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
By far the absolute best carrot cake I’ve ever made, moist, delicious, and a perfect amount of spice. Great frosting and an adequate amount of it for 9 inch rounds with some leftover. This is my new go to cake for anything non chocolate.
I am not a carrot cake lover and have never made one before, but I made this for my family and they all said it was one of the best carrot cakes they had ever had!
Very easy recipe to follow (as is everything on this blog!)
I also had extra toasted pecans so I covered the tops and sides, and it made for a very visually impressive and professional looking cake! I highly recommend buying some extra pecans for anyone looking for that “wow” factor
Made this and it came out wonderful- didn’t have applesauce so I blended a ripe peach until same consistency and omitted the walnuts! Was a hit with everyone!
This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had! My daughter said “Tell the girl who made this recipe that this is the best frosting I’ve ever tasted.” We maaay be eating it for breakfast today… lol
I made this cake for my wife about a month ago. It is the most amazing cake she (and I ) have ever had. It is so rich and moist. She has asked me to make it 3 more times already (yes, about once a week)!
If I only have regular applesauce and not unsweetened should I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe?
Hi Kristin, You can use your sweetened applesauce. It’s not much sweeter than unsweetened. (We’ve done so in this recipe with zero changes and it tastes pretty identical.)
Hi Sally!
Finally made this and used crushed pineapples and walnuts. I’ve never liked carrot cakes before but after making this, carrot cake is now my favorite! I love love love this. Made it into 3 layers with 8″ pans and I baked it for 24.5 mins in my convection oven. Served it during my sister’s birthday and everyone loved it. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you for all the amazing recipes! It is so good!
This has become my go to carrot cake. It is simply divine, I’ve made this as a cake and as muffins and in both ways it always is amazing. Am not a fan of frosting so tend to leave that out unless I’m taking it to a dinner. My friends think I’m an ace baker.
Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Sally,
I can’t wait to try your recipe. I often add raisins (pre – soaked in orange juice and lately I add a 1tbsp of rum) and pecans to my recipe. At which point could I include the raisins as well.
Thanks
Hi Anne-Marie, At the end of step three when you fold in the carrots and the toasted pecans add your raisins as well. See recipe notes for details on how much to add!
Sally – I love you so much and so does my husband and friends! I’ve been a very novice cook/baker for the better part of the first 40 years of my life. Now I’m the ‘go-to’ in my group of friends to make desserts for us all. This carrot cake didn’t disappoint.
I made it for two of my friends who are in a relationship and have back-to-back birthdays in June. They had a small gathering. EVERYONE asked who made the cake. Everyone was surprised it was me!
My best friend’s husband asked me to make the cake again for her birthday. Again, the cake did not disappoint.
I followed the recipe as stated. The only “problem” I had was not having enough batter to fill three spring forms with complete coverage. It was no problem, as I just ditched the third, and made it a two layer cake. Still absolutely delicious!
Everything about this cake is perfect. Thank you!
I made this cake exactly as written, and it was perfect. So delicious. I’m saving this one for sure.
First of all, I’d like to say thank you. I made this cake for my roommate’s birthday, and he actually cried -yes, real tears!!- because it was so good. Second, I was wondering how to scale down the recipe, to make maybe like a 4-6” double layer cake versus the behemoth that this recipe ended up as (not a bad thing). I’ve tried guesstimating down the ingredients of recipes before, and it never seems to come out like the original. Thanks.
Hi Katherine, You can use this recipe for carrot cake cupcakes (leave out the coconut if desired) and follow the directions in the post on 6 inch cakes to make a three layer 6-inch cake!
If you wish to try other sizes you can visit the post Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions.
Delicious does not do this cake justice! Thank you so much for all your recipes they are all fantastic!
This cake is amazing!! I did only use 1/2tsp ginger but followed everything else, including the toasting of the pecans. Everyone LOVED it!! This is now to be my “go to” for carrot cake….frosting and all!! Thank you!!!
Love it, my first time making carrot cake and everyone loves it
Hi Sally, I made your carrot cake and it was simply delicious! I loved all the spices mixed and the mashed bananas (I couldn’t get the applesauce) added that moist to the cake. I did reduce the sugar for the cake and the icing but it was still delicious. My friends loved it too! I’ve been trying different recipes of yours and all of them are delicious! Thank you so much!
Hello!
Can I use butter instead of oil?
Hi Vicki, I don’t recommend butter– stick with oil for this recipe. 1 cup of melted butter won’t bring the same moisture. If you prefer a butter based cake, most (not all, but most) of my cake recipes are made with butter.
I made this for my wife’s birthday. It came out amazingly moist and dense. I’m not a baker, but this recipe is easy. Frosting was decadent. Also the tip for cutting out parchment paper saved a lot of headaches when removing the cake from the pans ( I use 9” silicon pans, but they can still stick, even when greased) Also didn’t have enough pecans, so it was half pecans, half walnuts, which worked great! Also didn’t applesauce, but puréed two cored, peeled apples with a little lime juice which did the trick.
Awesome! I have made a LOT of carrot cakes and this is the best. I didn’t have applesauce or pineapple, so I used canned pureed apple pie filling.
Made according to recipe. A party hit!
Moist and yummy. Would absolute repeat this recipe.
Can I substitute equal amounts of ground allspice for the ground cloves as I can’t find any?
Definitely!
I am unable to buy the black cream cheese (Switzerland). Is it possible to substitute the spreadable one and can you recommend a recipe for?
Hi Monaco, Some readers outside of the US have reported back that the spreadable cream cheese is different and will work for this frosting – I don’t have any first hand experience with it though!
I made the carrot cake but since I’m allergic to pecans I did it for my family and they loved it. The carrot cake was a success I will be making it again. is their something else that I can add instead of pecans since I am allergic.
I just want to thank you for posting this carrot cake recipe. The cake was absolutely DELICIOUS as written!! I have eaten many carrot cakes before but this is the best of them all!
Substituted crushed pineapple (slightly drained) for the applesauce as I didnt have any on hand. This recipe turned out moist and very good!! Will just lessen the sugar next time as my family found both the icing and the cake a tad too sweet. But overall a keeper 🙂
Can I use 8-inch pans for this recipe? How many should I use? Thanks!
Hi Chloe, you can divide this batter between three 8 inch pans. Your layers will be a bit thicker than mine so might take an extra minute or two in the oven.
The best carrot cake thank you!!
I made this cake today, as per my kids request, they helped and we all had a much needed fun time. It was Delish!!! My kids approved it, I didn’t add nuts because one of my kids have a nut allergy and I didn’t have ginger, but other than that I had everything in hand, it is so most and flavorful I can’t wait to make it again. Thank for such a great recipe.
Okay, I’m a fan of a lot of recipes on this site…but I tried this one and I was a bit disappointed. I followed the recipe exactly as written, and the cake was moist but to me it was just band. It didn’t have much flavor. I felt like the spices needed to be upped a lot, maybe even doubled. Wondering if anyone else has found this to be true?
Wow!! What a perfect and fabulously moist carrot cake recipe. I used whole carrots as recommended (since they are full of that moisture) and I simmered some fresh apples that I had on hand for the unsweetened applesauce (yes that applesauce as recommended adds great moisture too) followed the recipe directions got that bad boy in the oven and just bam!! when it came out that rich beautiful brown color, cooled and was covered with cream cheese frosting made from scratch (I did a 2 layer cake version) just man oh man such amazing flavor and moistness – this is just a perfect recipe for a carrot cake- the only one you will ever need or desire after making it for the first time. I love to cook but I have never been a big baker but recipes like these make me look like I know my way around baking a cake lol! Thanks so much for this recipe!