Simple Carrot Cake

5 from 4 votes

Moist, perfectly spiced, and finished with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, this easy carrot cake recipe is truly the best!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best carrot cake recipe, carrot cake recipe, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, easy carrot cake recipe, simple carrot cake recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 5

Servings slices

Calories 505.3kcal

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 oil or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
3 cups freshly grated carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional mix-ins: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, 1 cup raisins, handful of shredded coconut, or 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

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)
Optional garnish: ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray; 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 the carrots and vanilla extract; mix well. If using, fold in nuts, raisins, coconut, or drained pineapple.
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.

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 or shredded coconut, if desired.

Instead of baking the cake in a single 9 x 13-inch pan, you can make a layer cake by dividing the batter between two 9-inch or 8-inch round cake pans. Stack the layers on top of each other, with frosting in between. If making a layer cake, I recommend doubling the amount of frosting, since you'll need extra frosting for the sides and in between the cake layers (and there's nothing worse than running out of icing)!

Small cake: Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan. You'll need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes, too.

Cupcakes: Use the batter to prepare about 24 cupcakes. Bake standard-size cupcakes at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.