Frosted Carrot Cake With Ras el Hanout

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Updated May 6, 2025

Frosted Carrot Cake With Ras el Hanout
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Total Time
1 hour 40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 ½ hours
Rating
5(23)
Comments
Read comments

In this twist on the classic carrot cake, ras el hanout, a vibrant Moroccan spice blend, replaces the recipe’s typical spices. Translating from “top of the shop” in Arabic, ras el hanout refers to a blend of the finest available spices in the shop. Its warm, complex flavor, rich with cinnamon, ginger and coriander, adds a delightful kick and fragrance that perfectly complement the tangy cream cheese frosting.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 loaf 

    For the Cake

    • ⅔cup/160 grams vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
    • 1½cups/180 grams all-purpose flour 
    • 1½teaspoons ras el hanout (see Tip)
    • 1teaspoon baking powder
    • 1teaspoon baking soda
    • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½teaspoon fine sea salt 
    • 1cup/200 grams light or dark brown sugar
    • 3large eggs 
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1½cups/150 grams freshly grated carrots (from 2 medium carrots, using the large holes of a box grater) 
    • ½cup/60 grams chopped walnuts or pecans

    For the Frosting

    • 1cup/120 grams powdered sugar, sifted
    • 4ounces/113 grams full-fat cream cheese (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
    • ½teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)

315 calories; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 192 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with oil and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides to make it easy to lift the loaf out of the pan.

  2. Step 2

    Add the flour, ras el hanout, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk together the brown sugar and eggs in a large bowl until well combined. Add the oil and vanilla and whisk to blend. Add the dry ingredients and fold them in with a rubber spatula just until you no longer see specks of flour. (Make sure not to overmix the batter, or the cake will be dense.) Add the carrots and walnuts and mix until just combined.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only some small, moist crumbs, and the cake is deep golden brown. (If the cake starts to brown too much before it is fully baked, tent it loosely with foil.) Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake from the pan.

  5. Step 5

    While the cake cools, make the frosting: Add the powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla to a small bowl and mix with a flexible spatula until well combined and smooth.

  6. Step 6

    Pour the frosting over the cooled cake and use a large spoon to spread it so it runs down the sides of the cake a bit. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the frosting to firm up a bit before serving.

Tip
  • If you’d like to make your own ras el hanout blend, stir together the following ingredients: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground caraway seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground fennel seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground cloves and ground black pepper. (Makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.)

Ratings

5 out of 5
23 user ratings
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Comments

CSL

To make your own ras el hanout blend, stir together the following: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom & ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground caraway seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground fennel seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground cloves & ground black pepper. (Makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.) From "Ras el Hanout Roasted Vegetables," also by Nargisse Benkabbou.

Anne

Good cake! The flavor difference is subtle but there and I like it as did the friends I gave it to. Not as sweet as many carrot cake recipes, which is a nice change, and coarsely chopped walnuts add a nice crunch.

Susan

The cake is delicious. When I made the frosting, I substituted 1oz of tahini for 1 oz of the cream cheese and loved the result.

Dee

Does anyone know if there would be a substitute for the eggs that would work in this recipe?

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