Carrot cake is lovely in and of itself, but add orange and it brings it to a whole new level of deliciousness!!
Sometimes it seems like carrot cake is kind of hard to make. I mean, the list of ingredients is kind of daunting! It's well worth it though, in my opinion.
This is a pretty standard recipe. I made changes to the recipe to make it healthier though- subbed whole wheat pastry flour, reduced sugar and oil, then added in the orange zest and juice.
Remember to mix only until combined. When you are using whole wheat flour and reduced sugar and fat, it really easy to over mix and over bake. So, just be careful.
I chose to bake this is a medium sized bundt pan, it just felt right.
Careful not to over bake. I know I'm repeating myself, but it's because it's so important.
Drizzle with an orange glaze. Yum...
Slice and enjoy.
Look at that beautiful crumb!
Orange carrot cake
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oil. this is much healthier, but can dry the cake out. If you are worried about it, use ½ to ¾ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest make sure and wash your oranges well before zesting
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk I always use powdered. It's so much easier to keep in stock
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- dash salt
- 1 ½ cup shredded carrots
Orange cream cheese glaze
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- orange juice until it reaches desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Prepare baking pan. I used a medium sized bundt pan. Or it will make 12 cupcakes.Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in small bowl. Set aside.Grates carrots and set aside. Combine oil and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Next is zest, orange juice and buttermilk. Mix only until combined. To this, add flour mixture. Again, mix only until combined. Last is carrots. Again, careful not to overmix. Pour into pan and bake. If you are using the whole wheat remember to pull the cake out just before you will feel like it's completely baked. It will continue to bake even after it's removed from the oven. The whole wheat will absorb a lot of liquid and have a tendency to dry it out if it's over baked. Remove from oven.Let it cool for 7-10 minutes in bundt pan. Remove from pan and let it continue to cool slightly. Mix ingredients for glaze. Drizzle over top of the cake. Cut yourself a decent sized piece, and sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!