You’ll love this wonderfully moist, perfectly spiced Carrot Cake Recipe. This cake is surprisingly simple to make and includes a step-by-step video for no-fail results every time. Top everything off with a simple cream cheese frosting for what truly might be the perfect cake.
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’m wildly in love with my white cake, vanilla cake (a reader favorite!) and chocolate cake, this carrot cake is hands-down the one I will reach for first every time.
There’s something about its deliriously moist crumb, the perfect amount of spices, and yes, that all-time favorite cream cheese frosting of mine. 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 reached for a second piece.
I know you are going to love this one just as much as we 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:
- Flour. All-purpose flour works great here. I don’t recommend using cake flour for this recipe; it tends to yield a lighter crumb, and we want our carrot cake to be on the denser side.
- Sugar. A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar (either light or dark) makes for a moist, flavorful cake.
- Spices. Both cinnamon and nutmeg create the perfect spice profile that pairs so well with the brown sugar, carrots, and nuts.
- Oil AND butter. This is the ultimate dynamic duo for cakes! Oil adds moisture (canola or vegetable oil will work) and unsalted butter adds a rich flavor. Don’t substitute one for the other–we really need both here!
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs work best, so set yours out ahead of time. If you forget, you can just place your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes before using.
- Vanilla. We’ll add a full tablespoon of vanilla for some extra flavor. If you’ve got some homemade vanilla laying around, definitely use it here!
- 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. 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.
This carrot cake recipe is made complete with my cream cheese frosting. It’s so simple and a big favorite on my site. Here’s what you need:
- Butter. Since we’re adding salt ourselves, stick with unsalted butter and make sure it’s softened.
- Cream cheese. Use the brick-style cream cheese–not the spreadable kind in a tub. Your cream cheese should also be softened so it can incorporate nicely.
- Vanilla. A teaspoon rounds out the flavor of this frosting.
- Powdered sugar. We’ll add this for structure and sweetness.
Remember, 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 Carrot Cake
- 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. 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.
- Evenly divide the batter between two 8″ baking pans that have been greased, floured, and lined with parchment circles. 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 decoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you could, I personally found this carrot cake recipe to be a bit too heavy for cupcakes. 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).
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook.
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
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 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
Recommended Equipment
- 2 8" round cake pans (see notes for using different sized pans)
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 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 40 minutes (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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
This recipe was originally published August 22, 2018.
Easy baker
The cake came out, perfectly moist and delicious. My husband who said he didn’t like carrot cake ate almost half in one sitting, lol. I didn’t have pecans or walnuts, however I did have almonds I lightly crushed them in the blender and they worked wonderfully
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
😆 Sounds like it was a real hit! Thanks so much for using our recipe 💜
Erica
Made this cake several times and it’s always a hit. Is there anything that can replace the sugar to reduce the sweetness without compromising the texture?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Erica! Unfortunately we haven’t tried any sugar substitutes with this recipe, so we can’t advise on what would work. Hopefully someone who has can chime in 😕
Mechele
Hi. Isn’t a cup of oil 225ml? I did 235ml and it’s too much and greasy. 😢 I should have Googled before I added. This is my first time doing weights instead of measures.
Otherwise recipe is awesome! Yummy. 😋
Sam
Hi Mechele, a cup is 235ml. However, with ml you cannot weigh liquid unless you are just weighing water, you will need to go by volume with ml or you may have ended up with too much.
Andromeda LeTourneau
If I want to make this in a 4 inch round cake pan, how long would I bake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Andromeda! We haven’t tried baking this recipe in a 4″ cake pans, so we can’t say for sure how long it will take. Definitely keep an eye on them and use the toothpick test for doneness 😊
Fran Russell
Hmmm…did I miss the video? Got my batter made and just wat to see if my very thick batter looks like yous! Everything I’ve tried of yours has been absolutely deelish, but I always wonder! :-\
Sam
Hi Fran! It should be showing right above the ingredients, but if you have a pop up blocker enabled it may stop the video from appearing. You can always find it on Youtube as well. 🙂
Caro
I used this recipe to make my first ever carrot cake for my cousins 50th birthday cake per his request for about 30 people. I ended up making 2 cakes to ensure having enough cake but 1 was enough. This cake was a MAJOR hit! Everyone who tried it was giving compliments and even people who said they didn’t like carrot cake were horking down a slice. Will definitely make again. Cake was perfectly moist, great spiced flavor without it being too much, and the carrot ratio was on point. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Nicole
hi! how long would you recommend i bake these for if i am using mini loaf pans? 6.1″ x 3.7 x 2.0″ – hoping to make these as christmas gifts 🙂
Sam
Hi Nicole! It will work in a mini loaf pan, but I’m not sure how long it would need to bake. Just be sure to keep an eye on it. 🙂
Kristin
This was my first attempt at a homemade carrot cake. This recipe was spot on. The notes were so helpful and the cake turned out delicious! Well done, Sam!
Diane Santos
PERFECT!
Ellen
Can this cake be frozen (unfrosted)?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Diane E Aitken
Crake sounds wonderful and great reviews. I have a few simple questions though. Can I use three 8” pans? If so, how long do I bake them. Also, I’d like to add coconut. How much and when should I add it? I’m assuming with the nuts (and raisins since you answered that in another comment – thanks!) but just to confirm. Thanks! Hope to make today for my son’s birthday if you have time to respond.
Sam
Hi Diane! You could make this in in 3 8″ pans, but without having tried it I can’t say for sure how long they would need to bake. You could stir in some coconut when the cake batter is almost completely combined. I would add about a cup. 🙂
Rita
Can you add pineapple?
Sam
Hi Rita! I know others have done so with success, but I haven’t done it myself to advise exactly how much to add. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hines
Very very moist! Outside of it sinking in the middle (aluminum foil did the job!) Everyone enjoyed it
Liz
Baked this cake twice now and I gotta say I now understand why people love Carrot Cake so much! The first time I baked this treat it was slightly undercooked at the bottom which was slightly disappointing (I used a Bundt pan and didn’t read the cook times til after lol) but this time around she came out perfectly moist and delicious. I also added pecans this time and omg such a good call. Thank you for posting this recipe! I will definitely be using it for years to come.
Liz
yum! this was my first time making a carrot cake, and it was so good! everyone loved it, even my son in law who almost never eats sweets. thanks
connie
Hi Sam,
second night of my camping trip[ I’m making carrot cake. can your recipe be baked in a bundt pan? Can crushed pineapple be added to your recipe?
thanks for your suggesting your gluten free brownies and gf peanut butter cookies.
connie
Sam
Hi Connie! This could be baked in a bundt pan, but I’m not sure on a bake time. Others have reported adding crushed pineapple to the recipe with success. Enjoy! 🙂