Sourdough Carrot Cake

5 from 4 votes

Sourdough Carrot Cake is a moist layered cake made with sourdough discard, freshly grated carrots, warm spices, and thick cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Easter, springtime brunch, or my dad’s birthday cake (it’s his favorite any time of year), this moist and delicious sourdough carrot cake is one the whole family will love.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Cooling and Frosting2

Total Time3 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Carrot Cake

120 grams sourdough discard about 1/2 cup
3 large eggs at room temperature, about 150 grams
120 grams sour cream about 1/2 cup
8 grams vanilla extract about 2 teaspoon
240 grams vegetable or canola oil about 1 cup, see recipe notes
240 grams all purpose flour about 2 cups
220 grams brown sugar about 1 cup
200 grams granulated sugar about 1 cup
6 grams ground cinnamon about 2 teaspoons
1 grams ground nutmeg about 1/2 teaspoon
.5 gram ground ginger about 1/4 teaspoon
.5 gram ground cloves about 1/4 teaspoon
8 grams baking powder about 2 teaspoons
3 grams baking soda about 3/4 teaspoons
7 grams salt about 1 teaspoon
300 grams carrots about 3 cups, shredded
80 grams raisins optional, about 1/2 cup
60 grams pecans optional, chopped, about 1/2 cup

Cream Cheese Frosting

226 grams unsalted butter about 1 cup
113 grams cream cheese about 1/2 cup
480 grams powdered sugar about 4 cups
35 grams heavy whipping cream about 2 Tablespoons, see recipe notes
4 grams vanilla extract about 1 teaspoon
pinch of salt

Chopped pecans for decorating the cake

Instructions

Sourdough Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line 2 9-inch round pans with parchment paper. Spray the pan with cooking spray, getting in the edges of the pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper and place the parchment paper on the bottom of the greased pan.
To a small bowl whisk together the liquid ingredients: sourdough discard, eggs and sour cream until combined. Then add the vanilla extract and vegetable oil and whisk together.
Note: See recipe notes for substituting some of the vegetable oil with crushed pineapple or applesauce.
Peel and shred the carrots using a food processor or a box grater. The small holes create finely shredded carrots that melt into the cake, but the larger holes work too. Set aside.
To a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add the shredded carrots and mix again. If you are adding in raisins and chopped nuts, add them now too.
Spread the batter in the prepared cake pans, filling them evenly. Bake the cakes at 350ºF for about 30-35 minutes until a toothpick is inserted into the cake and it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool for about 10-15 minutes in the pan.
Take a knife and release any edges that need to be released, then tip the cake over and finish cooling on a cooling rack. Let the cakes cool completely before icing.
Note: Cake can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and frozen to make ahead of time.

Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting. To a small bowl, whip the unsalted butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Whip together. Continue whipping for at least 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add a little more heavy cream as needed if the frosting is too thick.

Assemble Carrot Cake

Once the cake has cooled completely, remove the parchment paper. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread about one-third of the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Add the second cake layer. Frost the top of the cake, then gently spread the remaining frosting down the sides. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired. Slice and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

I know it's tempting to use pre-shredded carrots. Don't do it! I've done it before and it results in crunchy, stringy pieces in your cake. Take the time to grate the carrots yourself and you will be rewarded with super soft, moist, carrot cake.

Vegetable Oil: You can substitute 60 -120 grams of the vegetable oil in this recipe with equal weights of applesauce or crushed pineapple. I've also made this with coconut oil with good results.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Add a few more splashes of heavy cream or even a little milk if you want a littler thinner whipped cream.

Make-Ahead Option: Cake layers can be baked in advance and frozen. Wrap cooled layers tightly and freeze. When ready to assemble, frost the cake while the layers are still frozen, then let the finished cake thaw completely before serving.

Storage Tip: Because this cake is topped with cream cheese frosting, it should not sit at room temperature for longer than about 2 hours. After that, store the cake covered in the refrigerator. For the best texture, let slices sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving.

Bundt Pan Option: So many of you asked about this that I tested it in a Bundt pan, and it works beautifully. Use a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan and grease it really well, making sure to get into every nook and cranny with butter, then dust it lightly with flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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