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 carrot cake recipe is so popular around here that I stopped asking what everyone wants for dessert! Because it’s always this!
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. 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.
Begin by toasting pecans in the oven. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake for about 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 the toasted nuts. You don’t 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 20 minutes 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 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.
My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- 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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) chopped pecans (1 cup for cake, 1 cup for garnish. Nuts are optional.)*
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)*
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (133g) smooth unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups (312g) 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
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the chopped pecans on the sheet and toast for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Grease two or three 9-inch cake pans, 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.)
- Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla together in a large bowl 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 rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together until just combined. Fold in the carrots and 1 cup of the toasted pecans. (The rest of the pecans are for garnish.)
- Pour/spoon the batter evenly into the cake pans. If using three cake pans, bake for 20-24 minutes. If using two cake pans, bake for 30-35 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. If not, continue to bake until cooked through. Do not over-bake. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. 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 whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, 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. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, a little milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be soft, but not runny.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife or cake leveler, layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 cake layer on your cake turntable, cake stand, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, and then top with the 3rd layer. Spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Decorate the sides and top of the cake with the remaining toasted pecans. Refrigerate cake for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover frosted cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly 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.
- 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: If desired, you can substitute the pecans with walnuts. Or feel free to skip the nuts if you want 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 of real cream cheese. Not cream cheese spread.
- 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 (or leave them out) to 1/2 cup. Then, 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 2 dozen. Or try my carrot cake cupcakes recipe.
I am allergic to nuts can I omit it. Without drastically changing the recipe
Thank you
Hi April, you can simply omit the nuts without any other changes to the recipe. Enjoy!
I made this for my husband’s bday (he is a carrot cake lover) and I’m not, this recipe certainly converted me 🙂 .. He loved the cake and thought it was the best carrot cake he’s ever eaten. I followed the recipe to the T, and added raisins as well, they gave a wonderful flavour.. excellent recipe, the cake was so so moist !!!
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free flour and tweaked the recipe slightly by adding a little more applesauce, sugar, and spices to help mask the naturally gritty/bitter texture of GF flour, and it turned out great. I haven’t tried the cake yet, but I had a cupcake and I gobbled the whole thing up!
Hi, I don’t have APF available. Can I use cake flour instead?
Hi K, we don’t recommend it. Cake flour won’t hold up to all of the heavier ingredients in this recipe. For best results, stick to using all-purpose flour!
this recipe is OUTSTANDING! it came together so easily, grating the carrots was the only real work. the flavour of the cake is just the perfect amount of spices and flavours. it’s moist, you get a little crunch from the toasted pecans, and it gets even better with time. this is one i will be coming back to!
I made this for my Fiance’s 30th birthday last weekend, it went down a treat – definitely a new favourite recipe! So much so that we are considering making our own wedding cake and using this recipe. We our having a small wedding of 36 people, I was thinking of doing two or three tiers, do you have any advice on the best way to do this, in terms of size of cake tins, stacking the cakes and how to adapt the recipe?
Thank you in advance (and also thank you for a fantastic recipe!!!)
Hi Katie! How fun to hear that you might make your own wedding cake using our carrot cake recipe. We’d recommend following our Simple Homemade Wedding Cake recipe for the assembly — but you can use our carrot cake recipe for the bottom tier and make a half batch of the batter for the top tier. It serves about 30-35 people, depending on how large you cut the slices. Hope it’s a big hit at your wedding!
The best! I’ve tried several recipes- this one was my favorite!
Made this carrot cake recipe exactly as Sally’s recipe says to prepare it for Father’s Day, and it turned out incredible! My dad LOVED LOVED LOVED IT, and so did the rest of the fam. Made sure butter and cream cheese were at room temperature, and I had no difficulties making the frosting. Turned out delicious!
Will be using this carrot cake recipe for life (: Thank you!
The cake came out really good! But I found that 4 cups of sugar in the frosting was entirely too much. Using only one gave me really thick and delicious frosting.
Oh my! This cake is incredible! I added coconut, walnuts and raisins. So moist – I had to cut it up and give it to my neighbors or would have eaten all myself! Has anyone tried adapted to cupcakes?
