A classic favorite, made from scratch and baked with plenty of freshly grated carrots, warm cinnamon, and a touch of nutmeg. This carrot cake is soft, tender, and perfectly spiced, with just the right balance of richness and sweetness.
Finished with a smooth, creamy cream cheese frosting, it’s the kind of cake that feels right at home on any dessert table — whether you’re celebrating something special or simply craving a really good slice of cake.
How It Started
I’ve loved baking for as long as I can remember. There’s something about turning a handful of simple ingredients into something delicious that has always drawn me to the oven—our oven.
My journey into bread baking, however, started for a slightly different reason. I realized that I had a sensitivity to gluten, and store-bought bread in particular never seemed to agree with me. It would often leave me feeling bloated, but giving up bread was never really an option. I mean, it’s just too good! And if Jesus Himself declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), then surely bread, in its simplest form, has to be worth holding onto.
So, I started making my own.
I tried recipe after recipe I found online, hoping to recreate that soft, fluffy, slightly chewy texture of the bread I grew up eating. But something was always missing. Many homemade bread recipes had a noticeable yeasty flavor, while others didn’t seem to focus enough on developing the gluten. The result was good bread, but it wasn’t that bread—the soft, tender, familiar loaf I actually wanted.
That sent me back into the kitchen to experiment.
I started paying closer attention to hydration, flour, kneading time, gluten development, and even the way the butter was incorporated. Batch after batch, I tweaked the recipe until I finally landed on a loaf that gave me what I had been looking for: soft, fluffy bread with a tender crumb and a beautiful golden crust.
And that’s how this recipe came to be.
I hope you love it as much as I do and maybe, like me, you’ll find yourself making another loaf before the first one is even finished.
What You Need & Substitutions
Bread Flour
Bread flour is strongly recommended for this recipe because it provides the gluten structure needed for a soft, stretchy, and fluffy loaf. If using a different bread flour, pay attention to its protein content:
- 11–12% protein: Use the recipe as written with 400 g water.
- 13–14% protein: Increase the water to 425 g to account for the flour’s higher absorption.
I do not recommend substituting all-purpose flour unless you’re comfortable adjusting the hydration. If using all-purpose flour, reduce the water to 385 g. Do not add extra flour simply because the dough feels sticky—the hydration is intentional.
Milk Powder
You can use either nonfat dry milk powder or regular powdered milk in the same amount. Milk powder contributes to the bread’s soft texture and helps with browning, so I recommend keeping it in the recipe if possible.
I don’t recommend replacing it with liquid milk.
Butter
Salted butter can be used in place of unsalted butter without any other changes.
Granulated Sugar
Granulated sugar can be replaced with another granulated sugar, such as caster sugar, using the same weight. I don’t recommend substituting liquid sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup, as this will change the dough’s hydration.
Yeast
This recipe uses instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, you can substitute it by weight.
Water
Water is the preferred liquid for this recipe because the hydration has been specifically calculated around the flour and milk powder. I don’t recommend replacing the water entirely with milk, as this will change the dough’s hydration, fat, and milk-solid content and will affect the final texture.
Salt
Salt plays an important role in both flavor and dough development, so I recommend using it as written. I don’t recommend omitting it or reducing the amount.
How it's made
1. Bloom the Yeast
Add 400 g warmwater, 85 g granulated sugar, and 10 g yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk everything together and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
Tip: If the mixture shows no signs of activity after 5 minutes, your yeast may be inactive and should be replaced before continuing.
2. Make the Dough
Once the yeast has bloomed, add the 750 g bread flour, 10 g salt, and 25 g milk powder to the bowl.
Attach the dough hook and mix on speed 2. At this stage, the dough may look somewhat rough and feel slightly sticky. Do not add additional flour. The hydration in this recipe is intentional.
3. Knead the Dough
Continue kneading on for 8–10 minutes, or until the dough begins to look smoother and more cohesive.
4. Add the Butter
Once the dough has developed some structure, add the 85 g softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Allow each addition to become incorporated before adding the next. Adding the butter gradually prevents it from overwhelming the dough and allows the developing gluten network to remain intact.
The dough may temporarily look greasy, loose, or uneven as the butter is incorporated. Don’t worry—this is completely normal. Continue mixing until the butter is fully absorbed.
You’re looking for a dough that is smooth, soft, elastic, and cohesive. Depending on your mixer, flour, and kitchen conditions, the dough may require up to 30 minutes of total kneading time.
Rather than relying solely on the clock, use the windowpane test to determine when your dough is ready.
The Windowpane Test
Take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it between your fingers. The dough should stretch thin enough that you can see light through it without immediately tearing.
If the dough tears easily or breaks before you can stretch it thin, continue kneading and test again after a few minutes.
Important: Resist the temptation to add flour if the dough feels sticky. The dough is intentionally hydrated, and adding extra flour can result in a denser, less tender loaf.
5. First Rise
Once the dough has passed the windowpane test, shape it into a ball and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and alow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Don’t rely solely on the clock here. The dough’s appearance and volume are better indicators than a specific amount of time.
6. Divide and Rest
Once the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down to release the excess air.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured or un-floured work surface and divide it into two equal portions.
Shape each portion into a round ball, cover, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. This is called a bench rest and gives the gluten time to relax, making the dough much easier to shape.
7. Shape the Loaves
After the 15-minute rest, shape each dough ball into a loaf.
Gently flatten or stretch the dough into a rough rectangle, then roll it up tightly, starting from one end. Place each loaf into a greased loaf pan, seam-side down.
8. Second Rise
Cover the loaf pans and allow the dough to rise again.
The dough should become noticeably puffy and increase in size. The exact time will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, so watch the dough rather than relying entirely on a timer.
9. Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake the loaves for approximately 25–30 minutes in a regular oven. My oven runs quite fast, so I usually bake mine for 20–25 minutes. Keep in mind that oven temperatures and baking times can vary.
The finished bread should be beautifully golden brown on top and baked through.
10. Cool
Remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans for a few minutes.
Then transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
As tempting as it may be to cut into a warm loaf immediately, allowing the bread to cool gives the crumb time to finish setting. Once cooled, slice and enjoy your freshly baked sandwich bread!
Carrot Cake
2
layers30
minutes30
minutes1
hourMoist, warmly spiced, and packed with freshly grated carrots, this classic carrot cake is finished with a luscious cream cheese frosting for the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients
157g all-purpose flour
150g cake flour
8g baking powder
5g baking soda
3g salt
4g ground cinnamon
1g ground nutmeg
- Wet Ingredients
85g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
120g neutral oil
60g unsweetened applesauce
180g packed brown sugar
180g granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
6g pure vanilla extract
- Add-ins
300g finely grated carrots
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, applesauce, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the finely grated carrots until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10–15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Once completely cooled, frost and decorate as desired.
Skip the baking
Order this fresh from us
Not feeling the kitchen today? We’ve got you — freshly baked and delivered.
You might also like
Dietary tags
