Recipes and Cooking Spice Market Carrot Cake 4.1 (14) 14 Reviews A full tablespoon of the spice ras el hanout and a cup of dried fruit in the batter is what gives this carrot cake recipe its Moroccan-inspired flair. By Lisa Holderness Brown Lisa Holderness Brown Instagram Lisa Holderness Brown is a skilled brand consultant, writer, and editor with over 30 years of experience developing products for Better Homes & Gardens, including TV shows, cookbooks, and contributions to the magazine. Lisa Holderness Brown attended Iowa State University, graduating with a degree in Journalism and Family & Consumer Sciences, Food and Nutrition. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on March 2, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 12 slices Jump to Nutrition Facts Using a full tablespoon of ras el hanout (pronounced ras elˈhano͞ot) ensures you detect the flavors of the North African spice blend in the final baked cake. Most ras el hanout spice blends found in stores include some combination of coriander, ginger, turmeric, peppercorns, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, and possibly other spices. If you can't find in stores, we've included a spice blend recipe below that's similar with slightly fewer ingredients, but still adds big flavor. Our Test Kitchen loved how the spice flavor in the cake paired nicely with the ginger and orange in the frosting. So if you were thinking about skipping that ingredient, just don't. It's a nice change-up from a usual carrot cake recipe (not that we'd ever turn down that dessert!). The 19 Best Cake Stands of 2023 for Birthdays, Holidays, and More Try even more carrot cake recipes with different flavors and looks until you find your very favorite to make on repeat. Ingredients Spice Market Carrot Cake 2 cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ cup sugar 1 tablespoon ras el hanout* 2 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 4 eggs, at room temperature and lightly beaten 3 cup finely shredded carrots ¾ cup vegetable oil ⅓ cup honey 1 cup chopped dried apricots or pitted dates Chopped pistachio nuts (optional) Ginger-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting 1 large orange 1 8 ounce package cream cheese 3/4 cup softened butter 1 tsp ground ginger 3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar Directions Spice Market Carrot Cake BHG / Sonia Bozzo Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of three 8- or 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. BHG / Sonia Bozzo In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, ras el hanout, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. BHG / Sonia Bozzo In another bowl combine eggs, carrots, oil, and honey. Test Kitchen Tip: The carrots should be finely shredded by using the fine shredding surface of a box grater, so they stay evenly distributed in the cake and won't sink. Purchased shredded carrots are not a good swap. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until combined. Stir in apricots. BHG / Sonia Bozzo Pour into prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. BHG / Sonia Bozzo Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; remove paper. Cool cakes on wire racks. BHG / Sonia Bozzo Frost the top of each cake layer with Ginger-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, stacking them as you go; frost sides of the cake. Carson Downing Decorate with nuts and carrot shreds or ribbons. Serves 16. Ginger-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Remove 2 tsp. zest and squeeze 2 Tbsp. juice from the orange. In a large bowl combine softened cream cheese, ¾ cup softened butter, the orange juice, and 1 tsp. ground ginger. Beat with a mixer on low until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in an additional 1 to 1½ cups sifted powdered sugar to make a spreadable frosting. Stir in zest. *To make ras el hanout: To make your own ras el hanout spice mixture, stir together 1 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ground turmeric and ½ tsp. each black pepper, ground coriander, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 693 Calories 34g Fat 96g Carbs 6g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 12 Calories 693 % Daily Value * Total Fat 33.6g 43% Saturated Fat 12.7g 63% Cholesterol 111.6mg 37% Sodium 439mg 19% Total Carbohydrate 96g 35% Dietary Fiber 2.8g 10% Total Sugars 75.2g Protein 6.3g Vitamin D 0.3mcg 2% Vitamin C 10.8mg 54% Calcium 102.7mg 8% Iron 1.8mg 10% Potassium 279.3mg 6% Fatty acids, total trans 0.8g Vitamin D 13.7IU Alanine 0.3g Arginine 0.3g Ash 2.3g Aspartic acid 0.5g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 957.4mcg Choline, total 63.7mg Copper, Cu 0.1mg Cystine 0.1g Energy 2899.7kJ Fluoride, F 2.1mcg Folate, total 61.1mcg Glutamic acid 1.5g Glycine 0.2g Histidine 0.2g Isoleucine 0.3g Leucine 0.5g Lysine 0.4g Methionine 0.2g Magnesium, Mg 20.1mg Manganese, Mn 0.3mg Niacin 1.8mg Phosphorus, P 118mg Pantothenic acid 0.7mg Phenylalanine 0.3g Phytosterols 38.1mg Proline 0.5g Retinol 179.1mcg Selenium, Se 14.9mcg Serine 0.4g Starch 0.9g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0.3g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 2.2mg Tryptophan 0.1g Tyrosine 0.2g Valine 0.3g Vitamin A, IU 5299.3IU Vitamin A, RAE 414mcg Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 32.5mcg Water 69.1g Zinc, Zn 0.6mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.