With its outstanding spice flavor, super moist crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best carrot cake. Use brown sugar and toasted pecans for deeper flavor.
I don’t call it carrot cake. I call it “birthday cake.” It’s my one and only choice on my big day. I’ve adopted this tradition and make my own carrot birthday cake each year. And, of course, we never limit it to only once per year. This is always my top choice for Easter dessert recipes and I love making it for spring brunches, baby showers, and our community’s new bake sale.
In fact, this recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
And, finally, I firmly believe that the ONLY thing that competes with carrot cake is a batch of carrot cake cupcakes.
What Does This Carrot Cake Taste Like?
This carrot cake sets the standard for carrot cakes everywhere. It’s deeply moist and filled with toasted pecans (or walnuts, if you prefer). Most of its flavor comes from brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and carrots. Ginger adds the most delicious zing, but it isn’t overpowering at all. The cake is dense, but each forkful tastes super soft and extra lush. If made ahead, the flavor intensifies and the cream cheese frosting seeps into the layers, creating an even more tender bite.
So if you’re looking for a make-ahead cake whose taste and texture won’t be compromised, make this! It’s a total classic and 1 taste converts everyone, even those silly people who “don’t like carrot cake.” Who ARE you people?! 😉
Let’s Make It!
This carrot cake is pretty easy, but let’s walk through the process together. You can also use this detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post and video as a guide.
Begin by toasting pecans in the oven. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake for about 6–8 minutes. Toasting the nuts is optional, but you won’t regret doing it. Toasting pecans creates an unparalleled deep nutty flavor—I love using them in my hummingbird Bundt cake and pecan pie cheesecake, too. Let the nuts cool down for a couple minutes, then start the carrot cake batter. Begin with 2 mixing bowls. Whisk the dry ingredients together in 1 bowl, then the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two, along with shredded carrots and half of the toasted nuts. You don’t even need a mixer for the cake batter!
Instead of a layer cake, you can bake this recipe in a 9×13-inch pan. It’s also perfect as the bottom tier for a homemade wedding cake!
How to Make Carrot Cake Moist
If it isn’t stick-to-the-back-of-your-fork moist, it’s just not worth it. So I worked to create an EXTRA moist carrot cake. Don’t skip these ingredients:
- Brown Sugar: I’ve come across a lot of carrot cake recipes that are sweetened with mostly granulated sugar. That’s great, but granulated sugar doesn’t do much for the cake besides sweeten it. Brown sugar not only sweetens cake, it produces so much flavor and moisture. It’s just… the best!
- Oil: Cakes need fat to make them soft and tender. When preparing cakes without super strong flavors such as vanilla cake and white cake, I prefer to use butter as the fat. Butter also gives them flavor. But for cakes like chocolate cake and carrot cake that have flavor from other ingredients, I find flavorless oil is the best choice.
- Applesauce: To prevent the cake from tasting too moist (wet) and oily, I add some applesauce. You could even use crushed pineapple, too! These flavors pair beautifully with brown sugar and spices.
- Freshly Shredded Carrots: My #1 tip for carrot cakes is to shred whole carrots at home. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots because they are hard and dry. You need about 4 large carrots for this recipe. And when you grate them, you’ll notice how wet they are. That is PRIME moisture for your baked cake and you don’t want to skip it! Same principle applies when using zucchini in my zucchini cake, too.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The carrot cake frosting? Well, that’s easy too. It’s so smooth, tangy, and glides on the cake seamlessly. I call it spreadable cheesecake and it tastes unbelievable with this cake’s deep spice flavor.
Ingredients: You need brick-style cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. The salt helps offset the sweetness.
If you’re looking to pipe decoration with this cream cheese frosting, chill it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour first. This guarantees the creamy frosting will hold its shape.
And if you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting, these vanilla frostings will work just as well: vanilla buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, and not-so-sweet whipped frosting.
There’s no emotion quite like the sadness you’ll experience when that last slice is gone!
Carrot Cake Success Tips
- Line your cake pans with parchment. Place your cake pans on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the cake pan with a pencil, then cut the circles. Grease the pan and the parchment paper. Parchment paper rounds guarantee the cakes won’t stick!
