long, after I had one from one during a buffet lunch. Me and my hubby liked it very much… Y’day ws our wedding anniversary and I made the cake in the way you mentioned.. It came out excellent!!!!!!.. for surprise my 7 yr old son also liked it.. he was around me once i finished baking :)… Normally he will watch around and peek into what all ingredients i am using.. he normally won’t like carrots and all( most of the veggies of course ;) ).. and he helped me to powder the cinnamon…….
Thank you very much dear.. for sharing the recipe.. and i tried buttercream icing on it… it was the first time i ever tried decorating the cake.. and of course my style of some decorartions on top with carrots ;)
I want to share my experience y’day itself.. but the site seems to be down…
Once again thank you very much…..
Hi Seema,
Belated anniversary wishes to you!! Hope you had a great day :)
Thanks a lot dear for trying out this recipe on your special day and very happy to know that your son also liked it.
Once again thank you for taking time to comment here :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi.. Carrot cake came out nice and soft and yummy.. great recipe, thanks!
Thanks Bindu :)
Hi Maria,
I have been an active reader of your blog. I have tried some of your recipes and they have come out well!! Thanks a lot..One taste that still lingers in the mouth is Lemon and Date pickle..It was soooo yummy!!
Have a question on this one? This is my first attempt at baking. I was looking for a recipe and remembered about your blog.. (one of my references at cooking he he ) Did you use cake mixer to mix the dough together? I dont have one and was wondering if I need to get one.
Thanks,
Ann
Hi Maria,
I tried this recipe and it came out really well. :):) I was so happy when it came out, I called up home in India and told everyone. Thanks a lot !. I bought a hand mixer and used that. I guess that is the way to go about it..
Hi Ann
Thanks a lot dear :)
I am really sorry for not responding to your query about hand mixer. Since I was in India for holidays, I was a bit busy. Anyways to answer your query, i generally use an electric mixer for all the cakes, unless the recipe specifies hand mixing.
Am really happy that you went ahead and tried this cake and so glad that it came out well for you :). Now since you have the hand mixer, you will be baking big time I guess.
Happy baking :)
Thanks again dear for trying out the recipes from here …
Cheers
Maria
Delicious cakeeee……….it came out great……with cream cheese icing and tutty-fruity………it is even better………..my family loved it…..thanks for your wonderful recipe………………….
love,
soumya.
hi maria, can you tell me the tray size for this recipe. I am soooooooooooooo tempted to make the cake cake……………looks yummyyyyyyyyy
Hi Maria….
Stumbled upon your site accidentally a few days back. All i can say is Wow!! I am a mallu married to a Punjabi and living in Delhi. Absolutely no access to Kerala cuisine unless my mom drops in…i loved ur recipes…and i’ve tried 2 of these already. the carrot cake(which was my first attempt at baking a cake) and the beef fry (my husband has been craving for beef fry after he tasted it at bangalore) i used mutton instead of beef though, but they turned out really really good.So really thank you :)
Hi Roshini
Thanks dear for dropping in :) Very happy to know that you like the recipes and thanks a ton for letting me know about it :)
So I can ask you some Punjabi recipes right :)?
Please do try out other recipes also when you’ve time.
Cheers
Maria
Dear Mari,
After reading all these blog Iam soooo tempted to make carrot cake, but I dont have an oven with me, will it be fine if I bake it in a pressure cooker, without using the weight?
Hi Reepna
Please do try out the carrot cake, am sure you too will like it.
Though I havent baked it in a pressure cooker, I think you can do that. Here is a link about baking in pressure cooker.
http://indiarecipe.blogspot.com/2006/10/pressure-cooker-cake.html
Hope it helps.
Cheers
Maria
hi Maria
I tried making wheat cake with brown sugar was better than putting jaggery but i tried making carrot cake but as u say the caramel syrup should be added to the cake mixture after it cools down but it became hard like a stone after it cooled down.i prepared it in the same qty as given,while it was hot it was thick and sticky,what might be the reason
Rgds
sucha
Hi Sucha
Hope you are doing good.
Sorry for the delayed reply, I reached Bahrain only yesterday after my holidays.
Regarding the caramel syrup, I too had the same problem before. But I found a step by step instruction here: http://dailygirlblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/fruit-cake.html
I followed it exactly and the syrup came out well. Please do try it and let me know whether it came out well.
All the best n happy baking :)
Maria
hi maria
oh a ton thks for such a wonderful recipe…all in my family loved it especially my 2 yr old daughter was licking till the end..i tried on the stove top instead of the oven…thts my mums trick..she makes cake somtimes on the stove…when we were small i remember she used to buy this BETTY CROCKERs cake mix and she wld bake it over the stove..it comes out really soft…
the cake was simply irresistable…
have a wonderful holiday…waiting for ur new recipes..
regds
sindu
Hi Sindu
Hope you are fine.
Thanks for the wishes, am back in Bahrain after the holiday.
Thanks for trying the carrot cake, very happy to know that your daughter loved it. I havent tried the stove top method yet..I will give it a try sometime :)
Cheers
Maria
Zeenath, thanks a lot for your wishes. Happy to know that you like the blog :). Please do try the recipes and let me know.
Regarding the size of the cake pan, I used a 8 inch square pan for baking this cake. Hope you will like it :)
Wish you and your family a happy year ahead!!
hi , i baked this carrot cake yesterday for easter and it came out simply great ..very tasty….thanks for the recipe….
Dear Fiona
Really happy to know that you liked the cake. Thanks a lot for letting me know about it. Hope you had a great Easter with your family.
Take care
Maria
Hi. I loved going through ur blog. Will definitely try out some of ur dishes. I am a malayalee Muslim from Kannur settled in Dhaka, & always turn nostalgic remembering kerala curries.
Since accurate baking is important can you confirm by email what size of pan u used for baking the carrot cake? Would very much appreciate it.
Best wishes for 2009
Love carrot cake. It’s my most requested cake. Thanks for the recipe and I will try it tomorrow! Steph
i also add Banana to this cake.
I love carrot cake !!!
Hi Maria,
Cake was yummmy!!! :-)
Thanks for the recipie…
Hi Maria,
i have a doubt.. what do u mean by ghee ? is it the regular ghee that u get in indian store or r u melting the buttersticks? instead of ghee can i use butter. if so how many sticks.. please clarify…
thanks,
Nisha
Delicious cake!!
Even my kids are very fond of this
regards
rose
Hi Maria,
I am a big fan of Carrot cake and was looking for the receipe for sometime. I am definetely going to try your receipe. Will let you know the outcome. Thanks again.
Thanks Suganya :) Mashed bananas instead of ghee, sounds good and its healthy too, so will try it out next time when I make this cake.
I make a similar cake. But instead of ghee, I add 2 medium mashed bananas. Congratulations on the century mark :)