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.
Hi, could you confirm the temperature for a fan/convection oven please? thank you
Hi Julie! We test our recipes with a conventional oven, so unfortunately we can’t advise on what adjustments might be needed for a convection oven.
This is indeed the best carrot cake recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
We’re so happy you think so, Sophie! Thanks for giving it a try 🩷
Good
Hi, I love both your carrot cake and carrot cake cupcake recipes and want to make some cupcakes today but only have a small amount of all purpose flour, but I do have self raising flour, how can I substitute self raising flour for your carrot cake cupcake recipe please?
Hi Faith! Unfortunately using self-rising flour would require you to alter some of the other ingredients. This can get tricky, especially with using a partial amount, so we recommend you stick with all-purpose flour 😊
Could you tell me what altitude this recipe is intended for? I’m at high altitude, so I might need to adjust the ingredients.
Hi Tyler! I am not at high altitude. I don’t have experience baking at high altitude, but if you traditionally have to make adjustments, you may want to do so here. 🙂
I’m at 2300′ and didn’t have any problems. The cake is delicious although I did cut the brown sugar a tiny bit and only did 2.5 cups of powdered sugar for the icing…I didn’t need that much since I did a bundt cake.
I made this cake for my daughter’s engagement party and did some pretty piping to make it more fancy. It was a huge hit! Everyone was asking for the recipe.
Thank you for adding some deliciousness to my daughters special day!
We’re so happy it was such a hit! Thanks for using our recipe, and congrats to your daughter on her engagement 🥰
Why would you use butter since you have oil in this recipe?
Hi Mariam! This gives you best results in texture and flavor, I discuss it in the post.
I have made cupcakes with this recipe a few times and they’re always a hit!!!
I haven’t tried it yet but after seeing the recipe I definitely have to. I absolutely love that the author put the measurements into the instructions. I often get confused and have to rewrite it myself. THANK YOU :)))
We’re so happy it’s helpful, Sierra! Hope you love the cake 😊
Absolutely lives up to it’s name!
This is an amazing recipe, 4th time of making underway. I add as my nuts 3/4 cup of mostly ground almonds and also rind and juice of a smallish lemon. It works well since I don’t like cinnamon. Thanks for the clear instructions and beautiful recipe.
Thanks for letting us know how you enjoyed it, Rosemary! ❤️
Could you freeze this cake?
That will work just fine. Make sure to wrap it well and store in an airtight container 😊
Your carrot cake was wonderful so moist and delicious every one loved it thank you for this recipe.
We’re so happy to hear it, Sandy! Thanks for giving it a try 😊
Wow, amazing recipe. I used allspice in place of the nutmeg because I didn’t have any and turned out amazing. Moist and delicious! Thank you!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Shelly! Thanks for commenting 🥰
hi Sam. made this first time.
have to say the taste was great but I would have preferred it a little more crummy or cakey. mine turned out well but with a moister texture. I was thinking it was the fine grate of the carrots providing that texture. It was cooked enough when tested.
Hi Margaret! It sounds like everything went well. This cake is designed to be nice and moist. 🙂
I never make reviews, but this carrot cake was DELICIOUS! I was a little nervous making such an “underrated” cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday, but then everybody wanted seconds! Even the kids loved it!
I did decrease the powdered sugar in the icing from 4 to 3 and it was perfect
We’re so happy it was such a hit, Marissa! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 😊
This is exactly what I needed to hear because I am looking for a cake to make for my son’s birthday that is coming up next week. I believe I found my cake! 😉
Can’t wait to make it
We hope you love it, Carolyn!
Love this recipe! Actually, I love all of your recipes! I’ve made your cupcakes, cakes, pies, etc. All of them were delicious and perfection!!
I also love that you have the ingredients list with their measurements in cups & grams in the directions section. Super helpful!
Thank you!
We’re so happy you’ve enjoyed everything, Mary! And thanks for the feedback on the new feature–it seems to be a big hit 🥰
So good and I just wanted to mention – I love how you put the ingredients under each step so we don’t have to scroll back up to the ingredients list. I’ve never seen anyone do this before and it made the process so much easier ❤️ The carrot cake is soo good, thank you! Side note: I ended up only using half the amount of powdered sugar (2 cups) for the frosting and it’s still bomb & very sweet 🙂
I made this recipe & my cakes fell in the middle. I followed recipe so I don’t know what I did wrong. please help
Oh no! There are a few factors that can cause this, incluidng opening the oven too early, under or over-mixing the batter, or using leavening agents that aren’t fresh. Without being there it’s hard to say exactly what is going wrong, especially if you aren’t making any substitutions. 🙁
This 100% !! Im going to be making this today and am already grateful for this!!!
I was looking for a carrot cake recipe and found yours. I have made it five times in the last two months. Not just for the family, but for our end of year school party and other family functions. it has become a staple dessert in our home.As someone mentioned in other replies I love that you put the ingredients in with the directions as well as being listed in the beginning of the recipe. That makes it so much easier to follow without having to constantly go back to look.
We are SO happy you like it, Cheryl! We appreciate you trying the recipe and coming back to leave a review ❤️ Enjoy!
I am so glad you said something about the ingredients being listed under each step. It is so helpful! I’ve never seen anyone else do it this way. Perhaps you can start a trend. Thank you for the great recipes!
So glad you find it helpful, Michael. We love it too! ☺️
Such a great recipe. Super moist, not too sweet, absolutely delicious. I made it for my work colleagues and they all loved it. definitely one I will make again. thank you
Thanks for trying our recipe, Nahid! We’re so happy it was such a hit ❤️
Made this with gluten free flour- still the best!!! used only two cups of confectioners sugar in the icing, less sweet.
We’re so happy it turned out nicely for you, Amy! 😊