Classic Carrot Cake with Sour Cream Frosting
Incredibly delicious and beautiful - loved by both adults and children! Classic Carrot Cake with Sour Cream Frosting brings joy and leaves room for creativity. Carrots have a natural sweetness, so they pair wonderfully with nuts, pineapple, oranges, and dried fruit.
Updated : 05 May, 2026
Easy
About 1 hour.
Ingredients
Sponge cake
500 grams
Carrot
1
Oranges
200 grams
Brown sugar
320 grams
Wheat flour
1 teaspoon
Baking powder
1 teaspoon
Baking soda
1 tablespoon
Cinnamon
150 grams
Vegetable oil
3
Eggs
150 grams
Walnut
Cream
500 grams
Sour cream
100 grams
Powdered sugar
50 grams
Honey
For the backing pan
5 grams
Butter
10 grams
Wheat flour
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make carrot cake with sour cream frosting? Prepare the ingredients. Use liquid honey, all-purpose flour, and large eggs. Brown sugar can be replaced with regular sugar. You can use any nuts you like. The sour cream should be thick and at least 20% fat, otherwise the frosting will not hold its shape and will spread. You can strain the sour cream in advance to make it thicker. Weigh the bowl in which you will mix the batter, because you will need that number later.
Step 2
Wash the orange thoroughly, dry it, and remove the zest with a fine grater. Wash the carrots, peel them, and grate them finely. It is better not to grate the carrots coarsely, because the cake layers will turn out looser. Ideally, chop them in a blender. Finely chop the nuts, already lightly dried in the oven, or grind them in a blender on high speed.
Step 3
Into a clean bowl, sift the flour together with the baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Sifting fills the flour with air, makes the layers lighter, and removes impurities. Whisk all the dry ingredients together for 1 minute. Using both baking soda and baking powder serves different purposes: baking powder gives the layers a fluffy texture, while baking soda helps soften the carrots and orange zest and gives the layers a beautiful color.
Step 4
Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl, add the sugar, and beat with a mixer for 3-4 minutes. During this time, the egg mixture should increase in volume and become lighter in color. Then pour in the vegetable oil and beat a little more.
Step 5
Begin adding the previously mixed dry ingredients to the egg mixture in portions, mixing thoroughly. The batter may start forming small lumps, but do not worry, just continue mixing well.
Step 6
Add the chopped nuts, grated carrots, and orange zest to the batter and mix with a spatula or spoon. It will be very difficult to stir such a thick batter with a whisk. Do not pour the carrot juice that forms into the batter, because the batter should stay thick. For a spiced citrus aroma, add 2 tablespoons of orange juice and mix again. You may need a little more or a little less flour.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Meanwhile, prepare a 16 cm (6.3 inch) baking pan using the “French shirt” method. Grease the pan with a very thin layer of butter, dust it with flour, and shake out the excess. This method helps the cake layers release easily from the pan. Before baking each new layer, prepare the pan again the same way.
Step 8
Calculate the amount of batter for 1 cake layer: place the bowl with the batter on a scale, subtract the weight of the empty bowl, and divide by 3. Pour the first portion into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Bake 2 more layers the same way. Let them cool on a wire rack. Your baking time and temperature may vary.
Step 9
Prepare the frosting. Beat the chilled sour cream for about 2 minutes. The exact time depends on the fat content of the sour cream. Then add the honey and powdered sugar and continue beating for 10-15 minutes until thickened. It is important not to overbeat the sour cream, otherwise buttermilk will begin to separate and the sour cream will start turning into butter. If the frosting remains too loose, you can add a little sour cream stabilizer. Refrigerate the frosting until you are ready to assemble the cake.
Step 10
Place the first cooled cake layer down and spread it with frosting. Add the second layer and spread again. Place the last layer on top and spread sour cream frosting evenly over it, leaving a little frosting for the sides. You may leave the sides uncovered, but I still recommend frosting them so the edges do not dry out. The cake can be eaten right away, but it is better to chill it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours so it can soak in.
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