Carrot Cake
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Looking for a simple and delicious carrot cake recipe? Look no further! This easy-to-follow recipe results a moist and flavorful carrot cake. It has two layers of carrot cake that’s stuffed and topped with a delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting then garnished with chopped pecans. It’s the perfect addition to your Easter dessert table.
It’s no wonder why carrot cake is a beloved classic! This rich and moist cake is topped with a creamy and sweet homemade cream cheese frosting, making every bite better than the last. I love carrot cake so much that I’ve even created incredible recipes for carrot cake bars and carrot cake cookies too!
You can make a fluffy cake completely from scratch and it really isn’t difficult at all. Layer cakes may seem like they’re hard to make, but I’ll walk you through the process step by step so that you’ll have the best final product! We’ll even make the best cream cheese frosting too. Now you can have a bakery quality carrot cake whenever you want.
Why You’ll Love this Carrot Cake Recipe
- This cake is always moist and never dry or mealy. It has the most lovely texture and flavor and is not overly sweet either.
- You can get 12 servings from one delicious carrot cake, more if you plan to cut small slices. Serve this sweet treat at parties, gatherings and so much more!
- Making a fresh carrot cake from scratch is more affordable than buying it from a bakery. But you’ll have just as tasty of a cake and for a fraction of the cost.
Ingredients for the Best Carrot Cake Recipe
- Large eggs – Allow eggs to come to room temperature before mixing them with the other cake batter ingredients.
- Vanilla extract – Use vanilla extract in both the cake and the frosting to add a nice depth of flavor.
- Brown sugar – Both brown sugar and white sugar are use in this delicious cake recipe so that there is the perfect balance of sweetness .
- Salt – Help balance the sugary flavors with just a pinch of salt.
- Ground cinnamon – This warming spice is a great addition to carrot cake and really makes all the difference.
- Baking soda – Baking soda is the rising agent that will make the cake wonderfully light and fluffy.
- Vegetable oil – Make the cake moist with some vegetable oil. Feel free to use another neutral oil in its place if you don’t have vegetable oil on hand.
- Granulated sugar – Using both white sugar and brown sugar not only sweetens the cake well, but makes a more rich flavor.
- Peeled and grated carrots – You can’t have carrot cake without fresh carrots. Peel carrots well and then grate them up to use in the cake batter.
- Buttermilk – The sour tang of buttermilk is wonderful with all of the other flavors in carrot cake.
- Butter – Make a creamy cream cheese frosting with butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese and a few other ingredients.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar not only thickens the frosting but sweetens it too.
- Cream cheese – My favorite part about homemade carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting!
- Sweetened flaked coconut – Add a bit of texture and flavor to the cake with sweetened flaked coconut.
- Pecans – Some chopped pecans are a classic addition to tasty carrot cake!
How to Make Carrot Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Set them to the side for later.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set it aside.
Then mix together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, brown sugar and white sugar in a separate bowl until smooth.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Then gently fold in the carrots and pecans.
Pour half of the batter into each of the previously prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until the center of the cake springs back to the touch. You can also insert a toothpick into the cake to check for doneness.
While the cake cools, you can make the frosting. Just beat together the cream cheese and butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until combined.
Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
Once the layers of carrot cake have completely cooled, frost the top of one layer. Place the second layer on top and then add the remaining frosting and use a butter knife or rubber spatula to spread it evenly over the top and sides.
Add chopped pecans along the edges for a nice touch, then slice and serve!
How to Store Leftover Carrot Cake
Since this cake has cream cheese icing, I recommend storing leftovers in the refrigerator. Transfer slices to an airtight container, or wrap the cake plate in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can store it a bit longer than that, but the texture of the cake may begin to change the longer you store it.
Is carrot cake healthier than regular cake?
While carrot cake does have a few more nutritional benefits than say a chocolate cake, it isn’t necessarily “healthy”. However, the presence of carrots does give the cake some benefits along with adding to the texture and flavor.
But considering there are three different types of sugar in this recipe and cream cheese is high in fat, it isn’t really the healthiest option but it’s quite a tasty splurge treat!
What is the purpose of carrots in carrot cake?
The main benefit of carrots in cake is that it helps the cake retain moisture. It also improves the taste by adding a slight sweetness to the batter. Using grated carrots in a cake makes the texture a bit more hearty while still keeping it wonderfully soft, spongey, and moist.
Pro Tips for the Best Carrot Cake
- If you do not like pecans, you can use chopped walnuts in their place. Be sure that the nuts are not too large in size and use a food processor to make them smaller if needed.
- You can turn out the cake layers onto cooling racks so that they fully cool before frosting.
- Frost the cake on the cake stand or plate that you intend to serve from. That way, you won’t need to transfer the cake once it is frosted.
This really is the best carrot cake recipe. With the crunchy nuts, sweet frosting and moist cake, it’s a combination of textures and flavors that is downright irresistable!
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
- Strawberry Lemon Cake is the best light and refreshing spring time and summer time cake, and it’s incredibly easy to make.
- Grab a can of crushed pineapple and a box of yellow cake mix. With a few more ingredients, you can make the best Pineapple Cake!
- A rich and fudgey Chocolate Sheet Cake is just what the doctor ordered! Ok, maybe not, but man is it yummy!
- Make Chocolate Lava Cake as a fun dessert with a cool surprise.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cups buttermilk
- ¾ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups peeled and grated carrots
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two 9 inch round pans with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- For cake, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, brown sugar and sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in carrots and coconut. Pour half the batter evenly into each of the prepared round pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Mix together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- When the cake layers are cooled completely, frost the top of one cake layer. Then place the second cake layer on top.
- Add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake and use a butter knife or small spatula to evenly spread the frosting on the top of the cake and sides.
Nan says
I love carrot cake! Recipe showed coconut and directions pecans. I like pecans! Thanks- I had all the ingredients and made cupcakes.
Julie Evink says
Good catch! We tested it both with coconut and pecans and missed updating the directions to coconut not pecans. Updated!
Courtney says
Yum!! Thanks for letting us know you noticed that! It will be fixed!
Elaine says
The best carrot cake!! So easy and moist. Also, I loved the cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting! It gives it an extra dimension of flavor.
Courtney says
Perfect for an Easter dessert. Thank you!