My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe

This is the best carrot cake ever. Period.
You should trust me on this one.
And if you don’t believe me, ask my cousin Dan. He swears there’s no better carrot cake in the whole wide world.


But let’s take a step back.
To get a slice of this uh-mazing carrot cake, one would have needed to travel all the way to Berlin, take a cab to Jessnerstraße in Friedrichshain where a hipster café called “Aunt Benny” was quartered.
And yes, I'm using the past tense, because sadly, the café closed in January 2020.
The owners — who not only were skilled restaurateurs but apparently also had the ability of foresight — sold Aunt Benny and relocated in Canada (their home country) right before the pandemic began.
When Aunt Benny closed down, cousin Dan was devastated, to put it mildly. For starters, Aunt Benny was just around the corner from his apartment, but moreover a slice of their famous Ginger Carrot Cake with an oat cappuccino was his absolutely favorite thing.
At least once a week after a long and stressful work week he would treat himself to a slice of spongy carrot goodness topped with a thick layer of ginger-infused cream cheese frosting. Perfection.


When I first visited cousin Dan in Berlin, Aunt Benny quickly became my favorite spot for breakfast. They had all the US newspapers I read and their breakfast sandwich was fantastic.
But the carrot cake was something special: rich, moist and perfectly spiced.
With just enough kick from the ginger, the right amount of sweetness, and the signature intense flavor of carrots and walnuts.
The ginger cream cheese frosting balances the richness of the cake.
All in all, pure bliss.
Do give it a try!

Ginger Carrot Cake

You can find the recipe on Aunt Benny’s blog at this link -> Carrot Cake

A couple of notes. The recipe makes a huge cake enough for a big family and some of the neighbors too. It was clearly intended for a busy café with a lot of foot traffic.
I usually halve the recipe and bake the cake in an 8-inch springform pan. Works like a charm.
Also make sure to ground the walnuts to a powder, you don’t want any chunks in the batter.
Lastly, grate the carrots finely so that they will almost melt with cake batter and you won't end up eating big pieces of carrot in the cake.