Carrot Cake with Chai Spiced Frosting

This homemade Carrot Cake with Chai Spice Frosting is our go to cake recipe for parties and celebrations. The carrot cake is rich and moist while the chai frosting adds a creamy and spicy kick. The walnuts and pepitas add a hearty crunch that balances the soft cake.

My best friend Megan & I have been going to The Alcove in Los Feliz since we were in high school. They have the most delicious chai lattes I've ever had, and whenever we go, I always order one. The taste of cinnamon sugar and earthy spices make for a well-balanced, fall-forward flavor.

Jump to:

• Main Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• How to Store Carrot Cake
• Top Tips
• Did You Like the Recipe?
• Carrot Cake with Chai Spiced Frosting
• Food safety

Since chai is one of my favorite flavors, I turned it into a yummy whipped frosting for cakes. I love to pair this chai frosting with a moist carrot cake, which is delicious and easy to make. Each bite of this carrot cake with chai spiced frosting tastes like fall!

Main Ingredients

Cake

• Ground cinnamon - Cinnamon adds a warm, fall flavor.
• Vegetable oil - Vegetable oil makes the cake moist.
• Granulated sugar - Sugar adds sweetness to the cake batter.
• Brown sugar - Brown sugar adds both moisture and sweetness to the cake batter.
• Carrots - Freshly grated carrots add the signature carrot taste that pairs beautifully with the sugar and cinnamon.
• Eggs - Eggs bind the ingredients together. Use a room temperature egg so it spreads evenly in the dough.
• Walnuts - Chopped walnuts provide a hearty and rich crunch.

Frosting

• Cream cheese - Cream cheese is the base of the frosting
• Butter - Gives the batter its creamy and smooth texture.
• Confectioner's sugar - Powdered sugar provides the sweetness in the frosting
• Vanilla extract - Vanilla extract adds complexity and sweetness to the frosting.
• Salt - Salt balances the sweetness from the sugar.
• Cinnamon - Cinnamon Adds the warm fall spice to the frosting.
• Ginger - Ginger adds a unique and pungent aroma to the frosting.
• Cardamom - Cardamom provides a light and piney flavor.
• Nutmeg - Nutmeg has a nutty sweetness that belnds well with the other flavors.
• Cloves - Cloves provide a little spice to the frosting.
• Pepitas - Toasted pepitas add a light and delicious crunch.

Instructions

Cake

• Heat the oven and grease cake pan - Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease & lightly flour the bottom & sides of two 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.
• Whisk dry ingredients - In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
• Mix wet ingredients - In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk sugars, vanilla, and oil. Add eggs and whisk until well blended.
• Mix wet and dry ingredients - Carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula. Using a spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated and well mixed. Add in carrots and walnuts and mix until the mixture is homogeneous.
• Pour batter into cake pan and bake - Split the batter in two and pour in each of the cake pans. Place the cake pans on the same rack in the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.

Frosting

• Whip the wet ingredients - While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Whip the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add sugar and whip again - Add sugar one cup at a time, salt, and spices to the frosting and whip on high for 15 seconds. Put the frosting in the fridge until the cake is ready to frost.
• Cool the cake before frosting - Cool cake in the pan for 10-15 min, then flip onto a cooling rack until completely cooled. O
• Frost the layer cake - Once the cakes are completely cooled, place the first layer on a cake stand, frost the top, then place the other cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top of the cake and smooth with an angled spatula.
• Garnish cake and serve - Garnish the top of the cake with toasted pepitas and walnuts.

Substitutions

• Whipped Cream - Top the cake with whipped cream instead of chai frosting for a light and rich topping. Check out our Homemade 2-Ingredient Whipped Cream.
• Cream Cheese Frosting - Replace chai frosting with regular cream cheese frosting if you prefer the taste.
• Pecans - Use chopped pecans instead of walnuts for extra richness and sweetness.
• Gluten free - use gluten free all purpose flour to make this cake gluten free. We recommend this gluten free flour for the best results.

Variations

• Carrot Cake Cupcakes - Instead of placing the carrot cake batter in a cake pan, place the batter in a greased cupcake pan or muffin pan and fill each cup ⅔ full.  Bake the muffins for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.
• Ice cream - This cake will pair well with vanilla bean ice cream or your favorite ice cream.
• No nuts - If you are allergic to walnuts or simply don't like the taste, you can omit them.
• Pineapple - If you like the taste of pineapple, add ½ cup crushed pineapple to the batter and/or ½ cup crushed pineapple on top of the frosting for decoration.
• Apple curd - Add 1 tablespoon of apple curd to the frosting for rich caramel apple flavor.

Equipment

This homemade carrot cake recipe requires common kitchen essentials. To make this cake, you need a measuring cup, mixing bowl, 9" cake pan or springform pan, stand mixer or hand held mixer, paring knife, and wire rack. Serve it on a cake stand with a cake server.

How to Store Carrot Cake

This easy carrot cake is moist and can last up to 4 days covered at room temperature. Whenever we bake this cake, we store it in our favorite marble and glass cloche. The cake looks so pretty on the marble and stays fresh and delicious until the last crumb! You could also gift half the cake to a friend if you don't think you can finish it in time.

Top Tips

• Don't over-mix ingredients to ensure the cake evenly and has a light texture. Over mixing can make the batter tough.
• Bake on the middle rack for even baking.
• Cool down the cake a little before adding the frosting so the frosting won't melt and get runny. Also make sure the cake is completely cooled before storing to ensure the cake maintains its texture.

Did You Like the Recipe?

If you loved this Carrot Cake with Chai Spiced Frosting, please rate the recipe and tell me more in the comments below! For more recipes like this carrot cake, check out:

• Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
• Matcha Cookies
• Chocolate and Coffee Biscotti
• Tiramisu Trifle with Pumpkin Spice

Food safety

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.