Orange Carrot Ginger Cake
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This Orange Carrot Ginger Cake is an amazing and light take on classic carrot cake with less sugar! I use only half the amount of sugar I normally do in carrot cake as well as orange zest and ginger in this classic carrot cake, and it's topped with an orange buttercream frosting and fresh orange slices!
If you love carrot cake as much as I do, then check out my other favorites like my Frosted Carrot Cookies, Brown Sugar Carrot Cupcakes, or my Vegan Strawberry Carrot Cake.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Zesty & Sweet: If you like carrot cake as much as I do, then you will love this Orange Carrot Ginger Cake! I use orange zest and ginger in the carrot cake batter, which gives it a light and zesty flavor. Then it's topped with an orange buttercream and fresh orange slices. I frost it naked style, so you get the perfect amount of frosting to cake ratio, and not too much!
Carrot Cake with Less Sugar: I created this cake recipe for my good friend Kimmy's birthday. And while she is fighting cancer, she did want to celebrate her birthday but with less sugar. So, if you're looking for a carrot cake with less sugar, this one is it! I use half the amount of sugar as I do in most of my cakes, but this one still tastes amazing!
Easy & Impressive: While this cake may look impressive and beautiful, it is incredibly easy to make! This naked style cake is even easier to frost than a traditional layer cake with frosting on all sides. Be sure to watch my video below to see just how easy it is.
Ingredients
Organic Carrots
Organic Oranges
La Tourangelle Organic Canola Oil
Stoneyfield Organic Vanilla Yogurt
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour (use code MIMIORGANIC15 for 15% off your order!)
Frontier Co-Op Organic Korintje Cinnamon
Florida Crystals Organic Powdered Sugar
Frontier Co-Op Organic Orange Flavor
Tools Needed
6-inch Cake Pan (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off Kana, my favorite sustainable cake pans!)
Parchment Paper (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off Kana, my favorite non toxic parchment paper!)
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the carrots, orange zest, cane sugar, canola oil, eggs, yogurt, all purpose flour, baking powder, ginger, sea salt, and cinnamon in that order. Mix on low until a batter forms.
Step 3
Transfer to the prepared cake pans, about 250 grams each, and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans. (Be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe if you are baking at high altitude).
Step 4
To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and orange flavor. Mix on low to combine, then increase speed to high and mix for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827.
Step 5
Place the first cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Pipe a spiral, starting at the outer edge and working your way in, to cover the cake layer with frosting completely. Top with the second cake layer, repeat this process with the third layer. Then spiral again on the top to finish the cake. Top with orange slices (optional).
Baker's Tips
- I use 6-inch cake pans for this cake. But, if you double the recipe, you can use 9-inch pans if you have a larger party. If you do make a 9-inch, be sure to bake your cakes a little longer about 3 to 6 minutes, and make sure to test that they are done.
- Use a fine grater for the carrots, not a large one. I weigh the carrots whole (7 ounces) and then grate them from there, it doesn't have to be exactly 7 ounces of grated carrots.
- I use organic vanilla yogurt in this recipe, but if you only have plain yogurt that will also work!
- My favorite organic orange flavor is from Frontier Co-Op. They have the best flavor here, in my opinion! If you don't have this, you can use a little orange juice instead, but no more than 1 teaspoon as it will make the frosting too thin, and that's not good for a layer cake.
- I use Ateco tip #827 for this cake. You can also use Ateco tip #846 as that is also very similar. Any large open star tip will look just like this. And, if you don't have a piping tip, you can use just a bag as well, or you can even just slather frosting on the cake with a spatula. This is an easy cake to frost!
- Make sure to store this cake in the fridge as the frosting has cream cheese in it. Always store cake in a cake dome or an airtight container so it doesn't dry out. If you do have it in the fridge, you can remove it an hour or two before serving so it comes to room temperature.
FAQ's
Yes, feel free to use extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or sunflower oil in place of canola oil. I used canola oil as it has the most neutral flavor here.
If you don't have yogurt, you can use sour cream in its place. Because I use vanilla yogurt, so if you use sour cream it may be even a little bit less sweet.
Yes! If you want to frost the entire cake and not do it naked, feel free to do that. Check out my tutorial on How to Crumb Coat a Cake.
This cake has cream cheese frosting, therefore, it needs to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Also, you can put your cake dome in the fridge!
Craving More?
Orange Carrot Ginger Cake
Ingredients
Batter
- 198 grams carrots (finely grated)
- 1 orange (zest)
- 113 grams cane sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 57 grams vanilla yogurt
- 191 grams all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 226 grams salted butter (softened)
- 454 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 57 grams cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon orange flavor
Topping
- orange slices optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the carrots, orange zest, cane sugar, canola oil, eggs, yogurt, all purpose flour, baking powder, ginger, sea salt, and cinnamon in that order. Mix on low until a batter forms.
- Transfer to the prepared cake pans, about 250 grams each, and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and orange flavor. Mix on low to combine, then increase speed to high and mix for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Pipe a spiral, starting at the outer edge and working your way in, to cover the cake layer with frosting completely. Top with the second cake layer, repeat this process with the third layer. Then spiral again on the top to finish the cake. Top with orange slices (optional).
- Store in a cake dome in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Mhmm wow looks amazing