The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
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If you’re looking for a carrot cake recipe thats perfectly moist, warmly spiced, and guaranteed to impress, you’re in the right place. My version is easy to make with pantry staples and produces consistently excellent results. Top it off with my popular cream cheese frosting for truly the best carrot cake recipe.
If I had to choose a favorite cake recipe on my blog, I think this carrot cake recipe would be it. Maybe I’m biased, but even though I’ve shared some fun and flavorful cakes like my pistachio cake, lemon blueberry cake, and tiramisu cake, this carrot cake is hands-down the classic I will reach for first every time.
There’s something about its unbelievably moist crumb, the perfect amount of warm, cozy spices, and yes, that all-time favorite cream cheese frosting. It’s sweet without being too sweet, carefully crafted with both butter and oil and just the right amount of carrots –the flavor is so good that even Zach reaches for a second piece.
I know you are going to love this one just as much as I do, so let’s dig in!
What You Need
Here are a few of the key ingredients that make this carrot cake recipe the best carrot cake:
- Flour. All-purpose flour works best here. Avoid cake flour whichi s lighter and finer and doesn’t give us the structure required for this heartier cake.
- Sugar. A blend of granulated and brown sugar is best. For the brown sugar, you can use light or dark (makes the cake a bit richer and sweeter) or use a blend of both (my preference, also what I do in my brown butter chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip cookie recipe).
- Oil AND butter. This combo is key for maximizing the flavor and texture of the cake. While oil adds moisture (and helps keep the cake soft and moist, even after refrigeration) butter adds rich depth of flavor. A blend of these two ingredients balances flavor and texture (and it’s a trick I use in many of my cakes, like my vanilla cake recipe and chocolate cake recipe!).
- Eggs. Since we’re working with room temperature ingredients (and possibly even slightly warm butter, your eggs should be room temperature to ensure a batter that combines evenly (cold eggs can “shock” the batter and make it difficult to combine properly).
- Carrots. Do not use pre-shredded or “matchstick” carrots! They are way too thick to use in this carrot cake recipe, unless you like biting into discernible chunks of carrot (I do not!). I usually need about 4 carrots for this cake, and I always peel my carrots before grating them (I do the same thing for my carrot cake cookies). You could use a box grater, but I prefer to use my food processor.
- Nuts. You can use either chopped walnuts or pecans, or you can leave them out entirely.
- Cream cheese. This is for the cream cheese frosting. Make sure you’re using brick-style cream cheese, as the tub-style can make for a frosting that’s too runny.
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Sam’s Tip
To grate your carrots in the food processor, first use the “shred” blade. Once your carrots are shredded, switch to the standard blade and briefly pulse until the carrots are fine pieces. Don’t overdo this step or you’ll end up with carrot puree (this is also why I start by using the shred blade on my processor; I’ve found that just tossing the carrots in with my standard blade quickly breaks down the carrots too much).
How to Make My Carrot Cake Recipe (Step-by-Step)
- Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the oil and butter and mix well, until the dry ingredients (and sugar) are well-moistened (an electric mixer makes this easier). Then, add the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Finally, stir in your vanilla extract.
- Fold in your carrots and nuts (if using) and make sure they are well distributed through the cake batter.
- Evenly divide the batter between two 8″ baking pans that have been greased, floured, and lined with parchment circles (key for keeping cakes from sticking!). Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cakes sit in their pans for 10 minutes after baking, then invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting, frost your cake, and serve!
Sam’s Tip
While a single batch of frosting will cover this cake, I typically increase the recipe by 50% (or even double it!) to allow for a thicker coating and decorative piping on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you could, I personally found this carrot cake recipe to be a bit too heavy for cupcakes, causing them to be a bit trickier to eat in hand-held form. Because of this, I developed a carrot cake cupcake recipe that I would recommend using instead. It’s still flavorful and delicious, but not so moist that it requires a fork for eating.
If you’re interested in more carrot cake variations, I also have a carrot cake cookie recipe you can try out, too.
Yes, you can. I’d recommend stirring in a heaping cup when you add the carrots and (optional) nuts. The amount is up to you, about a cup should be a good amount.