- Make it ahead. One of the BEST parts about carrot cake is that it gets better with time, even after 1 full day. The flavors mingle, the moisture prevails, and the cream cheese frosting sets into the layers. It’s ridiculously good! You can make and frost the cake 1 day in advance. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.
- Use freshly grated carrots. Grate them yourself for the freshest, best result.
My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its outstanding spice flavor, super moist crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best carrot cake. Use brown sugar and toasted pecans for deeper flavor. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) chopped pecans or walnuts (1 cup for cake, 1 cup for garnish)*
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (226g/240ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)*
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) smooth unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups (260g) grated carrots (about 4 large)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Toast the nuts: Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the chopped pecans (or walnuts) on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 6–8 minutes, or until fragrant. Give the pan a shake halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10–15 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Grease two or three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla until combined and no brown sugar lumps remain.
- In another large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together until just combined. Fold in the carrots and 1 cup (about 120g) of the toasted nuts. (The rest of the nuts are for garnish.) Pour/spoon the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If using three cake pans, this takes about 20–25 minutes. If using two cake pans, this takes about 30–35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to help loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to finish cooling. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. If the frosting seems a bit thin and runny, refrigerate it for 30 minutes before using.
- Assemble the cake: (For extra help with this step, see this video & post on how to assemble a layer cake.) First, using a large serrated knife or cake leveler, slice a thin layer off the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake layer on your cake turntable, cake stand, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with 3/4 to 1 cup (180–240g) of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer, upside down, and spread the same amount of frosting as on the first layer. Top with the third layer, right side up, and spread the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Garnish with the remaining toasted nuts. Refrigerate the cake for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting. If you refrigerated the cake for longer than 4 hours, take it out of the refrigerator 2 hours before serving so it can mostly come to room temperature.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared, then covered and refrigerated overnight. When ready to decorate, let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 15 minutes, then give it one more mix with the mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute before frosting cake. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See this post on how to freeze cakes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Box Grater | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Wooden Spoon | Silicone Spatula | 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Nuts: Feel free to omit the nuts for a nut-free carrot cake. No other changes to the recipe required.
- Applesauce: Instead of applesauce, you can use 3/4 cup crushed pineapple if desired. Slightly drain the canned crushed pineapple first. You want it the consistency of applesauce—not too watery. You could also use 3/4 cup mashed bananas, sour cream, plain yogurt, or canned pumpkin puree.
- Carrots: My #1 tip for carrot cakes is to grate whole carrots at home. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots because they are hard and dry.
- Oil: If using melted coconut oil, make sure all of the other cake batter ingredients (carrots included) are room temperature. Otherwise, the melted coconut oil will begin to solidify before the batter goes into the oven.
- Cream Cheese: Use bricks/blocks of real cream cheese, not cream cheese spread in a tub.
- 9×13-Inch Cake: Simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Carrot Bundt Cake: Use a 10–12-cup generously greased Bundt pan. Bake for 55–75 minutes. All ovens and Bundt pans are different, so that’s why the bake time varies. Keep a close eye on it.
- Add-Ins: If you’d like to add raisins or coconut, reduce the pecans to 1/2 cup (or leave them out). Add 1 cup of raisins or shredded coconut. Stick to around 1–1.5 cups total add-ins. Or you can leave the cake plain without any add-ins.
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20–22 minutes. Yields about 24 cupcakes. Or try my carrot cake cupcakes recipe.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Do you need to make any adjustments for high altitude? I live in Salt Lake City at 4,300 feet above sea level.
Hi Fred, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Thank you for responding to my question and sending the link about high altitude baking. I tried the recommendations and the cake came out a bit dry. Will have to work on the suggested adjustments by King Arthur flour.
Wonderful! Perfect level of spice. Frosting was great too, not icky sweet, just right! Recipe makes a s# ton of frosting tho. I made a 8″ 2-layer cake and had about 2 cups frosting left over. Loved all the suggestions for modifying size, add-ins, etc. Perfect!
The cake was delicious and your recipes are always my go to! I do have a question about my sponge though. I’ve noticed that on the last few cakes I’ve made, some of the layers are a bit denser or greasier. For example, on this carrot cake I used three eight inch pans and one of the layers came out this way. I do use cake strips… would that effect my cake somehow? I also butter my tins… am I over greasing? I’ve noticed this happening on several different recipes, and that seems to be the common denominator. So, I wondered if you had any experience with this!