Hi Susan, we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this carrot cake! For cupcakes — Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20-22 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen. Or try our carrot cake cupcakes recipe.
My roomates and I made this for my birthday- it was absolutely divine! It’ll be my go-to carrot cake recipe for sure.
Could you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Debra, we don’t recommend it. Cake flour won’t hold up to all of the heavier ingredients in this recipe. For best results, stick to using all-purpose flour!
This is the BEST Carrot Cake I have ever tasted! Thank you! I have made it twice now and it stole the show both times! Thank you for your excellent instructions and hints. I will keep it forever and have just shared the recipe with a friend that said she is making one tomorrow as it is her son’s favorite cake.
Would it be fine if I omit the applesauce as I don’t have any? Or is there a recipe that I can use to make the applesauce? As for the pineapples, can I use fresh pineapples or are canned ones recommended?
Hi TY, we don’t recommend omitting the applesauce completely, as it brings lots of moisture to the cake. If you’d like to make your own, there are lots of recipes out there! Instead of applesauce, you can also use 3/4 cup crushed pineapple (canned is best), mashed bananas, sour cream, plain yogurt, or canned pumpkin puree.
This cake was perfect! The spices were strong without being overpowering. We are going to be using this recipe for our wedding cake!
Like others though, I had issues with the icing. I have made cream cheese icing before and never had this problem. It came out soft and runny. I used full-fat cream cheese, added extra powdered sugar (until my partner said it was starting to turn too sweet), tried a cornstarch “cheat” I found online, and nothing would get it to thicken up. And I hadn’t even added any of the heavy cream! We put it in the refrigerator, and after a few hours it got to the consistency we needed it to be in order to spread, but as soon as it started to warm up, the cake became a mess. I don’t know what to do.
Hi Dennis, We are so happy that you enjoyed this cake! For your frosting, are you using block cream cheese, and not the spreadable kind sold in a tub? If so make sure your cream cheese and butter are not too warm. Here is what room temperature butter really means.
For everyone struggling with cream cheese being too runny, add additional 30g butter to the frosting. Additional fat helps it to solidify, works everytime for me! Just ensure it is at room temperature to avoid lumps 🙂
Thank you for a great recipe, for anyone wanting to pipe frosting not achievable it’s more of a Mr Whippy ice cream frosting . Best carrot cake recipe IMHO.
I am actually looking for a carrot cake recipe with zucchini. You mentioned that shredded coconut could be added – could I do shredded zucchini instead?
Also – I prefer the taste of walnuts in my carrot cake than pecans, would that work?
I’m wondering if I slightly toast them, would that enhance their flavor, or take away from the flavor of the rest of the spices in the cake?
P.S. THANK YOU for breaking down the options at the end of all your recipes.. this is SO helpful!
Hi CJ! We haven’t tried adding zucchini to our carrot cake recipes. Because zucchini has so much added moisture (to an already very moist cake), it would take a bit of recipe testing to ensure results. If you’re interested, here are all of our recipes using zucchini. You can certainly swap the walnuts for pecans and toast them as well. Let us know if you give this cake a try!
Hi! Would it be possible to make it in only one 9-inch baking pan and then slice the cake afterwards?
Hi Amanda, there is too much batter here for one 9-inch cake. Filling the pan that much can cause overflowing and uneven baking. For only one layer, you could try halving the recipe, filling your one pan half way, and then using the little bit of leftover batter for a few cupcakes. Hope this helps!
I made this cake last year for my husband’s birthday and it was wonderful! I made it again this year but as cupcakes and the taste was amazing as well. Where I struggled both times was the icing… Both times it was super runny. Last year I thought I just didn’t give it enough time to set up in the refrigerator before icing. This year I added extra powdered sugar and it stayed in the refrigerator overnight. When I put it in the piping bag to ice the cup cakes the next morning it was already running out. It tastes amazing, but any suggestions on how to get it to a consistency where it won’t run down the sides of the cake or off the top of cupcakes??