The best way to prevent a green carrot cake is to peel your carrots before shredding. If this step is skipped, the peels sometimes take on a green color after baking. This is harmless and the cake can still be enjoyed, but it’s not quite as attractive.
Some sources also claim that your cake may turn green if you accidentally use too much baking soda or if you don’t mix your dry ingredients well enough (and the baking soda isn’t evenly distributed). The baking soda in my recipe is well balanced so that is not an issue you should run into if you bake my carrot cake recipe.
More Frosting Options:
Instead of cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake recipe would also be excellent with my brown butter frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, ermine frosting, whipped cream frosting, or vanilla frosting.
More Spring Recipes to Try:
Enjoy!
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The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 8" round cake pans (see notes for using different sized pans)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar¹, firmly packed
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (235 ml) cooking oil, use canola, avocado, or vegetable oil
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (340 g) grated carrots², peel before grating
- 1 cup (125 g) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting³
- ½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened (brick-style, not spreadable)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8-inch pans⁴ (see note for using different sized pans) by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing and flouring the sides.
- In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar¹, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add your canola oil and melted butter and stir well (batter will be pretty stiff and thick at this point, I usually use an electric mixer or my stand mixer to combine everything nicely).1 cup (235 ml) cooking oil, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.4 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Stir in carrots and nuts (if using) until ingredients are well-combined.3 cups (340 g) grated carrots², 1 cup (125 g) chopped walnuts or pecans
- Evenly divide carrot cake batter into prepared baking pans and bake on 350F (175C) for 37-40 minutes (a toothpick inserted in center should come out mostly clean with only few moist crumbs).
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert onto cooling rack to cool completely.
- Allow cake to cool completely before covering with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese
- Add vanilla extract and sprinkle salt into the bowl and stir well to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until ingredients are completely combined (be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula).4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- Once your cake has cooled completely, cover with frosting.
Notes
1Brown sugar
Either light or dark brown sugar will work fine, dark brown sugar will make your cake slightly more moist and rich, but light brown sugar works perfectly if you don’t have dark on hand.²Carrots (& how to grate them)
For me, this usually requires about 4 large carrots. I always peel my carrots before grating. Make sure to use the small shred of your box grater. Another way I like to prepare my carrots is to use the “shred” setting on my food processor and then switch to the blade and briefly pulse the carrots so that you have fine pieces of carrot (don’t over-do it though, or you’ll have carrot juice!). Whatever you do, don’t use store-bought “matchstick” carrots, they’re not nearly thin enough!³Frosting
A single batch of my cream cheese frosting recipe will cover this cake, but because I like a lot of frosting and will usually pipe decoration on the top of the cake, I sometimes increase the recipe by 50% or even double it.⁴Cake pans, different sizes
The following bake times have been reported by readers who have tried making this cake in different sized pans. Keep in mind bake time will generally be longer when using a glass pan, and very dark pans may require less time. The best way to test that your cake is finished baking is to use the toothpick test: a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter) or clean.- Two 9″ pans: bake for approximately 30-33 minutes.
- 9×13″ pan: bake for approximately 45-50 minutes
- Bundt pan: bake for approximately 55 minutes.
- Four 6″ pans: bake for approximately 40 minutes
- Cupcakes: See my carrot cake cupcake recipe.
Storing
If you’re eating this cake the same day you make it or within 48 hours of making it, and you are able to store it somewhere cool and dry, you do not have to refrigerate it–though you do want to store it in an airtight container. Any longer than that I would recommend storing in an airtight container in the fridge where it will keep for about 5 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This recipe was originally published August 22, 2018. Recipe is unchanged, but has been updated with new photos and more helpful information and a video.
I will be making 6 (6-inch) cakes to pass out to my neighbors for Easter! I have made this recipe many times and each time it’s absolutely delicious! This is recipe truly makes the best carrot cake and I cannot wait to share it with my friends this year!
