This Vintage Carrot Walnut Cake is closer to a European-style carrot cake. It’s fluffier and airier than the traditional American Carrot Cake, but it’s perfectly soft and moist. The cream cheese frosting has a marshmallow-like fluffiness that will make you want to lick the spatula, the whisk, the bowl and your fingers if needed ;).
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Vintage Carrot Cake Video
I hope you enjoy this video on how to make this “Rustic” European-style Carrot cake.
Handed Down Recipe for Vintage Carrot Cake
Why I love this rustic carrot cake so darn much? It’s not overly sweet. Most store-bought carrot cakes throw you into a sugar coma after half a slice, but this one is just right; bite after delicious bite. Rave reviews all around (everyone ate a lot of carrot cake this week).
My Mother-in-law shared this carrot walnut cake recipe with me and one of her friends shared it with her who inherited the recipe from her mother. This carrot cake has been enjoyed by several generations and I feel honored to pass it on to you! I baked it three times in 1 week and modified it only slightly to increase the amount of frosting, cut the baking soda in half, and decrease the sugar. It was wonderful!
I love the vintage feel of this cake – it’s easy to bake, easy to assemble, and you’ll love every bite!
More Spring Baking Recipes
There are several flavors and ingredients that I look forward to in Spring, from blueberries that get jammy when baked into desserts to lemons and, of course, carrots! Here are my go-to spring desserts that are perfect for Easter.
Here’s the Print-friendly recipe for this Vintage Carrot Cake. Be sure to print copies for all your friends!
Vintage Carrot Cake (Handed Down Recipe)
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil or extra light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 lb carrots, about 3 cups, grated on the large holes of a box grater
Frosting/Decor Ingredients:
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
- 1 stick, 8 Tbsp or 113 grams of butter, softened at room temp
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted on a skillet and coarsely chopped
Instructions
How to Make the Vintage Carrot Cake Layers:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚. Butter two 9" round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, whisk 4 eggs and 1 cup sugar on high speed 3 min until thick and fluffy. With mixer on medium speed, add 1 cup oil in a steady stream. Whisk in 1 tsp vanilla.
- Sift 1 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp baking powder into 2 cups of flour and whisk the dry ingredients together well. With the mixer on medium low, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in fourths, scraping down the bowl as needed. Once flour is fully incorporated, use a spatula to fold in 3 cups of carrots just until evenly combined.
- Divide dough in to two round baking pans and bake at 350˚ for 30-35 min or until toothpick comes out clean (mine was perfect at 30 min). Let cake layers cool in their cake pans for 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool to room temp on a wire rack before slicing layers in half.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Once cake layers are at room temp, make your frosting: With the wisk attachment on med/low speed, cream together 1 stick butter with 2 cups powdered sugar, scraping the bowl as needed (2-3 min).
- With the mixer medium speed, add cream cheese, one chunk at a time. After all the cream cheese is in, set the mixer to high speed and beat the frosting until smooth, fluffy and no lumps remain (5 minutes), scraping down the bowl a couple of times to make sure you don’t have stray cream cheese stuck to the bowl.
How to Assemble the Best Carrot Cake:
- Place the first layer, cut-side-up on a cake platter. Spread enough frosting to cover the top and sprinkle with 2-3 Tbsp of chopped walnuts. Repeat with remaining cake layers and spread remaining frosting around the sides. Decorate the top layer with remaining chopped nuts around the top border and sides of the cake.
Notes
* to measure flour, scoop into your measuring cup and scrape off the top.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More European-Style Cakes
I feel spoiled having grown up enjoying my Mom’s European cakes instead of boxed cakes – I can always spot the difference between a homemade cake and a store-bought one or a shortcut cake. If you love cakes that aren’t as sweet as American cakes but definitely have plenty of character and exciting flavors, check out these European-inspired cake recipes. There are so many treasures in this list!
- Italian Tiramisu
- Himmelstorte (Heaven Cake)
- Chocolate Souffle
- Almond Cake
- Baklava
- Blackberry Cake
- Poppy Seed Cake
- Black Forest Cake
Hi Natasha!
Could I make this into a roll?
Hi Julie, I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not sure if it would work without cracking, but I do think it would be a great experiment! I’ll definitely have to try it. If you beat me to it, let me know how you liked it 🙂
I can’t hear what you saying on video
Thank you so much for letting me know! What kind of device (phone or desktop) are you using? Thank you so much!
This recipe looks delicious! It’s already baking and I was wondering if I could add chocolate as decoration on top. What do you think?