Hi Karen, I’m happy to help troubleshoot. It’s possible that your cream cheese and / or butter were a bit too soft starting out, causing the frosting to become runny. Also, be sure that you’re using full-fat cream cheese blocks for the thickest frosting. Adding more powdered sugar, as you mention, will help thicken the frosting, while reducing the heavy cream / milk will do the same. When making frosting ahead of time, feel free to give it a quick mix to help reincorporate the ingredients before piping or spreading. Hope this is helpful!
It’s the best! Everyone wants this as their birthday cake.
My husband had been dropping major hints that he wanted carrot cake for his birthday so I made your recipe based on the wonderful reviews. As it’s just the 2 of us, I took a gamble and made a 1/4 batch of this cake…it turned out GREAT!! Definitely our go to carrot cake recipe from now on and I appreciated the options for substitutions eg yoghurt instead of apple sauce. Thank you!
1st time baker. My cake turned out beautiful.
It took around 1+hour to bake.
I halved the recipe.
I did not divide my batter. I sliced it after I baked it.
I only used cinnamon spice.
My frosting turned out smooth & delicious. I used Philadelphia cream cheese.
I added pecans and some raisins. YUMMM!!!
My husband and I truly relished it. The additional tips really helped. This recipe is just AMAZING!!!
It boosted my self confidence in baking.
Thank you
P.S. How can I substitute the eggs?
Is there a healthier option for the flour?
Hi Richa, we’re so glad you enjoyed this cake! We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you give any a try. There isn’t really a good substitute for flour here — best to stick with the recipe as written!
Love this cake!! I actually hated carrot cake before I found this recipe and any carrot cake I’ve tried since just doesn’t compare. My mum wanted carrot cake for her birthday so made one up as a practice run and fell in love! This is a go to cake for anyone and for any occasion.
The best decision I ever made was finding your Carrot Cake recipe online. Thats all I can say.. 🙂
I’m struggling a bit with the frosting (always runny) but I did get it once, so I am going to try the same brand of cream cheese I used..
This is the best carrot cake recipe ever!!! I did doctor it just a bit. I doubled the spices, used crushed pineapple and applesauce both and added raisins. Everybody that has ever tried this has raved about how wonderful it was. Thank you. I share this recipe with everyone I know.
It’s absolutely delish!
I just made it and it’s the best cake I have ever had. So yummy and moist. I followed the recipe to a T.
This recipe did not disappoint! My first attempt at carrot cake for my husband’s birthday, so I followed the recipe exactly and poured the batter into three 9” round pans. I made 1 1/2x the cream cheese frosting just to make sure I would have enough for three layers. Turns out that I most likely would have had enough based on single recipe, but my kids were thrilled to put the leftovers on their banana nut pancakes and grapes! The cake was delicious, moist and made the night before – which I never do, but did because of the recommendation. Thank you!
Carrot cake is my husband’s favorite cake and I wanted to make one so bad! I made this recipe and it came out AMAZING! He loves it! This was so fun and easy to make. Can’t wait to share it with my friends and family. Will definitely make again!
Made this cake as written for my husbands birthday. After the party everyone was rushing to call dibs on the leftover cake. It was delicious! Will make again and again.
This cake is fantastic! Sally’s triple chocolate cake holds the top spot for my favorite cake ever, but this one is pretty close! I live in Denver, so I added 2 tablespoons of flour, decreased the baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon, and decreased the baking powder to 1.5 teaspoons. I did two 9” pans and they baked in 30 minutes with hardly any sinking, which is a win in my book. My family said it tasted amazing! Unfortunately I haven’t recovered my taste after being sick awhile back, so I think that’s just an excuse to make it again once I’m able to taste it too. It was everything a carrot cake should be, and not a dense brick like some other recipes I’ve tried from other sources. Thanks Sally! Hope you had a nice and relaxing Mother’s Day!!
Hi! Is it possible to bake this recipe in loaf pans? Do i need to change anything in the recipe? Thank you
Hi Agnes, You can divide this batter between 2 or 3 9×5 inch loaf pans. We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
Omg, this was amazing! My mom is really picky when it comes to desserts and carrot cake is one of her absolute favorites. She said it was the best she’s had! I had fun making it and I’m so happy I’ve found your recipes, they’ve been my go to since I’ve started baking this list year.