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 350°F 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 ¼ cups (250 g) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ¾ cups (352 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 2 ¼ cups finely grated carrots
- ½ cup pineapple, drained from a can or freshly diced
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ 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 350°F.
- 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.
- Frost the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Should have listened to my instincts that 55 min. was way too long to bake an 8″ cake. Took cake out after 40 min.and it was beginning to burn. Outside was hard. Went ahead and made frosting that was way too sweet and put it on cake that’s inedible. Crunchy and dry. And I followed recipe exactly. Maybe if baked much less time but I’m not going to chance it again! NOT a do over for me!
So sorry you experienced any difficulty. This cake is very similar to a banana bread consistency with many heavy “wet” ingredients, and the extra baking time is essential. If removed prior the center will be raw. 🙁 I would be happy to trouble shoot with you for next time. Well, that is if you ever change your mind!
You’re very sweet, hope I didn’t sound too critical! Was just so disappointed, your recipie was chosen after looking through many and I couldn’t wait to try it! Don’t know what happened..,the very of center of the cake was fine, moist and delicious. The bottom and sides were overcooked @ 40 min. Is this a cooking time for high altitude? Frosting was right consistentcy, would add a little less sugar if I made it again. Thx
Yes, I can imagine that would be *terribly* upsetting, especially after all the thought that you put into it! I am so sorry for your disappointment. It’s not a high altitude recipe, I am in MN so all my recipes are based out of here. If you ever decide to try again, maybe click over to the original recipe on Food for my Family’s site. She adds a can of pineapple as well, and that small adjustment might be all the difference in the world! 🙂
This is a common problem for me, whenever I bake cakes the edges and top over cooks and becomes hard while the center remains undercooked. So what I’ve started doing is, half way through baking when the top and edges have just started to brown, I cover the entire thing in foil and let it cook. You will need to remove the foil and check after the cooking time is up to make sure the center is cooked but this usually helps.
I tried baking this 2 days ago by halving the recipe and baked it in a 7×7 pan. I used less sugar (say 4/5 cup) since raisins were already sweet. I ate it without the frosting. My verdict? The texture of the cake was soft, light and slightly moist but the cake was too sweet and tasted strongly of cinnamon (1 tsp). I’d bake this again but will add 75% less sugar (of the original recipe) and less cinnamon.
Hi ..,I love all your recipes a lot.and the way you write with every cake.,,its so live.
One request can you post a authentic Christmas came with soaking fruits in rum pls.thnx a lot
love carrot cake but can never find the “right” cream cheese frosting. Always sticky somehow. have tried chilling before covering the cake & keeping the cake in the fridge, extra icing sugar just makes it too sweet & sickly – any tips?
This is my favorite recipe! https://iambaker.net/zucchini-cupcakes-and-the-best-cream-cheese-frosting/
hi, Thank You for your great recipe of carrot cake and cream cheese frosting. I made this cake twice (for different parties) and everybody loved it. Although I reduced sugar from the cake batter to 1 1/2 cups and only use 1 1/4 cup of Icing sugar in the frosting part. It turned out perfectly. I definitely will keep this recipe of you in my “favourite and hit of all time” file and will make it more often for sure.Thank You very very much again. Wish you have a wonderful year.
Thank you for recipe ! I baked it today and all family enjoyed eating it for Saturday breakfast! But I reduced sugar and baking time: 25 minutes were enough. Thanks a lot for what you are doing fo us)))
Its a wow factor I tried the carrpt cake today & really very yummay soft & perfectly baked only thing i had to add one cup butter milk bous the mix was little thick what should be done if the mix become thick instead of butter milk
Really its a wow factor very yummay soft & mouth watering only one difficulty the batter was little thick so i had to use buttermilk for loosning it but was baked perfectly thank u so much what other option can u suggest instead of buttermilk
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I’ve made this cake before but I also added chopped pecans. Very good cake.
Plz would you tell me how to make cream cheese frosting plz…