Chocolate Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup Imperfect Foods Olive Oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 3 cups carrots, finely shredded
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• Edible flowers or berries for decorating (optional)

For the cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp of milk (optional, add if too thick)

Materials

B-template

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and line a 9×13 pan with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, oil, and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition.
4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Mix in carrots and chocolate chips, if using, until fully incorporated.
5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely in the pan.
7. Prepare the cream cheese frosting. Beat together cream cheese and butter on medium high speed, or until smooth and creamy. Add salt and vanilla and then beat. Change to low speed and add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing each time until just combined. Beat on medium speed until smooth. If frosting is too stiff, beat in milk, one tbsp at a time. Do not overbeat.
8. Print out the template and cut out the “B.”
9. When the cake is cooled, remove from the pan. Use a serrated knife to cut off the rounded top of the cake to create an even surface. Place the template on the cake and cut around the template with a paring knife. Remove the excess cake pieces and set aside.
10. Fit a piping bag with a large round tip (#12 tip) and fill with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe dollops of frosting all over the cake. Decorate with edible flowers and berries.

Recipe Notes and Variations

• Use any scraps from the making of your chocolate cake to make cake parfaits!
• You don’t have to use Dutch-process cocoa powder, but if you want your cake to impress, it’s the best.
• Be sure to check out more of our favorite cakes like our Summertime Strawberry Jam Cake and this beautiful Semolina, Olive Oil, and Honey Cake with Cherries.