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.
If I wanted to use all spice instead of using the spices separate how much all spice should I use.
Hi Rachel, for best taste, I recommend following the recipe. However, you can try using allspice in place of the ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I recommend about 1 – 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of allspice. Keep the cinnamon in the batter.
Made this cake twice for birthdays. Second time I made the cake 5 days in advance, cooled it completely and froze them. Took both layers out of freezer day before and defrosted in fridge. They were perfect. Iced them day I needed them. You would never have known the cakes were previously frozen.
My Dad’s favorite cake is Carrot cake so I made this cake for a family dinner; it was a hit! Dad said It was a winner and hid the remaining cake for himself. It was very moist and had the perfect amount of spice. Parchment paper is a must; the cakes came out so nicely. I will definitely make this cake again, thank you for sharing.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious!!! Just as you said, it is moist and perfect and easy to make. I used the toasted pecans, the applesauce, and grated the carrots using my food processor. I like the bundt cake presentation so I put it in a bundt pan and cooked for 55min exactly and it was done. Since my Dad does not like frosting on any cake, I gave the cake a dusting of powdered sugar for presentation and it was perfect! But…..I made the frosting and we put it in a bowl next to the cake, like it was a whipped cream! This frosting was so amazing!! Easy to make and it came out perfect! Love this recipe and will definitely make it again! Happy Thanksgiving!
I made this recipe exactly as is. Toasted the pecans, used the apple sauce, etc. Only thing I changed was I used one box of confectioners sugar in the frosting which came to a little less than the recipe called for (simply because that’s all i had on hand) and it still turned out perfect. It is hands down the best carrot cake I’ve ever had (bakery bought or homemade!!!!). I can’t wait to share it with my family tomorrow for Thanksgiving. SO excited about how wonderful it turned out. Thanks Sally!!!!!!
I made this incredible cake for my family and they loved it. Ones who love carrot cake raved and ones who didn’t like carrot cake are now converted! My Mom does not like nuts so I ground them so she wouldn’t get chopped pieces and she loved it too! Thanks!!!
This cake was moist and soooo delicious!!!! My family loved this recipe- when I asked for a rating out of 5 stars- they said 6 lol. They did not think they were going to like it much but they were surprised at how amazing it was! I was inspired by my mom’s love of the carrot cake from the Macy’s bakery which she would pick up for special occasions, now I’m going to make it for special occasions in her honor 🙂 thank you for this excellent recipe!
Sally,
I apologize if someone has already asked this question, but do you think pumpkin could be used instead of applesauce?
Hi Leah! Pumpkin should be ok instead of applesauce. Sounds delicious paired with these flavors!
Hi Sally!
This recipe looks A-MAZING!! Would this cake hold up to being stacked (2-3 tiers) and carved?
It should be ok to stack as long as it’s properly supported with cake rounds and dowels. I have never tried carving this particular cake but let me know if you try it!
Made his for my son’s 25th birthday. Carrot cake and British Sticky Toffee Pudding cake are his favorites. Aside from always making homemade, any bought cake cannot hold a candle to homemade. I did use both unsweetened applesauce and crushed pineapple for flavor. The even color is gorgeous. It is moist and the flavor bursts in your mouth. I did it in a 9×13 pan for portability and simplicity. It is YUMMY! Thank you for your recipe! How about a Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe? Also, Swiss Brunsli cookies? I always have issues translating ml to cups. Happy Holidays!
Oh my God!!! What a mind blowing fail proof recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Carrot cake is my absolute favourite whenever I go to a coffee shop. I’ve visited many different coffee shops over the years (big chains and smaller artisan ones) and I tried many different carrot cakes. So far, I found only one place that had a carrot cake ticking all the boxes. Since then, I’ve been trying to find a recipe that will give me at least a close approximation of that cake, but it was just a series of disasters.
And then I came across Sally’s website. And boy did she deliver! The recipe is easy to follow and if you stick with all the ingredients, measures, times and temperatures, you are bound to end up with a most delicious carrot cake. It is as moist as Sally promises. Not too sweet, none of the spices overpowering. Just right! Live the cheese frosting. Beautifully complementing the cake. So smooth!
The cake was a true hit in work 🙂
Thank you again!
I tried this recipe out last week and it was a huge hit!
I am not a big fan of carrot cake, but surprisingly loved it.
I will definitely be using this recipe again. 🙂
This is one of the best carrot cake recipes I have ever used. Thank you. I followed it precisely except I added 2 tablespoons of dark rum and doubled the vanilla in the cake batter. I also used 133g of crushed unsweetened canned pineapple in juice instead of applesauce because I like encountering the bits of pineapple in the cake. I appreciate your providing grams because I find that weighing my ingredients is subtly different and more precise, and baking is so very much about precision. I also appreciate the fact that your frosting recipe provides enough frosting for three layers. I often have to double frosting recipes or else I run out of frosting. I read from quite a few sources that the cake was safe to stay out, covered, at room temperature (under 70F) for up to three days and I did just that because I don’t like what happens to frosting in the refrigerator. Was a moot point, however, since the cake was gone by the 3rd night.
OMG! This carrot cake was the absolute best carrot cake i have ever tasted! i just had to write and tell you! your recipes are always great! it turned out perfect. Thank you for all your efforts in perfecting your recipes.
