Carrot Sheet Cake

Ingredients Instructions
From Aaron's kitchen

Carrot Sheet Cake

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Ingredients List

Metric measurements

Check off ingredients as you prepare them. Converted amounts are rounded.

About these measurements

Metric is the default. US cups are 236.588 mL, not 250 mL. Flour, sugar and other supported dry ingredients use ingredient-specific weight conversions; they are not treated as water. Displayed conversions are rounded.

Where a reliable weight-to-volume conversion is unavailable, weighed ingredients use ounces or pounds in the US view; spoon-measured ingredients use millilitres in the metric view. Ounces (oz) mean weight, not fluid ounces. Counts, pinches, and “to taste” remain unchanged.

For baking and very small quantities, a kitchen scale is more reliable than estimated cups. Changing units does not adjust the recipe for a fan oven or a different pan.

Ingredient conversion reference Conversion notes

The Cake Batter

  • All-purpose flour: 300 g (0:42)
  • Cornstarch: 18 g (Aaron's secret to mimicking soft cake flour) (6:11)
  • Vegetable oil: 350 mL (2:44)
  • Brown sugar: 220 g (3:12)
  • Granulated sugar: 200 g (3:19)
  • Large eggs: 4 (3:19)
  • Grated carrots: 313 g (4:49)
  • Vanilla paste: 29.5 mL (4:23)
  • Baking powder: 7 g (1:14)
  • Baking soda: 5 g (1:14)
  • Fine sea salt: 3 g (2:06)
  • Cinnamon: 5 mL (2:18)
  • Ginger: 5 mL (2:18)
  • Ground nutmeg: 10 mL (8:15)
  • Ground cardamom: 7.5 mL (8:33)
  • Golden raisins: 100 g (Added by special request) (0:15)
  • Mixed nuts: 100 g total (A 50/50 blend of chopped hazelnuts and walnuts) (4:49)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting & Topping

  • Cold cream cheese: 440 g (11:23)
  • Butter: 250 g (Slightly chilled, but soft enough to leave a thumbprint) (11:59)
  • Powdered sugar: 400 g (Adjusted down from 600 g for perfect sweetness) (13:21)
  • Vanilla paste: 5 mL (12:50)
  • Walnuts: An extra generous handful (Roughly chopped for topping) (17:12)

Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Oven and Baking Pan

  • Preheat your oven to 175 °C (10:31). Take a standard 22.9 × 33 cm baking dish and line the entire bottom and sides completely with parchment paper (4:17). Use kitchen shears to snip the corners so the paper folds and lays perfectly flat (9:54).

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

  • Set up your kitchen scale (0:50). Weigh out and whisk together 300 g of all-purpose flour, 18 g of cornstarch, 7 g of baking powder, 5 g of baking soda, and 3 g of fine sea salt (0:42). Whisk in your dry spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom (2:18).

Step 3: Combine the Wet Elements & Inclusions

  • Pour 350 mL of vegetable oil directly into the bowl (2:36). Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, four eggs, and 29.5 mL of vanilla paste (3:12). Add your 313 g of freshly grated carrots, the 100 g nut blend, and the golden raisins (4:49).

Step 4: Mix the Batter Carefully by Hand

  • Mix everything together gently using a hand spoon or spatula (5:14). Scrape the absolute bottom of the bowl and drag it up to ensure no dry pockets remain (7:19). Do not use an electric mixer here; carrot cake batter is incredibly easy to over-mix! (5:14)

Step 5: Bake and Cool

  • Pour your smooth, rich batter into your fully lined 9x13 pan (10:23). Bake at 175 °C for exactly 30 minutes (10:31). Let the cake cool completely before attempting to frost it.

Step 6: Whip up the Frosting

  • While the cake cools, place 440 g of cold cream cheese and 250 g of slightly chilled butter into a clean bowl (11:23). Mix on a low speed with a hand mixer to combine them (12:19). Blend in 5 mL of vanilla paste and 400 g of powdered sugar until the texture is completely smooth (12:50).

Step 7: Frost and Garnish

  • Pour your cream cheese frosting smoothly over the top of the sheet cake (15:01). Use your spatula to create texturized, elegant "sideways swoops" in the frosting while ensuring no cake peeks through (16:25). Roughly chop a handful of walnuts into large, chunky pieces and sprinkle them generously over the top (17:20).

Recipe from Aaron in the Kitchen. View the original page.

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