Best 7 Tennessee Carrot Cake Recipes

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When it comes to classic Southern desserts, few cakes are more iconic than Tennessee carrot cake. With moist crumbs, sweet spices, and a tangy cream cheese frosting, this cake is a beloved treat that can be enjoyed all year round. Whether you're looking for a special occasion dessert or just a comforting snack, Tennessee carrot cake is the perfect choice. Here, we've gathered some of the best recipes for this classic dessert, each with its own unique twist. From traditional recipes to modern interpretations, there's a carrot cake recipe here for every taste.

Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!

CARROT CAKE RECIPE



Carrot Cake Recipe image

Bake a classic layered Carrot Cake recipe from Food Network, complete with chopped walnuts, cinnamon spice and a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Provided by Food Network

Categories     dessert

Time P1DT1h35m

Yield 1 cake or 3 (9-inch) layers

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 fresh whole eggs
2 cups pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups raw finely ground carrots
4 ounces finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
12 ounces room temperature cream cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ounces room temperature margarine

Steps:

  • For the cake:
  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture and blend well. Fold in carrots and chopped nuts until well blended. Distribute batter evenly into 3 (9-inch) cake layer pans, which have been generously greased. There will be approximately 1 pound 5 ounces of batter per pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool layers in pans, for approximately 1 hour. Store layers in pans, inverted, in closed cupboard to prevent drying. Layers must be a minimum of 1 day old.
  • To remove layers from baking pan, turn upside down, tap edge of pan on a hard surface. Center a 9-inch cake circle on top of revolving cake stand. Remove paper from bottom of layer cake.
  • For the frosting:
  • In a suitable bowl of large mixer, place powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and margarine. Beat at second speed until thoroughly blended. Hold refrigerated and use as needed.
  • For the assembly:
  • Place first layer, bottom side down, at center of cake stand. With a spatula, evenly spread approximately 3 1/2 ounces of frosting on the layer. Center second layer on top of first layer with topside down. Again with a spatula, evenly spread approximately 3 1/2 ounces of frosting on the layer. Center third layer on top of second layer with topside down. Using both hands, press firmly but gently, all layers together to get one firm cake. With spatula, spread remainder of frosting to cover top and sides of cake. Refrigerated until needed. Display on counter or cake stand with a plastic cover.

TENNESSEE STACK CAKE



Tennessee Stack Cake image

This is a lightly spiced stack cake that uses dried apples, though the apples are not spiced.

Provided by dcbeck46

Categories     Desserts     Cakes

Yield 14

Number Of Ingredients 12

4 cups dried apples
2 ⅔ cups water
½ cup white sugar
½ cup shortening
1 ¼ cups white sugar
⅝ cup buttermilk
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ teaspoons ground ginger
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup dried apple slices for garnish

Steps:

  • In a large saucepan, combine 4 cups of dried apples and water. Bring to a boil, and let simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until apples are very soft. Mash the apples slightly, and stir in the sugar. Set aside to cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  • In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger. Mix in the flour about 1 cup at a time to form a stiff dough. Divide dough into 5 equal portions. Pat each portion of the dough into a 9 inch circle on greased cookie sheets.
  • Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Carefully remove layers to a cooling rack.
  • Stack the layers onto a serving plate, spreading about 3/4 cup of the apple filling between each layer. Spread the rest of the filling over the top layer, and arrange dried apple slices on top for garnish. Let stand overnight before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 356 calories, Carbohydrate 69.6 g, Cholesterol 0.4 mg, Fat 7.8 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 4.1 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, Sodium 218.5 mg, Sugar 41.4 g

SPICED CARROT CAKE



Spiced Carrot Cake image

My mom made this cake for my birthday one year because carrot cake is her favorite. Turns out, it's my favorite, too! Now when I make it, I love it with lots of spice. The pumpkin pie spice is a perfect shortcut, but you could use a custom blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. -Jaris Dykas, Knoxville, Tennessee

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Desserts

Time 50m

Yield 16 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 14

3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded carrots (about 6 medium)
FROSTING:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper., Beat first 5 ingredients until well blended. In another bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda and salt; stir into egg mixture. Fold in carrots., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For frosting, beat cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth; gradually fold in whipped cream., If cakes are domed, trim tops with a serrated knife. Spread frosting between layers and over top of cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 241 calories, Fat 9g fat (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 49mg cholesterol, Sodium 375mg sodium, Carbohydrate 36g carbohydrate (19g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 5g protein.

THE BEST CARROT CAKE YOU'LL EVER EAT RECIPE BY TASTY



The Best Carrot Cake You'll Ever Eat Recipe by Tasty image

Hand-grating carrots is a labor of love that gives this recipe the ultimate carrot flavor and delicate texture we love in our cake. Not to be outdone, the luscious cream cheese frosting has real vanilla bean to take this cake to the next level. This is the best carrot cake we have ever made.

