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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Carrot Layer Cake with Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling

Moist, warmly spiced carrot layers with toasted pecans, sandwiched and topped with a silky, chocolatey cream cheese filling.

Carrot Layer Cake with Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

  • 5 medium300 gCarrotspeeled and finely grated
  • 2 cups250 gAll-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup packed150 gBrown sugarpacked
  • ½ cup100 gGranulated sugar
  • 4 large200 gEggsroom temperature
  • ¾ cup160 gCanola oil
  • ½ cup (120 ml)120 gButtermilk, low-fatroom temperature
  • ¾ cup chopped80 gPecanstoasted and chopped
  • 1¼ tsp6 gBaking powder
  • 1⅛ tsp5 gBaking soda
  • ½ tsp3 gSalt
  • 2¼ tsp6 gGround cinnamon
  • 1½ tbsp grated10 gFresh gingerfinely grated
  • ½ tsp1 gGround nutmeg
  • 2½ tsp10 gVanilla extractdivided
  • 1 cup225 gCream cheesesoftened
  • ⅓ cup85 gUnsalted buttersoftened, divided
  • 1⅔ cups200 gPowdered sugarsifted
  • ⅓ cup35 gUnsweetened cocoa powdersifted

Steps

  1. Set out the cream cheese, butter, eggs and buttermilk to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round pans with about 5 g of the butter and line the bottoms with parchment.
  2. Toast the pecans on a dry baking sheet in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant, cool, then chop. Peel and finely grate the carrot and the ginger.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to make the dry mix.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, the granulated sugar, the eggs, canola oil, buttermilk, grated ginger and half of the vanilla until smooth to make the wet mix.
  5. Stir the dry mix into the wet mix just until no flour streaks remain, then fold in the grated carrot and the pecans.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
  8. For the cocoa filling, beat the remaining butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and the unsweetened cocoa powder, then the remaining half of the vanilla, until fluffy.
  9. Place one cake layer on a plate and spread with half of the cocoa filling. Top with the second layer and spread the remaining half of the filling over the top.
  10. Chill 30 minutes to set the filling, then cut into 12 slices. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Tree nuts, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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