The best Carrot Cake Recipe you will ever try. This homemade carrot cake is bursting with flavor and moisture! But one of my favorite things about this cake is (in my opinion) the best cream cheese frosting on the planet. For the same delicious flavors, try my Carrot Cake Cruffins, too!
Homemade Carrot Cake
Trying to find a real carrot cake recipe is not as easy as you would think. My Mother-in-Law was having a big birthday party last Sunday and her only request was a carrot cake from scratch.
Real carrot cake. With real ingredients. (No box mixes allowed!) After testing out several recipes, I finally found one that everyone loves and that is now a tradition in our home.
For the exterior, I did a version of my original Rosette Cake.
Why Rosettes on a Carrot Cake?
My beautiful mother-in-law was turning 67 (she really doesn’t look a day over 45!) and so piped out 67 flowers. Some are with the 1M tip (remember you can always use a 2D tip in place of the 1M) and the rest are with #27 tip from Wilton. (It brought her to tears… if you ever have the opportunity to replicate this for a loved one I highly recommend it!)
How to Make the Best Carrot Cake
Once you have added the flour to the wet ingredients you want to be very gentle with the batter. I recommend removing the bowl from the stand mixer and mix all dry ingredients in by hand.
If you do not want to add pineapple, you can add 1/4 more oil and omit the pineapple. You can also make other substitutions or changes like adding sweetened coconut (1/4 cup should do!) or using a little brown sugar.
Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling the cake. I like to use a chilled cake for assembly and room-temperature frosting. You may need to level your cake prior to assembly. (Get detailed instructions on that here.)
BONUS: One way to make this cake AMAZING (and for the 21+ crowd) is to plump up your raisins in rum or brandy.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This cream cheese frosting is amazing for a few reasons. First, it’s amazingly sweet AND you can pipe with it. If you do not want to pipe out 67 rosettes, you can simply spread it over the cake in glorious swoops. This recipe and a “rustic” design are a match made in heaven! For a fun twist on frosted carrot cake, try my Cream Cheese Filled Carrot Cake Cupcakes where the cream cheese is inside!
How to Store Carrot Cake
If you chose to decorate a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Refrigeration can dry out baked goods, but cream cheese frosting does need to be refrigerated. It will last 2-3 days. Save a piece of cake to crumble up for my Carrot Cake Milkshake!
Can I Use a Different Sized Pan?
Yes! This works great in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 350ยฐF for 36-42 minutes. The cake is done when it no longer appears wet on top or when an inserted toothpick is removed with crumbs, but no wet batter.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ยผ cups (250 g) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ยพ cups (352 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ยผ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 2 ยผ cups finely grated carrots
- ยฝ cup pineapple, drained from a can or freshly diced
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ยฝ cup (1 stick / 113 g) butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (512 g) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF.
- Prepare two 8-inch round baking pans. (You can also use three 7-inch round cake pans.) Generously butter the pans or spray each with baking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs until light yellow, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. (Double sifting is recommended)
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly and gently add in the dry ingredients. Mix until JUST combined.
- Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the raisins, nuts, carrots, and pineapple.
- Divide the batter equally between the pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. A few crumbs are what you want for a MOIST cake!
- Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla into mixer and blend for 1-2 minutes on medium until fully incorporated.
- Add confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, until the frosting is light and creamy. Whip cream cheese frosting for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.ย
- Frost the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting.
Video
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I think you are doing just great I love your recipes. keep them coming.
I so enjoy your recipes and really hope to start baking again. I’ve had some medical problems and don’t have the energy right now, but I look forward to your recipes, they are the best – yum, yum. I hope to bake something for Easter (but there are so many great choices! Pls. Keep the recipes coming!
This cake looks soooooo decadent !
I was wonder if it is possible to reduce the sugar content. 2 cups is quite a bit of sugar. Any suggestions ?
Thank you and once again … wow !
do you think this could be made in a bundt form pan. and if so how long would you reommend cooking it.
Recipe looks like it will make a deliciously moist cake. At 65, I have a Carrot Cake recipe that I have used since I was age 19, but I am going to try yours. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy reading your blog and receiving your recipes. Please do not give it up. You do a wonderful job. I am looking for a new buttery FLAKY pie crust recipe. I had a tomato pie last summer made with the best flakey crust I have ever eaten. It was at a new, owner owned little shop in Flat Rock, NC. The owner was not interested in sharing the recipe and I can understand why. The crust was actually the best part of the pie.
Hi Linda! I happen to LOVE this pie crust recipe https://iambaker.net/homemade-pie-crust/ it makes the flakiest crust! I have actually used it with my Tomato Pie https://iambaker.net/tomato-and-corn-pie/ and it turns out amazing. Hope that helps!
Keep emailing the recipes
Good Morning Amanda,
I TOTALLY Love Your E-mails!!!!!! Thank You for sending them!!!!โ Crazy question for You? I have an issue with nuts with skins on them. Is is possible to make this DELICIOUS ๐ Carrot Cake without using the Walnuts? Please continue to be The Awesome Baker that You are!!!! Happy Easter๐ฃ!!
I love your website and emails. Please keep them going. I have made many of your recipes, all are keepers.
Love your recipes, I am going to try this carrot cake. Keep the recipes coming.
I made this and it is the best of all carrot cakes I have had.