What a sweet and kind gesture, Casey! I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe and I hope that your neighbors do too. 🙂
I made this recipe last night, but made it into a loaf cake (like banana bread). I just halved the recipe, and ended up baking it for about 55 minutes. We finally cut into it tonight… delicious!! I think that the consistency is a little off toward the bottom half of the loaf. Do you have any suggestions as to how I could tweak it a bit to get the right consistency? I almost used your cupcake recipe instead… would that work out better into a loaf because of the depth? In any case, it was very delicious, along with your cream cheese frosting. I’m sure my 15 month old will love it as soon as she gets a bite too!! 😉
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Carrie, I hope that your daughter did as well. Consistency is off… like.. too dry, not as moist towards the bottom? Are you baking it on the center rack of the oven? Are you using a glass loaf pan? Did you make any substitutions to the ingredients? I am happy to help troubleshoot. 🙂
Maybe it was just me, since my husband said it was really good and nothing was off. I thought it was too crumbly at the bottom, but maybe my slice wasn’t big enough the first time. 🤣
Still 5 stars from us all! I will have to make the cupcakes sometime.
Thank you!
I am happy that he approved and loved it, Carrie! Hopefully, the bigger slice helped. 😉
This cake lives up to its name. My husband and I thought it was the best we ever tasted. I followed the recipe exactly and added the walnuts. Delicious. Since there are only two of us I sliced it, froze the pieces for a few hours on a sheet pan then wrapped the individual slices in plastic wrap and put the wrapped slices in a freezer bag. As one of us wanted a slice we would thaw at room temperature. It tasted just as wonderful as when it was first baked. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
I am so glad that you both enjoyed the cake, Elaine! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
How do you think this would turn out using applesauce in place of the vegetable oil? None in the house and I did my 2 week grocery run yesterday 🙁
Hi, Meredith! I have never tried substituting using apple sauce in this recipe so I am not certain how it will do. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Hi! Any suggestions on using this recipe and making cupcakes? Do you think the timing would be a lot different? Same oven temp? Thank you!
Hi, Savannah! I actually have a carrot cake cupcake recipe that you can use instead. Enjoy! 🙂
This is the best carrot cake recipe! I made this for my mum’s office party recently and everyone (especially the guys) loved it!
I am happy that the cake was such a hit, Arissa! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Did you have to do any shifting with as any of the dry ingredients?
Hi, Michele! No shifting is needed for this recipe. 🙂
Hi! I would like to include raisins in this recipe. Would I have to alter anything to accomodate this?
Hi, Wendy! That will be fine. No alterations needed. 🙂
Could one be frozen before frosting? There’s only two of us and don’t want to be eating it forever.
Hi, Brenda! I have never frozen this cake, but it should be fine. I also have a carrot cake cupcake recipe that you can try as well. Same great flavor, smaller portions. 🙂
Did you use light or dark brown sugar?
Hi, Mary! Either light or dark brown sugar will work fine, dark brown sugar will make your cake slightly more moist and rich, but light brown sugar works perfectly if you don’t have dark on hand. 🙂
Best carrot cake!
Hooray! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed it, Lily! 🙂
Made a dairy free version of this for my moms birthday and it came out great!!! I just substituted the butter for Earth Balance vegan butter and the cream cheese for a “plant based cream cheese alternative.” The baking time for me was also a bit shorter since I used 9” pans. My mom said it was the best carrot cake she ever had, and she loves carrot cake.
Thank you so much for sharing what you used to convert this recipe to be vegan friendly, Lauren. I am so glad that your mom enjoyed her birthday cake and I hope that she had a nice celebration. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Can I do in 9×13? Same temp? How long?
Yes, a 9″x13″ baking pan will work fine for this recipe. Others who have tried this reported that it took 50 mins to bake. I reccomend keeping an eye on it. Enjoy! 🙂
Can we use a Bundt cake mold to make this carrot cake?
Hi, Lily! Yes, that will be fine. Please keep in mind that since you are using a different pan, the bake time will be different than what is listed. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Ok thank you 😊
Yes the best all around yummy
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Michael! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
Can I use almond flour with this receipe?
Unfortunately I don’t think almond flour would work well with this recipe, the texture would likely not be quite right 🙁
With the white flour out of stock I did 1/2 and half white flour and whole wheat flour. Should be fine 🙂