Hi Kristina, are you thinking about drizzling with chocolate once it’s out of the oven? I think that could work fine 🙂
I made this cake a couple of days ago and it went out amazing! so tasty!!!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
even my French BF appreciated it and was so delightfully happy to eat it all!
Anastassiya, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Made this cake for Easter along with the tiramisu cake and it was so good!! I added some cinnamon and it was good! keep up the amazing recipes you’re the best!!
Mmmm adding cinnamon sounds wonderful! I’m so happy you are enjoying my recipes 🙂
Hello. If I wanted to add raisins to this, at what stage and how much? I am used to carrot cake with raisins and your baking recipes seem to be the only ones I can make. Thanks you
I would stir them in just after adding the carrot. Enjoy!
Hi Natasha, I like some of your recipes very much. My friends enjoyed the carrot cake. But I guess 1 cup of oil was too much.
Also, I was wondering if I can replace the all-purpose flour with coconut flour and veg oil with coconut or almond oil? Can you please share your thoughts.
thank you.
To be honest, I haven’t tried those substitutions and with baking being so much a science, I couldn’t really say without testing it myself. If you try it out, let me know how it works out. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Can I use this recipe for a two tier cake ., plannin to make this cKe for my sons birthday
Yes, you could, you just wouldn’t slice the layers in half :). Happy birthday to your son!
️Thnk u soo much Natasha 🙂
I made this cake and it came out amazing! The frosting was great not too sweet. I love the step by step videos.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Can I add vanilla and/or cinnamon
I think you could add either one or both 🙂
Hi..csn uou please tell me how many grams of sugar and flour you used gor the cake? ?? I can not measure with cups.waiting for your reply. .thanks
Sofia, 1 cup of sugar is about 200g. Two cups of flour is 256g. Since we use US measurements, use this site for conversions. Hope this helps 😃.
Hint, cut several pieces of wax paper and place them slightly under the cake , paper should overlap each other before putting the icing or decoration. You can lift the wax paper up and gently press the nuts into the icing, when done remove the paper. Help keep plate clean.
That is an awesome tip! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I love that you added video..def makes it easier. I will try this cake tommorow
That’s our goal for this year – more videos 😀. Please share how it turns out.
how many grams of butter you use please?
Hi Gretchen! 1 stick of butter = 8 Tbsp or 113 grams.
thank you very much 🙂
Natasha this carrot cake was my first time baking and tasting, thanks to you I loved it. Sooo good!!! Even my friends were surprised because they’re never have tried before too👌👌👌
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful review! 🙂
Hi Natasha. Thank you so much for the awesome recipe. The cake was very yummy and all of us loved it! The best carrot cake we have ever had 🙂
Aza, thank you for such a nice feedback and you are welcome 😀.
So happy I found this recipe! Thank You! Im so excited to make this tomorrow for Thanksgiving! My parents will be so happy, Ive been making thanksgiving dinner for about 2 years now and this one will be great with your turkey and this cake.
I hope you all enjoy it! 🙂
Hello Natasha, My name is Audrey, I’m sending this message for two reasons. The first is to say thank you for your great Carrot Cake Recipe.I was on YouTube looking for a easy step by step cake for my family for this up and coming holidays. So I decided to make this wonderfu Carrot Cake for my Family which is my Husband’s favorite cake and surprise him with it thisThanksgiving.Im sure my Family and I will love it.Ok my second reason is because, You mentioned in your video you were looking for an easier way to add nuts on to the side of a cake. Well I found that if you take a nice amount of aluminum foil folding it into four ,folding the long way ,then once you have it fold begin to layer the nuts along the foil paper then slowly tip the nuts onto the sides of your cake . I’ve found it to be quicker to apply to the cake and less messy. l hope this can be useful to you and again thank for the recipe. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m trying to visualize the folding. Do you end up with something like a “v” fold that you place the nuts into and tip them onto the cake?
Hi Natasha, I love your other carrot cake and make it often, but I do want to try this recipe. I wonder how it compares to your other carrot cake? Also, I would like to add walnut into the batter. How much should I add?
This cake is fluffier and the other one is a little denser. The ingredient list is fairly different and so is the frosting. If adding walnuts to the batter, I’d probably go with 3/4 cup to 1 cup.
I was wondering if it’s possible to do this cake as a sheet cake. I’m trying to make a carrot cake for a church potluck and this sounds delicious
Julia, you can just make the whole thing in a 9×13 baking pan and bake until the toothpick comes out clean. Without testing it, I can’t tell you exact baking time. Let me know how it works out ;).