The BEST Pastel De Zanahoria you'll ever have! Fluffy & moist with real grated carrots and a Mascarpone frosting. This cake is always a hit!
Pastel De Zanahoria is a classic favorite in Mexico just as our beloved Arroz Con Leche is. This recipe is made the classic way with fresh carrots as they are the key for a moist cake. The walnuts are a must too!
We're using Mascarpone frosting which is not the standard one (aka cream cheese) but this one is a life changer! Try it and you'll love it as much as we do.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need to make Pastel De Zanahoria
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound carrots grated
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
How To Make Pastel De Zanahorias
Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Grease 2 (9 x 2-inch) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the flour the pans.
In medium bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, and the 1 tablespoon of flour.
Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 to 35 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out onto baking rack, and cool completely.
Frost with delicious Mascarpone frosting and top with walnuts if you would like.
THE MASCARPONE FROSTING
This Mascarpone frosting is light and creamy with a hint of cream cheese flavor. Once you have this one, you'll never want to go back to using the classic cream cheese frosting. So good!
- 12 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla together for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Be careful not to over beat since it can make the frosting curdle.
Success Tips
- Use real fresh carrots...not the ones that come pre-shredded. Using fresh carrots is the secret to a super moist Pastel De Zanahorias.
- I didn’t use them on this recipe but you can add raisins, shredded coconut or minced pineapple chunks if you’d like. This batter can hold about 1/2-1 cup of add-ins.
- If the frosting turns out runny (may be due to how you're measuring the sugar), you can add more confectioner's sugar until you reach desired consistency. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frosting the cake. This will ensure it stays on the cake when applying it.
- Store cake in refrigerator and bring to room temperature (if you like) before serving it.
FAQ's
No need to adjust the baking temperature. However, you may need to add a few minutes to your bake time. To check a cake to see if its done. Insert a toothpick or skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean it’s ready!
2 carrots
We found that it took about 2.75 medium carrots to obtain 1 cup of grated carrots. When sliced or chopped, only 2 carrots were needed to reach the 1 cup mark.
Assuming you want to make it gluten free, my preferred GF brand is Bob’s gluten-free 1 to 1 baking blend. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-1-to-1-baking-flour.html
Other sweet recipes you may like
Hope you enjoy this fluffy Pastel De Zanahoria!
Take good care,
Ana
Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pound carrots grated
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup raisins optional
The Mascarpone Frosting
- 12 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Grease 2 (8 x 2-inch) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the flour the pans.
- In medium bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
- In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, and the 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 to 35 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out onto baking rack, and cool completely.
- Place one cake on a flat serving plate, rounded side down, spread half the frosting on the top (not the sides). Place the second cake on top of the first cake, rounded side up. Frost just the top of the second cake.
Make the Cake
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla together for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Be careful not to over beat since it can make the frosting curdle.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in Sept 2018. Post has been updated to be show step by step instructions and to be more helpful.
That looks gorgeous! I'm so glad to see carrot cake back in popularity, mainly because it means there are tons of recipes to test out. I'm curious to see how well this would take to experimentation, because I'm almost always for adding lemon zest.
Hi Jessica! I'm so glad too! It's one of those classic cakes that should be with us always!!! I have no doubt you'll love it! xo, ana
This cake looks awesome! I have been craving carrot cake too. I totally agree that anything goes at a wedding. It's all about what the bride and groom want, not about what other people think they should have.
Hi Laura! I think everybody loves carrot cake huh? I love non-traditional weddings where the bride and groom make it all about them (well, and good food for their guests lol). Thanks for the visit!
I had carrot cupcakes at my wedding! they were a hit.
this looks so good, love the frosting!
That's awesome Cindy! I had cupcakes too but not carrot ones. I should've done that! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
That frosting looks insanely delicious! LOVE!
Thanks Katrina! It is! I can eat that on any cake 🙂