The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

Moist, perfectly spiced, and finished with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best Carrot Cake recipe that you will ever taste! Best of all, the easy dessert is made from scratch with simple pantry ingredients and comes together in minutes.

Seriously...if you're looking for the best carrot cake recipe to make at home, you have come to the right place. You don't need any fancy ingredients or any special baking skills. The foolproof recipe is made from scratch and yields a moist, tender crumb every time. Best of all, there's no need to worry about stacking layers, crooked cakes, or evenly icing the sides. This sheet cake has the perfect cake-to-frosting ratio, and is sweet...but not too sweet. I love it so much that I even make it for myself on Mother's Day!

What does the best Carrot Cake recipe taste like?

If the sound of a carrot cake makes you think of a salad, then think again! You cannot actually taste the carrots in this recipe. Instead, I would describe this Carrot Cake recipe as a type of spice cake, prominently flavored with warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and vanilla. The carrots add a touch of sweetness and help to keep the carrot cake moist. You'll also love the rich, creamy and fluffy cream cheese frosting as a nice contrast to the dense, moist spice cake.

While carrot cake is ultimately a spice cake, it gets its unique flavor and texture from the extra mix-ins that you won't find in just any spice cake -- such as grated carrots, nuts, pineapple, coconut or raisins.

How to Make the Best Carrot Cake Recipe from Scratch:

This incredibly moist carrot cake is easy to mix together in just minutes. Here's what you'll need...

Carrot Cake Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves
• Canola or vegetable oil
• Eggs
• Grated carrots
• Vanilla extract
• Optional: crushed pineapple, chopped pecans or walnut {I typically omit these from my cake batter, but you can include them if you like more texture in your carrot cake)

Step 1: Sift together the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

Step 2: Add Oil and Eggs

Beat in the oil and eggs, one at a time.

Step 3: Stir in Carrots and Vanilla Extract

Add the carrots, vanilla and pineapple or nuts if you're adding those optional ingredients (I do not).

Step 4: Bake the Carrot Cake

Transfer the batter to a 9 x 13-inch pan and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely, and then it's time for the cream cheese frosting!

Ingredients in Carrot Cake Frosting:

• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar
• Milk
• Garnish: chopped pecans or walnuts

To prepare the frosting, simply cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar and milk, mixing until completely blended and smooth.

Step 5: Frost the Cake

Spread the frosting on a cool cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, slice and serve!

Preparation and Storage Tips:

• Grease or spray the pan really well with non-stick spray so that the cake doesn't stick. I like to use a baking spray with flour in it.
• Make Ahead: This cake just seems to get better as it sits, so it's a really nice option to prepare in advance. You can make and frost the cake one day ahead of when you plan to serve it.
• How to store Carrot Cake: Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator. I like to bring it to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving, but that is optional.
• While it's best within 1-2 days of baking, you can safely store the leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Sealed in an airtight container, slices of frosted carrot cake will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:

• Carrot Cake with butter instead of oil: A fat is necessary to keep cakes moist and tender. While butter is sometimes used as the fat in mild cakes (like yellow, white or pound cakes), a flavorless oil like canola or vegetable oil is best for carrot cakes. The carrot cake gets its flavor from the other ingredients -- like the carrots and spices. That said, if you prefer to use butter instead of oil, you can substitute with an equal amount of melted butter in this recipe.
• Small Carrot Cake Recipe: Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan. It's a perfect size cake for a smaller family. You may need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes, too.
• Always use freshly grated carrots that you grate yourself at home. These will be very wet, which is a great way to keep your carrot cake moist. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store.
• Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes: You can use the same batter to prepare about 24 cupcakes instead of one large cake. Bake standard-size cupcakes at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Optional Mix-Ins: My family prefers the cake batter to be smooth, without the addition of pineapple, nuts or coconut, so I typically omit those extra ingredients. If you prefer, you can certainly add in 1 cup of chopped nuts, an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple (drained) or a handful of shredded coconut.

More cake recipes that you might enjoy:

• Hummingbird Cake
• Coconut Cream Cake
• Watergate Cake
• Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake
• Sour Cream Pound Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Print Pin

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

Moist, perfectly spiced, and finished with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best Carrot Cake recipe that you will ever taste!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword carrot cake recipe, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Cooling Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes

Servings 16 slices

Calories 505.3kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained (optional)

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• 8 ounces full-fat block-style cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
• Approximately 2 tablespoons milk (more or less, depending on desired consistency)
• ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the oil and eggs, one at a time. Beat with an electric mixer until completely combined. Add carrots and vanilla extract; mix well. Fold in nuts and/or pineapple, if using.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• Once the cake is completely cool, prepare the frosting. Cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until completely blended. Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. I use about 2 tablespoons of milk total, but you may need slightly less or slightly more.
• Spread the frosting on top of the cool cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired.

Notes

• Small Carrot Cake Recipe: Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan. It's a perfect size cake for a smaller family. You may need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes, too.
• Always use freshly grated carrots that you grate yourself at home. These will be very wet, which is a great way to keep your carrot cake moist. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store.
• Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes: You can use the same batter to prepare about 24 cupcakes instead of one large cake. Bake standard-size cupcakes at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Optional Mix-Ins: My family prefers the cake batter to be smooth, without the addition of pineapple, nuts or coconut, so I typically omit those extra ingredients. If you prefer, you can certainly add in 1 cup of chopped nuts, an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple (drained) or a handful of shredded coconut.
• Grease or spray the pan really well with non-stick spray so that the cake doesn't stick. I like to use a baking spray with flour in it.
• Make Ahead: This cake just seems to get better as it sits, so it's a really nice option to prepare in advance. You can make and frost the cake one day ahead of when you plan to serve it.
• How to store Carrot Cake: Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator. I like to bring it to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving, but that is optional.
• While it's best within 1-2 days of baking, you can safely store the leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Sealed in an airtight container, slices of frosted carrot cake will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 505.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 67.3g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 25.5g | Saturated Fat: 7.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11.2g | Cholesterol: 77.6mg | Sodium: 404.4mg | Potassium: 62.7mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 53.4g