Carrot Cake is a classic dessert made with shredded carrots, spices, oil, pineapple, and added pecans for a nutty crunch in every bite. Then, the cake is topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect cake to share at celebrations, potlucks, or if you are simply craving carrot cake! For the same delicious flavors, try my Carrot Cake Cruffins, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Oil: Vegetable or canola oil is added to the cake batter to keep the cake moist and tender. It also helps distribute the flavors and spices more evenly.
Spices: I used the common spices of cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter.
Pineapple: Pineapple isn’t always added to carrot cake, however, I like the added moisture it brings. I also appreciate the flavor and texture the pineapple provides.
Nuts: I love the crunch that comes with added nuts. I used pecans, but almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts would also be delicious. Of course, you can certainly leave out nuts if preferred.
Frosting: Cream cheese frosting is the traditional choice when it comes to carrot cakes. You could also frost the cake with buttercream, which would also be delicious. I also have another Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting that is SO GOOD! Or, surprise everyone by making my Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Cupcakes with a cream cheese-filled center!
How to Store Carrot Cake
Frosted carrot cake should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Be sure to save a piece of cake to make my Carrot Cake Milkshake!
More Popular Cakes
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups (330 g) shredded carrots
- 1 cup (109 g) chopped pecans
- 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (500 g) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs with a mixer until it is a light yellow, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly and gently add the dry ingredients to the oil mixture. Mix until JUST combined. (Can also mix by hand!)
- Fold in the carrots, pecans, and pineapple. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Frost the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting.
Did you make this recipe?
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I love cherry crisp all year long 😉
Every year I make a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake!
I wont be dying eggs, but I am doing an Easter egg nail art on my fingers! It’s going to be cute!
Thanks for the giveaway!! 🙂
~Kelly
It’s funny that you feature carrot cake and this contest together. Carrot cake is the default dessert for my Easter meals. Because the recipe is a bit involved, I usually make it only for Easter and maybe Christmas (that is, if Christmas doesn’t get another type of cake). I love to bake, but with my small family of 3, baked goods typically don’t get completely eaten, so I don’t do it very often. Usually just holidays or special occasions. Thank you for the giveaway! It would be great to have more of those baking staples in my cabinets!
My favorite dish to bake during the Spring is a Lemon Blueberry Bundt cake! The Lemon cake recipe I use is light and fluffy, and when you add the blueberries they sink to the bottom, so when you invert the pan it looks like there’s a small blueberry halo around the cake! Thanks for the great giveaway, can’t wait to get started on my pin board 🙂
My new favorite is a strawberry cake with a pour over strawberry icing. So good!
looks amazing! You rock!
I like to make sugar cookies and decorate them in fun pastel colors!
I love to bake cupcakes with various pastel colored frostings!
I don’t know if this counts as ‘spring’ per-say because authentic spring weather is so hit-and-miss in Western NY, but the markings of a shift in my baking tends to be strawberry shortcake.
Easter morning we always have green chile cheese grits, ham and mimosas! That’s spring to me!