Don't expect chocolate carrot cake to taste like a classic carrot cake - the chocolate definitely dominates. Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, cinnamon, pecans, and carrots create a showstopper cake, made even better with the addition of chocolate cream cheese frosting.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter with sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about three minutes with an electric mixer.
Mix in eggs, one at a time.
Mix in oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Mix in carrots.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture a little bit at a time until just combined.
Gently mix in the nuts and chocolate chips.
Pour into a well-greased a 9"x11" baking pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with nothing stuck to it - about 35 minutes.
Set it out to cool for an least one hour before frosting.
Frosting Instructions
Mix butter until smooth and creamy – about 3 minutes using a stand mixer on high speed.
Add cream cheese and mix until completely combined.
Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
Mix in cocoa powder and salt until fully combined.
Spread frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Optionally, use the back of a spoon to create a little texture in the frosting.
If you'd like, decorate with chopped pecans and more chocolate chips.
Video
Notes
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for a week, or freeze for months.To make this as a layer cake, bake in two 9″ rounds and frost between the layers and on top of the cake. You won't need to adjust the amount of batter.If you don't like nuts or if there is a nut allergy in your household, you can definitely leave them out. You might consider adding in raisins or coconut to add to the complexity of the cake.