Completely made from scratch, this homemade sourdough carrot cake is absolutely delicious. Super moist with the perfect amount of spice, it’s topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. This is one of our favorite cakes.
I’m always looking for ways to use up sourdough discard. I’m a firm believer that you should never just toss out your sourdough starter, but rather use it in a variety of different discard ways.
Why throw away good starter when you can make cake out of it? Am I right?
This sourdough carrot cake has all the classic carrot cake flavors and is topped with deliciously sweet cream cheese frosting. But wait – there’s a sourdough twist.
The sourdough not only adds another layer of flavor with the slight tanginess, but this recipe can also be long fermented so the grains are more broken down, making it easier to digest and the nutrients more bioavailable.
Also, this may be your kids’ new favorite way to eat carrots. I kid.
Why you will love this recipe:
Delicious: Super yummy spiced cake smothered in cream cheese frosting.
Can be long fermented: Struggle with eating non-fermented grains? No worries. You can ferment this recipe overnight so it is easier to digest.
Easy: It only takes a few minutes to mix this cake up for the oven. If you want to make it easier, put the carrots through the shredding blade on a food processor.
Sourdough Carrot Cake Making Tips:
- This cake can be made quick or long fermented for more health benefits.
- Grate carrots by hand and don’t use pre-shredded carrots. The pre-shredded carrots are too thick to bake nicely in cake.
- Active sourdough starter or sourdough discard will work for this recipe, since the sourdough isn’t used for rising, but rather for flavor and fermentation.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. If you don’t, you will be left with a melted soupy frosting mess.
- Ensure the baking powder and baking soda are fresh. If they have been sitting in the back of the cabinet for a while and are past their prime, then the cake won’t rise properly.
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FAQ
What does sourdough do for cakes?
It can help reduce the amount of gluten formation in the cake, which in turn helps the cake be more tender rather than tough and chewy. It can also add a depth of flavor to the cake with a wonderful, mild sourdough tang.
Can I use sourdough discard straight from the fridge?
Yes. As long as it has not been too long since feeding the starter, you can mix it up and use it.
Ingredients:
Eggs
Oil – Preferably a healthy oil, like melted coconut oil or avocado oil.
Sugar – White granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Sourdough starter– Active or discard. New to sourdough? Learn how to make your own sourdough starter here.
All-purpose flour
Leaveners – Baking powder and baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Carrots – 3 large carrots
Pecans
Tools you may need:
9×13 baking dish or cake pans
Measuring cups and spoons
How To Make Sourdough Carrot Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan or line with parchment paper.
Grate carrots and chop pecans. For easy grating, I suggest using a food processor with a grating attachment. A box grater will also do.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, sourdough starter and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Try not to over mix.
Stir in carrots and fold in pecans.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated for 40 to 50 minutes.
Allow to cool before frosting.
Make It Long Fermented:
The Day Before:
Mix together oil, sourdough starter and flour. Cover and allow to ferment for 8-12 hours.
The Next Day
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla.
Add to fermented dough.
Sprinkle over remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
Fold in grated carrots and chopped pecans.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.
How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
To a stand mixer, add softened cream cheese and butter. Whip together for a few minutes.
Slowly pour in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
Whip until nice and fluffy.
Fold in chopped pecans (optional).
Variations:
- Swap out the pecans for chopped walnuts, pistachios, or sliced almonds.
- Add orange zest for a brighter take.
- Add raisins.
- Turn it into a trifle. Break up the cake and place in into a trifle dish, layering the cake with frosting. Yum!
- Make them into sourdough carrot cake cupcakes. Make the recipe as stated before, but place them into lined muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Find More Delicious Cake Recipes:
- Delicious Sourdough Chocolate Cake
- The Best Sourdough Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Vanilla Cake
- Gingerbread Cake With Einkorn Flour
- Lemon Sourdough Pound Cake
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup starter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups grated carrots, 3 large
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan or line with parchment paper.
- Grate carrots and chop pecans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, sourdough starter and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Try not to over mix.
- Stir in carrots and fold in pecans.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Allow to cool before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- To a stand mixer, add softened cream cheese and butter. Whip together for a few minutes.
- Slowly pour in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
- Whip until nice and fluffy.
- Fold in chopped pecans (optional).
- Frost cooled cake.
Notes
- This cake can be made quick or long fermented for more health benefits.
- Grate carrots by hand and don’t use pre-shredded carrots. The pre-shredded carrots are too thick to bake nicely in cake.
- Active sourdough starter or sourdough discard will work for this recipe, since the sourdough isn’t used for rising, but rather for flavor and fermentation.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. If you don’t, you will be left with a melted soupy frosting mess.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use all purpose einkorn flour for this recipe?
Yes.
So I made these and they were so very good but for my switch I made cupcakes instead of actual cake and they turned out so good. So thank you for this delicious recipe and keep these delicious recipes coming.
This is absolutely the best carrot cake ever! My husband and I inhaled it. Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks so much.
I’m doing the long ferment. When I mixed the starter, oil and AP flour together, it is quite stiff. Is that expected?
Yes, once you add the eggs it will become more liquidy.
It would be super helpful to have step by step photos of the long fermented version so that I can see if the consistency of my first step is right before I waste all this time trying to do it! Also some of your recipes have weight and some are measured using cups, is there a reason for this? I love baking by weight there is less to wash 😉
This is an easy recipe and it’s so good that you don’t need the icing.
10/10 recipe!! So delicious and moist.
This was absolutely delicious! I substituted sucanant for the brown sugar and sugar cane extract for the white sugar with 100% freshly milled soft white wheat. Yuummyyy!
We all loved it!! I did the long fermentation and did half all purpose flour half hard white wheat flour.
First time ever baking cake with starter! At first I thought I had totally failed. After making it as per recipe cutting into it for a family party I was a bit disappointed. It was dry. My mistake was keeping it in the pan I baked it in with aluminum foil. The family ate it without complaint but I took allot home. Once I put it in an airtight container boy did it soften up and become the most moist delicious cake I’ve ever made! Ha! Good sports at the get together but I reaped the rewards with the left over cake! Great recipe, just don’t forget the airtight container! yummy!
What do you do for a long ferment on this?
Mix everything together but the carrot and the baking soda/powder and ferment in the fridge for 24 hours. Add remaining ingredients and then bake!