Why does carrot cake not use butter?

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based . This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

Why was carrot cake made?

Sweeteners were often scarce or expensive, so people had to get creative with what they had at home. Since carrots are one of the sweetest and most accessible veggies out there, the use of carrots as natural sweeteners only made sense . The practice of using carrots in desserts started in medieval times.

Why is carrot cake unhealthy?

Carrot cake This dessert is usually loaded with oil, butter, cream cheese, and sugar in addition to carrots making it difficult to fit into a healthy diet . The average slice of carrot cake contains 800 calories, with 480 of these calories coming from fat.

Is it better to use butter or oil in carrot cake?

Vegetable oil produces a more moist, tender cake than butter . Yes, butter generally tastes better, but it makes the cake come out a little firmer than I like. Don't worry—there's plenty of butter in the frosting to make up for it. Should carrot cake have raisins?

Why do carrots turn black in carrot cake?

Carrots contain pigments that are sensitive to changes in pH balance. When the shreds of carrot come into contact with the alkaline baking soda, a chemical reaction takes place that causes the pigments to change color .

What is the fancy name for carrot cake?

Carrot cake (also known as passion cake ) is cake that contains carrots mixed into the batter.

Why do carrots turn blue in carrot cake?

The green flecks are carrot but the colour has been changed by the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in the mixture . Some pigments are sensitive to pH balances and will change colour if they are in a very acid or very alkaline environment.

Why is butter not used in cake baking?

The water that's present in butter strengthens the gluten in a cake's flour, resulting in a crumb that's more dense and not quite as tender as a cake made with oil .

Why is butter not incorporating into cake batter?

This can happen for several reasons: If your eggs are just slightly too cold, they may cause the soft butter to seize up, breaking the emulsion . Or if you rush while beating in the eggs, the emulsion won't be stable enough to hold in place.

What is a substitute for butter in carrots?

If you're frying something—say, an egg—or sautéing vegetables, you can easily substitute olive oil for butter. So instead of a pat of butter in the hot pan, add a drizzle of olive oil.

What does butter do in baking a cake?

The job of butter in baking (besides being delicious) is to give richness, tenderness and structure to cookies, cakes, pies and pastries. We alter the way butter works in a recipe by changing its temperature and choosing when to combine it with the other ingredients.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies Recipe with Coconut- a delicious twist on the classic Carrot Cake. #SpringEats #EasterEats (2024)

This Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies recipe is the perfect dessert for spring. It’s everything you love about carrot cake but more compact. It’s a little bit cookie, it’s a little bit cake, and it’s a whole lot of deliciousness!

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies Recipe with Coconut

When my brother Jeff first saw this Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies recipe of mine, he said, “What is that? I need that in my life. They look dope.” Haha! I feel the same way, Jeff! This might be the best way to describe these carrot cake whoopie pies…they are dope!

The toasted coconut sandwiched in between the carrot cake with the cream cheese frosting is simply amazing. In Jeff’s words, the carrot and coconut combination in this recipe is the bomb dot com!

I think you will all agree with my brother after you whip up these carrot cake whoopie pies. They are so stinkin’ good!

RELATED:Chocolate Whoopie Pies|Red Velvet Whoopie Pies|Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

With Spring in full swing, I thought it would be epic to dedicate an entire week to one of my favorite desserts, CARROT CAKE! This week you’ll find this recipe plus 3 other variations of carrot cake!

More Carrot Cake Recipes:

Carrot Cake Loaf Cake
Classic Carrot Cake
Bakery-Style Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipes Round-Up
Carrot Cake Cookie Bar Recipe

If you love these Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies, you need to try some of these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, S’Mores Whoopie Pies, Classic Maine Whoopie Pies, andRed Velvet Whoopie Pies.

Cook’s Notes – Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies:

Make sure that you scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed in this recipe. This will ensure that everything gets evenly combined.
Ensure that your eggs and butter are at room temperature because this will make them easier to mix into the batter. Also, this will make it less likely for the batter to become over-mixed.
Use freshly grated carrots in this recipe, not the pre-shredded variety from the grocery store (the shred is too large for these whoopie pies).
If you don’t want lumpy frosting, make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Additionally, make sure you’ve sifted the powdered sugar.

Kitchen Equipment:

Here’s some of the kitchen equipment that I used to make this Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies Recipe successful.
This scoop is perfect for making these whoopie pies and scooping out perfectly portioned cookies and cupcakes.
Mesh strainers for sifting dry ingredients together. I also use these for sifting the powdered sugar too.
Wire racks are workhorses in my kitchen. I use them for cooling baked goods and for roasting meat over a foil-lined baking sheet.

ONE YEAR AGO: Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki with Pineapple

TWO YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower with Rigatoni

THREE YEARS AGO: Breakfast Burritos

5 from 3 votes

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies with Coconut

Author Jillian - a Food, Folks and Fun Original!

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

12 large whoopie pies

This Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies recipe is the perfect dessert for spring. It’s everything you love about carrot cake but more compact. It’s a little bit cookie, it’s a little bit cake, and it’s a whole lot of deliciousness!

Ingredients

FOR CAKE TOPS:

▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
▢ 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
▢ ½ cup light brown sugar packed
▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ 1 ½ cups freshly grated carrots
▢ ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

▢ 8 ounces cream cheese softened
▢ ½ cup unsalted butter softened
▢ 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
▢ pinch table salt
▢ ½ teaspoon coconut extract
▢ ½ cup toasted coconut

Instructions

MAKE CAKE TOPS:

Place the oven racks in the middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using electric hand beaters, add the butter and sugars and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.Add the eggs & vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Dump in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined about 30 seconds.Fold in the carrots and shredded coconut.
Scoop and drop 3 Tablespoons of the batter, 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. (I used a 3 Tablespoon scoop to make this a lot easier).Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pans half-way through baking until the cake tops are just firm and spring back when pressed.Let the cake tops sit on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

MAKE THE COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl using electric hand beaters, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain about 30-60 seconds.Add the sifted powdered sugar, salt, and coconut extract and mix on medium speed until just combined about 30-60 seconds.

TO FINISH:

Add about 2 tablespoons of the frosting to the flip side of one of the cake tops. Gently press shredded coconut into the frosting and top with another cake top to create your whoopie pie. Sprinkle more coconut in the crevasse (optional). Repeat to make 11 more whoopie pies.
Store your whoopie pies by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and keep in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

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Jillian

I’m Jillian, the creator behind Food Folks and Fun. I have over 30 years of experience cooking for others. There’s nothing I love more than cooking for my family. Food is love, and cooking isn’t just putting a meal on a plate: It’s putting a little part of myself into that meal.

Is it wrong that I’d love these for breakfast? They look amazing.
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1. Haha, I’m right there with you Libby!
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My mom makes the best carrot cake but these look delicious!!! I will have to tell her to make something like this!
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Looks yummy for my weekend party!
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Oh my…. These little beauties looks PERFECT. So flavorful and delicious. My kiddo will absolutely adore these. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
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I love carrot cake, but never had them in whoopie pies though, I’m definitely excited to give this a try. 🙂
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1. These look amazing! Would they taste good if stored in the refrigerator?
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  1. They taste just fine in the fridge. I do however recommend wrapping each in plastic wrap before putting them in the fridge. Also, I personally like to let mine sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating it.
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Beautiful, I want all of them! I just love how we as a society have found infinite ways to riff on carrot cake, and they are all delicious. I hadn’t seen whoopie pies before though, this is awesome!
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1. Julie, me too! I am a carrot cake addict and I’ll take it any way that I can get it!
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