I considered saving this recipe for next Easter… but there’s no way I’m waiting that long! Besides Mother’s Day is this weekend and this would make any mother happy! Unless she’s one of those people who don’t like chocolate… do those people really exist?
Anyways, last week I promised my daughter we could make a dessert one night. I had carrots that needed used up and my husband voted for carrot cake and my daughter wanted chocolate. So we mashed the 2 ideas together and this is my favorite chocolate cake now.
Super moist, flavorful, with a great texture. I resisted adding my usual excessive spices like I would a carrot cake since I wanted the chocolate to shine here. Just a bit of cinnamon compliments the chocolate.
And the chocolate cream cheese frosting is my new favorite child.
Not too sweet, with a little tang. Perfect.
A note on sifting. If you don’t have a sifter just use a fine sieve. Or even whisk together well. Cocoa powder tends to clump so this step helps make sure you don’t have any clumps of cocoa in the cake.
Chocolate Carrot Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For Carrot Cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (sour cream works as well)
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 3 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup miniature chocolate chips
For Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons cream or milk, more as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9 inch) cake pans. If you have parchment paper cut rounds to put in the bottom of pans. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder and soda, and salt into a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, oil, yogurt, and applesauce. Mix until well incorporated.
- Fold in the carrots and chocolate chips.
- Divide equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when you gently push on the top.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes in pans on wire racks before turning out to cool completely on wire racks.
To make frosting:
- Cream the cream cheese and butter until fluffy in a large bowl.
- Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar together and gradually add to cream cheese.
- Add cream and vanilla, adding additional cream as needed to reach desired consistency.