Provided by Matt Ciampa

Categories     Bakery Goods

Time 1h40m

Yield 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
2 lb large carrot, peeled
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon McCormick® vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 sticks butter, softened
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
3 cups powdered sugar

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease with nonstick spray.
  • Make the cake: Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 6 cups.
  • In a large bowl, combine the grated carrots and buttermilk and stir until the carrots are completely coated.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), combine the brown and granulated sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture drips from the whisk in ribbons, about 3 minutes.
  • With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through, if necessary. Continue mixing until the mixture is fully emulsified, about 2 minutes.
  • Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add ½ of the carrot mixture and continue mixing on low speed until incorporated. Continue alternating adding the flour and carrot mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a flat rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
  • Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool completely.
  • Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, salt, and vanilla bean seeds until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until silky and smooth, about 4 minutes.
  • Assemble the cake: Dab a bit of frosting on a cake board and place a cake layer on top. Scoop 1 cup of frosting onto the cake. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers. Use the remaining frosting to coat the top of the cake completely, leaving the sides naked.
  • Slice and serve.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 755 calories, Carbohydrate 107 grams, Fat 33 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 10 grams, Sugar 74 grams

THE ULTIMATE CARROT CAKE



The Ultimate Carrot Cake image

A culmination of all the tweaks and advice I've found for the ultimate carrot cake.

Provided by Gabrielle Dante

Time 1h40m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 19

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup canola oil
½ cup applesauce
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained and squeezed dry
1 cup chopped pecans
3 ½ cups powdered sugar, or more to taste
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  • Beat brown and white sugars, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until well combined. Mix in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in carrots and pineapple, then fold in pecans. Pour into the prepared pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  • While the cake is cooling, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract for frosting in a medium bowl. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans.
  • Spread frosting over the cooled cake.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 395.6 calories, Carbohydrate 48.8 g, Cholesterol 51.4 mg, Fat 21.6 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 3.9 g, SaturatedFat 5.8 g, Sodium 246.5 mg, Sugar 38.2 g

CARROT CAKE



Carrot Cake image

You've got enough frosting to fill the layers and cover the sides and top of the cake, but Dorie Greenspan covers each layer generously, so generously that when the next layer goes on the frosting ripples out around the edges. Then just swirl the frosting over the top, leaving the sides bare.

Provided by Dorie Greenspan

Categories     brunch, lunch

Time 1h45m

Yield 8 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (you can grate the carrots in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1/2 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola or safflower oil
4 large eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound (3 3/4 cups) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
Toasted finely chopped nuts and/or toasted coconut, for topping, optional

Steps:

  • For the cake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess.
  • Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.
  • Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a whisk, beat the sugar and oil together until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. If you are working in a mixer, reduce the speed to low, if you're working by hand switch to a large rubber spatula, and gently stir in the flour mixture - mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. Just as gently, stir in the chunky ingredients.
  • Divide the batter among the baking pans and slide the pans into the oven. Bake the cakes for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cakes are properly baked when a knife inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean; the cakes will just start to come away from the edges. Transfer the pans to cooling racks, cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool to room temperature. (At this point, the cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; thaw before frosting.)
  • For the frosting: Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
  • If you'd like to have coconut in the filling, scoop out about 1/2 of the frosting and stir the coconut into this portion.
  • To frost the cake, place one layer of the cake, right-side up, on a cardboard round or a cake plate. If you've added coconut to the frosting, use half of coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer. Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake top-side down. Frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting. Top with the last layer, right-side up and use the plain frosting to cover the top - and the sides, if you want - of the cake. Finish the top layer with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle on these ingredients now, while the frosting is soft. Slide the cake into the refrigerator for 15 minutes, just to set the frosting.
  • Serving: The cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper, overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and, while it's good plain, it's better with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or even some lemon curd with a little whipped cream folded in.
  • Storing: Covered the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen, uncovered, and then, when it is firmed, wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months; defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 969, UnsaturatedFat 33 grams, Carbohydrate 118 grams, Fat 54 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 18 grams, Sodium 580 milligrams, Sugar 92 grams, TransFat 0 grams

CARROT CAKE



Carrot Cake image

Carrot Cake is one of those classic recipes that works so well for any celebration. The bright orange color offset by creamy white frosting makes Carrot Cake the star of any dessert tray. As the name implies, the shredded carrots give this easy Carrot Cake recipe its bright color, but the taste is subtle. Warm cinnamon and vanilla help create a swoon-worthy flavor as you bite into the moist, dense cake. One of the best parts of Carrot Cake is the famous sweet-and-tangy cream cheese frosting. Follow our homemade recipe, or save time, and substitute Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting instead.

Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens

Categories     Dessert

Time 1h5m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 16

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups Gold Medal™ All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded carrots (5 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Nutmeg, if desired

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of one 13x9-inch pan or two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans with shortening; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds or until blended. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the salt; beat on low speed 1 minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan(s).
  • Bake 13x9-inch pan 40 to 45 minutes, round pans 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool rectangle in pan on cooling rack. Cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
  • In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Frost 13x9-inch cake or fill and frost round layers with frosting. Sprinkle nutmeg on frosted cake, if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 440, Carbohydrate 46 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Fat 5, Fiber 2 g, Protein 6 g, SaturatedFat 3 1/2 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 230 mg, Sugar 27 g, TransFat 0 g

Tips:

  • Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: Fresh carrots, buttermilk, and eggs will give your cake the best flavor and texture.
  • Grate the carrots finely: This will help them distribute evenly throughout the cake batter and prevent them from clumping together.
  • Don't overmix the batter: Overmixing can make the cake tough and dense. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
  • Bake the cake at a moderate temperature: A moderate temperature will help the cake bake evenly without burning the edges.
  • Let the cake cool completely before frosting it: This will help the frosting set properly and prevent it from sliding off the cake.

Conclusion:

Tennessee Carrot Cake is a delicious and classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion. With its moist and flavorful crumb, creamy frosting, and crunchy pecans, it's sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it. So next time you're looking for a special treat, give this recipe a try.

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