Hi Rose! It could definitely be an issue of over-greasing. We always use a non-stick baking spray with our cake pans and have never had any issues with that method. Also make sure to rotate your pans once during baking as most ovens have hot spots which can cause the cakes to bake unevenly. Hope this helps!
Just made this today for my Mom for Mother’s Day (tomorrow). If it tastes as good as it looks, it’ll be my favorite go to carrot cake recipe! 🙂 Thanks Sally!
Sally,
I need a large carrot cake. If I use 3 -10in. pans, how much more batter would need?
50% more?
Thank you,
Dave
Hi Dave, our handy Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions guide can help you scale this recipe for your needs. Happy baking!
Question!!!
Can I use 5or 6 egg yolks instead of whole eggs? I need egg whites for another recipe and so t want to waste the yolks.
Thanks!!
Hi Britt, egg whites are part of the cake’s texture and structure, we don’t recommend using all egg yolks. Here’s all our recipes that use egg yolks if you have extra – lemon curd is a favorite for excess yolks.
Very fluffy and moist. Too much for me to the point I taste nothing. Maybe I didn’t cook it long enough even though I followed the instructions. I think the publix carrot cake is 10 times better.
I have made this cake a few times; it is a big hit with my family and it is now being requested as a birthday cake for every birthday. One complaint we have is that the frosting is too sweet; would it be possible to reduce the amount of powdered sugar and just keep the other frosting ingredients at the same ratio? E.g., maybe I could only use 3.5 cups of sugar? Is that realistic? Thank you so much for the help!
Hi Nate, so glad to hear this carrot cake is becoming a family birthday favorite! You can certainly try reducing the confectioners’ sugar in the frosting, but it will change the texture. Be sure to keep enough that the frosting keeps its shape and is not too watery. You also might try adding another pinch of salt to help cut the sweetness instead.
I want to make this carrot cake for my husband’s birthday (because CC is his favorite and Sally’s recipes never disappoint!). However, he likes raisins in his CC (I don’t! but since it is for his bday…). If I add raisins to this recipe do I need to do anything differently?
Thank you!
Hi Brenda, If you’d like to add raisins, reduce the pecans (or leave them out) to 1/2 cup. Then, add 1 cup of raisins when you fold in the carrots and pecans. Stick to around 1 – 1.5 cups total add-ins. Happy birthday to your husband!
I have never been a fan of carrot cake. My 10 year old grandson wanted me to bake it. Everything about the recipe was so easy, especially since I didn’t have to take out my mixer. The cake came together wonderfully. I made mine 2 layer. Toasted pecan chips not whole nuts but still amazing. The frosting very easy and the best cream cheese frosting I ever made and tasted. It will stay my go to for CC frosting. Cake baked perfectly and the layers were beautiful. Frosted so easy and cut so smoothly my knife glided from top to bottom like silk. I tasted the cake and I was totally mind blown. The flavors so aromatic and deliciously coming together for the most amazing moist flavorful hit to my taste buds. I said in the beginning I didn’t favor carrot cake but I gotta say I would make this again for myself. Gonna do 3 layers or 9×13 next time. Thank Sally, I make a lot of your recipes and you always get it perfectly right!
I love this cake, made it for my daughter’s birthday this year. I am baking a carrot cake for a vegan next week and wondering if flaxseed eggs can be substituted?
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tested this cake with any vegan substitutes, but let us know if you give it a try!
I can’t believe I just baked this cake!!! I am not the best baker haha… my cakes are always too dense and overcooked- this is the first cake I bake that was perfect!!
Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe was amazing! We dont have applesauce in malaysia so i left that out, also halved the icing sugar in the frosting and it was perfect!
My first time making (and eating!) carrot cake. Easy and super delicious! Only 3 of us so I cut both recipes in half and it was perfect for one 9 inch pan. I still have a lot of frosting left. Any idea how long it lasts in the fridge? I personally didn’t love the texture of the shredded carrots (it reminded me of shredded coconut which I abhor) so I will try to get them more finely shredded next time. I hand grated them, but maybe a food processor is better. And according to my family there will definitely be a next time! Thank you for a wonderful recipe and a reliable recipe site – I always know I can trust your recipes.
