Adapted from Ina Garten’s classic carrot cake recipe, my sourdough carrot cake gets a quick upgrade with leftover sourdough discard and fragrant chai spice. I grate the carrots in advance, skip the walnuts and raisins, and bake the cake one day before serving to save on time. So moist & fluffy!
Just like my overnight sourdough apple cake, sourdough gingerbread cake and these famous sourdough blueberry muffins, this sourdough carrot cake recipe is unapologetically sweet. It smells good. The fragrant chai spice takes it to the next level.
And the decadent cream cheese frosting you just want to drag your finger through? I add smooth mascarpone cheese to make it creamier and dreamier than ever!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Convenient prep (overnight option): Make the batter in the evening, and chill overnight. In the morning, bake the batter straight from cold and it will be ready in under 1 hour. The overnight option deepens the flavor and maximizes digestibility. Or, you can do a same-day bake if you prefer.
- Flavored with chai spice: Most carrot cakes are made with ground cinnamon only. If you want to create the sourdough carrot cake of your dreams, try using chai spice instead (I love this brand- they are local to NYC). It’s a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice and sometimes, black pepper. Chai spice also gives the cake a dark, rich, gingerbread color.
- Ditch the add-ins (if you don’t like them): Does the mere mention of raisins, walnuts, coconut flakes, and pineapple stress you out? Totally normal. For this recipe, I ditch the traditional add-ins so my kids don’t freak out and it tastes perfectly fine. What you do here is up to you. The cake will be delicious either way.
Sourdough Carrot Cake Ingredients (You Will Need):
For the cake
- Sugar
- Olive oil
- Extra-large eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Sourdough starter
- All-purpose flour
- Chai spice
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Grated carrots
- Raisins (optional)
- Chopped walnuts (optional)
For the frosting
- Mascarpone cheese
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Fine sea salt
For the toppings
- Pastel chocolate eggs (optional)
Sourdough Carrot Cake Tips:
TIP #1: Use a stand mixer. This isn’t rocket science obviously (and yes, you can still do it by hand). But when given the choice, an electric mixer is preferred to beat air into the eggs and sugar. Plus, the mixer does the rest of the work which leaves you free and clear to do other things, like check your phone.
TIP #2: Grate the carrots ahead of time. Per Ina’s recipe, shredded food processor carrots won’t work (if they’re too wet, the cake might fall). And those store-bought julienned ones that come in a bag? They won’t work either. Here’s my solution: grate your carrots ahead of time with a box grater, cover and chill until ready to use.
TIP #3: Use a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Everyone has a rectangular baking pan at home. And the best part? It’s easy to transport wherever you go if needed.
How To Make Sourdough Carrot Cake {Step-By-Step Recipe}
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix for 2 minutes on medium-low speed. Alternatively, mix the ingredients by hand in a large bowl (as pictured above).
- Add the sourdough starter; mix to combine.
- Sift the flour, chai spice, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix to combine.
- Fold in the grated carrots.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. At this point, you can cover the and chill overnight. Or jump to the next step for a same-day bake.
- Bake on the center rack for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before adding the frosting.
- To make the frosting: add the softened mascarpone cheese and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sift the powdered sugar directly over the bowl. Add the salt. Mix on medium-low speed until wonderfully light and creamy. Don’t forget to give it a taste!
- Decorate the cake with pastel chocolate eggs, if using. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Can You Make Sourdough Carrot Cake In Advance?
In my opinion, carrot cake tastes even better the next day. To do so: bake the cake and leave it unfrosted, covered at room temperature for one day. Make sure whatever you use to cover the cake, such as plastic wrap or foil is not touching the actual surface- it will rip right off. See my sample baking schedule below.
Sample Schedule {Bake-Ahead}
- Friday Night: Wash, peel, and grate the carrots. Cover and chill. Dig out your 9x 13 pan and line with parchment paper. Feed your sourdough starter. Go to bed.
- Saturday Morning: Make the batter. Bake the cake. Leave out at room temperature to cool. Cover overnight.
- Sunday Morning: Make the frosting. Ice cake. Decorate. Pat self on back.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes To Try!
- Best Sourdough Pancakes
- Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Secret Ingredient Sourdough Cornbread
- Best Sourdough Pasta {1 Hr. or Overnight}
- Overnight Sourdough Apple Cake
- Moist, Fluffy Sourdough Gingerbread Cake
Best Sourdough Carrot Cake
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40-50 minutes
- Total Time: 55-65 minutes
- Yield: (1x) 9 x 13-inch cake
- Category: Sourdough Recipes
- Method: Baking
Description
Adapted from Ina Garten’s classic carrot cake, this version gets a quick upgrade with leftover sourdough discard and fragrant chai spice. I grate the carrots in advance, skip the walnuts and raisins, and bake the cake one day before serving.
Ingredients
For the Cake
Note: Ina’s original recipe calls for mild flavored vegetable oil (not olive oil), 2 tsp group cinnamon (not chai spice), and it does not contain any sourdough starter. I like the flavor of olive oil and you can skip the sourdough starter if you don’t have any.
For the cake
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) olive oil
- 3 extra-large eggs (70 g each), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) leftover sourdough starter (see note)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp chai spice
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 cups (300 g) grated carrots, about 1 lb carrots
- 1 level tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/2– 1 cup (75 g– 150 g) raisins (optional)
- 1/2– 1 cup (60 g -120 g) chopped walnuts (optional)
For the frosting
- 8 oz (226 g) mascarpone cheese, softened
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- fat pinch of fine sea salt
To decorate
- Pastel chocolate eggs (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (a hand held mixer works too), combine the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes until light yellow and slightly thickened. This will give the cake a little lift.
- Add the sourdough starter; mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture; mix on low speed.
- Wash, peel, and grate the carrots with a box grater (this can be done 1 day in advance, covered and chilled until ready to use). Combine the carrots with 1 tablespoon of flour; mix well. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Add the carrots to the batter and fold in with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. At this point, you can cover and chill overnight. Or for a same-day bake, jump to the next step.
- Bake the cake on the center rack for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting the cake.
- For the Frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened mascarpone and cream cheese. Sift the powdered sugar directly over the bowl. Add the salt. Mix on medium-low speed until wonderfully light and creamy. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- To serve: decorate with pastel chocolate eggs, if using. Cut into square and enjoy!
Notes
For best results, use a 100% hydration starter, fed with equal parts flour and water by weight. Its batter-like texture is the perfect match for this carrot cake. If you’re using a thicker, low hydration starter the texture of the cake will be too dry.
Comments
Doug says
I just made this cake and did let the batter ferment over night. The taste is great but the structure of the cake is a bit on the weak side and I wonder if adding the baking soda just before it goes in the over would make a difference?
Donna says
I made this recipe for Easter. I did not have the chai spice so I just used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. I made cupcakes and WOW I must say this is the best carrot cake recipe ever!!!! Thank you so much! I had to adjust baking time to about 15-20 minutes.