Carrot Cake with Chai Spiced Frosting

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.

Since chai has become one of my favorite flavors, I decided to turn 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!

Servings: 8-10
Time: 90 min
Difficulty: easy
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Author: Pasta Ragazza

Ingredients

Cake
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3 cups carrots, grated
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon ground cloves
Toasted pepitas or toasted chopped walnuts for garnish

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease & lightly flour the bottom & sides of two 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk sugars, vanilla, and oil. Add eggs and whisk until well blended.

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.

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.

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 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 in the pan for 10-15 min, then flip onto a cooling rack until completely cooled. 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 the top of the cake with toasted pepitas and walnuts.