This recipe is amazing for the cake itself. I did make a few tweaks to mine. I made it in a 9×13 pan, then cut and assembled it in a cake ring with acetate. It cooked for 35 min in the 9×13. I did have an internal debate about all purpose flour v cake flour, but saw a comment saying that all purpose flour was needed to glue everything together, and cake flour is too light in consistency, so I stuck with all purpose. I added a 1/2 c of coconut and 1 c of raisins. I did have to make sure the raisins are evenly distributed, before it went in the oven, as they were tending to clump together.
I also doubled all the spices. After it cooked I noticed the spices still weren’t enough of a kick even after doubling what the recipe called for, so I added all of the spices to the extra crushed pecans with some butter. I added enough spice to the nuts to pack a punch. I then assembled the cake with 2 nut layers inside on top of the icing. I left the sides un-iced, and had a thick layer on top with candied carrot spirals to top off the cake. The cake was a huge hit for my friends birthday!
The consistency of the cake is moist, crumbly, and perfectly holds in the extra 1 1/2 c of extras that I added. The colors of the cake were too pretty not to highlight with the naked sides. The icing is also delicious. It complements the spices in the cake wonderfully, once you get the spices to the level of your preference. Having the nut layers really helped with the overall texture and interest with each bite you took, instead of just on top. I will definitely be making this cake again. Thanks for the recipe and all of the alternative options!
Could one use gluten free flour for this cake?
Hi Mary, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
What kind of flour SHOULD I use to make this recipe, Sally?
Hi Chloe, this recipe calls for 2 and 1/2 cups (312g) all-purpose flour. Happy baking!
Better than my mom’s!!! (and I thought hers was the best) but I’ll never tell.
I made this cake for Easter. I made it exactly as written. It was wonderful! Thank you!
I went to make this cake when my 12 year old decided to do it. Tastes fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve used this recipe several times and it always turns out perfect. My only complaint is the amount of sugar in it, it’s staggering. The frosting doesn’t need nearly half a kilo of icing/confectioners sugar, 200-250 grams is more than enough and it still is pleasantly sweet.
my husband requested carrot cake for Easter and this recipe did not disappoint, the crumb was wonderful and not oily at all which I find with many recipes, I used 300 grams of grated carrots which was the 2 largest carrots in the bag, 1/2 cup each chopped pecans, drained crushed pineapple and raisins and omitted the applesauce, baked for 35 minutes which was perfect for 2 layers, I only used 1 tsp each of vanilla and cream in the frosting and still needed to add another 1/2 cup of icing sugar to make the frosting stiff, it did thicken when refrigerated, I would increase the spices next time as I like it a bit spicier, thanks for a great recipe!
I made this earlier this year and it was amazing. Can this recipe be used as a Bundt cake? Thank you!
Sure can! See recipe notes for details. Or, you might also enjoy our Cheesecake Swirl Carrot Bundt Cake instead.
This cake is delicious and fun to make!! Love your recipes Sally!
Hi, do you know of any alterations that need to be done for an altitude of 6000 ft? It seems like my cakes never turn out right.
Thanks:)
Hi Lesleigh! We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. We know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Just made this cake & it’s wonderful! I left the nuts out, subbed the applesauce for pineapple & added raisins. I used 3 round pans and it took just under 20 mins. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this cake for Easter. I frosted it with your cream cheese frosting and put toasted pecans on the top of the cake and carrot cake oreos around the bottom layer and toasted pecans around the top layer. It is beautiful. I shaved a small amount of cake off the bottom layer to level the cake before I frosted it. I just had to sample it. I must say the cake and the cream cheese frosting are delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. All of your recipes come out perfect. I wish I could add a picture of my cake.
I made this cake this week, it was everything I love about a good carrot cake! It was fluffy, moist, had an incredible taste, I recommend it 100%! I left out the pecans because I didn’t have any, but it was still great. One of the best carrot cakes my family had eaten!
This is the 2nd Easter in a row that I’m making this. I just made 2 for both gatherings we are going to. It’s always a HIT!!!! My former neighbor, who is a tugboat captain, makes this cake every time he gets off of his boat- he’s obsessed with it! Rightly so!
Can I use this recipe for a rolled carrot cake?
Hi Kay, we haven’t tested it so we can’t be sure. We’ve successfully used it for layer cakes, Bundt cakes, thicker sheet cakes, and cupcakes.