This was the best carrot cake I’ve ever had it was Devoured by everyone who ate itand I used the applesauce in mine it was moist not to sweet actually the perfect cake I’m making this cake again loved it !
This was an easy and absolutely scrumptious carrot cake. My husband and I put all the ingredients together and it was a hit at church and office. Very nice!! Thanks for the recipe it is a keeper
Hi Sally!
Hope you’re well!
I’m planning on making this for a birthday party (yay!). I had some friends bring me this incredible Apple Butter from Ohio, and thought it might be a neat idea to sub the applesauce for apple butter. Would you happen to know if this would work? I was even considering swapping out 1/4 cup of the apple sauce for just 1/4 cup of apple butter. Let me know your thoughts, please! Thanks a million.
Hi Julian, This recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce and apple butter is usually made with a lot of sugar (which is why it’s so yummy!). I would be afraid it would make the cake too sweet without altering any other ingredients. I do LOVE apple butter so enjoy it as a topping where you can really let it shine 🙂
Great great! But I felt that the batter was a little dry
Cake was incredible – moist, soft, flavorful, everything you want it to be.
I did the frosting with only one package of cream cheese (because that’s all I had) and another half a stick of butter. It actually came out great, perhaps just a little too wet. If I were to do it again I would use the 8oz of cream cheese and not add as much extra butter. Maybe a couple of tablespoons. I was happy with that amount of cream cheese flavor – definitely noticeable but not overpowering.
This cake is awesome! I made it with the applesauce, as suggested, and it was beautifully moist without being oily. I have also made sally’s strawberry cake. Both got rave reviews. This gal really knows her cakes 🙂
What a grand recipe! The cake was delicious!!! I used less sugar (quite a bit less) and it was still out of this world!
Sally, This recipe is out of this world.. So simple and yet so scrumptious !!!
Carrot cake is my favorite but the ones sold in store are too sweet. OR they have walnuts /pecans/ Cheese frosting which my allergic boy can not eat. I used pineapple instead of applesauce. And this cake was liked by every one ! Even without frosting ! I can’t thank you enough for bringing back the Carrot cake in my (our) life ..
Hi Sally! Love your recipes because they WORK and I enjoy the personal notes and the baking science accompanying each recipe 🙂 I am getting ready to buy some ingredients to make this (My Favorite Carrot Cake) and was wondering about the icing. I will probably just make it a 9” x 13” cake and my boyfriend specifically requested “not too much icing like those store bought cakes. They have way too much icing” and I noticed this cake’s icing recipe called for double the cream cheese of the icing accompanying your “Super-Moist Carrot Cake” recipe. SO on to my question — do you recommend I halve the amounts of each ingredient in this icing recipe (aka 8 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup of butter, 1/2 T heavy cream, etc.) OR just use the icing recipe from the Super Moist Carrot Cake (calls for 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup of butter, 2 T heavy cream, etc.)? The amount of butter and heavy cream in particular are my concern; the confectioners’ sugar would be 2 1/4 c regardless and the vanilla I can adjust to my liking. Thanks in advance!!!
Hi Louise! Great question and I’m happy to help. I use more cream cheese in this frosting so it’s a creamier, tangier frosting. For a 9×13 inch sheet cake with little frosting, I recommend halving this frosting recipe. 🙂
What’s the difference in taste between this recipe and the “super moist carrot cake” recipe? The only difference between this one and the super moist recipe besides the amount of layers is the swap of applesauce for Greek yogurt, right?
Hi Ana! In terms of flavor and texture, there isn’t much of a different between this cake and the Super Moist Carrot Cake. There are a few more spices in this cake, so I find it a little more flavorful.
Best carrot cake ever! I followed the recipe exactly and baked it in a 9″ x 13″ pan. So delicious – everyone raved about it. The cream cheese frosting was exquisite.
I am concerned about making a 3 layer cake again. I tried with your triple chocolate cake and it was disaster . First and second attempt the batter (cake layers) sunk. What did I do wrong so if I try this carrot cake with three layers they will come out flat or rounded and not sunk.
Hi Charlie! If you find your cakes are sinking, they could be under-baked. Also, make sure you are not assembling the cake when the layers are still warm. Let the cake layers cool completely. You can even refrigerate them, too.
This recipe was amazing! (Like all of your recipes I’ve tried so far) I made these as cupcakes and included coconut and crushed pineapple. I love all of the flavors 🙂
Sally I love your blog and recipes so much. My family and friends often hear, after trying a new recipe, “That Sally, she never steers wrong”. I made this carrot cake for my husbands birthday this weekend. He is so picky about both cream cheese frosting and carrot cake. So moist and flavorful. I toasted walnuts instead of pecans. He and everyone else just adored it. A new favorite for us. Thank you!
Great recipe! My dad wanted carrot cake for his birthday last year and requested it again this year. I’m personally not a huge fan of carrot cake, but I make an exception for this one because it’s THAT good. Grating fresh carrots is absolutely worth the time, as is toasting the pecans.
Forgot to add— thank you so much explaining why certain ingredients/steps are necessary in your recipes. I love learning the science behind baking! It makes your blog really stand out. Please keep it up! 🙂
Thanks for a great recipe! This was the most popular dessert at our Easter celebration! I’ve never even had carrot cake before, let alone make it, but this recipe sounded so good I decided to give it a shot! I made it in a 9×13 and should have cut the frosting recipe in half, there was SO much! I’m sure I’ll use it on something else! Yummy!