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
Best carrot cake and frosting I’ve ever made. I made 2 9” layers and there was frosting to spare. I’m not usually a fan of cream cheese frostings but this one is excellent. Only substitution I made was almond milk for regular milk. Birthday girl was thrilled!
Looking for recipes for my daughter’s 1st birthday in a bit and carrot cake sounds pretty good! I’m looking forward to making this recipe but have a question: can I omit sugar entirely and replace with another sweetener like more apple sauce/bananas? And, is it even possible to make banana cream cheese frosting? If not for either, do you have any suggestions of other recipes to look at? Thanks!
Hi Kelsey! You can certainly try omitting the sugar here or replacing with some mashed banana, but the cake may taste a little bland. I don’t have any cake recipes on my website that are made without refined sugar, but take a look at my healthier recipes if you want to find other inspiration. I’ve never tried banana cream cheese frosting before, but I assume adding some mashed banana to the frosting wouldn’t be a big deal.
It usually takes a lot for me to leave a review online, which should tell you something about this recipe. I recently made this for my grandparents’ anniversary dinner (carrot cake is their favorite), and they LOVED it! My grandma, who is a great baker herself, said this is one of the best that she’s ever had. I have a feeling this is going to be a family favorite!
This is the best cake I have ever eaten! It was incredibly moist and the pecans gave it a beautiful crunch. They were my favorite part. Thank you Sally!
Amazing recipe! Opted for no nuts, kept all but eggs at room temperature, needed to bake for about 36 minutes! Did not have cream cheese on hand, but subbed for pillsbury cream cheese frosting that I had in the pantry. Will for sure make this again, but will try the frosting!
SUCCCEEEESSSSSS! Thanks for the recipe
This would no way make 3 cakes. It made 2 tiny cakes. It was for my mother’s birthday. Very disappointed. A waste of time. And yes, I know how to bake.
Thank you!! could I use buttercream with this recipe and have a good result or would you suggest covering the cake in a base coat of cream cheese and piping with butter cream to add some decoration?
If you are making pretty simple designs, using cream cheese frosting for everything (coating and decorating) should be okay. You’ll find photos and some more tips in our cream cheese frosting post. If you want more intricate designs, definitely use buttercream. If you want that cream cheese flavor though, coat with cream cheese and decorate with buttercream!
Is the cream cheese frosting firm enough to make rose swirls or other piping work? Thank you!
Hi Todi, cream cheese frosting is difficult to pipe because it’s so creamy. However, it will hold its decorative piped shape if you refrigerate it prior to piping. Fit your piping bag with a piping tip, fill your bag with the frosting, then refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes before piping. Don’t expect it to be as sturdy as buttercream. Cream cheese isn’t super stable, so save intricate piped designs for vanilla buttercream. Instead, stick with a basic round tip. Hope this helps!
None better. I’ve been making carrot cake for decades and THIS is THE best recipe I’ve ever used. Better than my own!!
Amazing! This was the first cake that I’ve made from scratch. I followed the instructions exactly but added some DIY cake strips to my two pans. Due to either my oven’s calibration or the strips, I did have to add a few minutes to the baking time. I served this cake to my friends the day after I made it. Everyone was impressed! The cake and icing were a huge hit. Absolutely delicious! Full of flavor and very moist but not oily.
I made this today and everyone loved it. It was very moist and yummy. I substituted the apple sauce with crushed pineapple and I put 1 cup of brown sugar instead of 1 1/2 . I will definitely make this again.
Made for a birthday cake, was excellent. Subbed in apple sauce for equal weight, half banana/ pineapple blitzed (made first ‘wet’ part in blender). Everybody raved about it, there wasn’t a single crumb left 🙂
Great recipe. Cake is very moist. Liked the parchment paper tip also! Next time I’m going to try the pineapple version!
This has become my “goto” recipe for special occasions! Very flavorful and moist!
I’m allergic to tree nuts. Is it still worth making?
Hi Cathie, Feel free to skip the nuts if you want a nut-free carrot cake. No other changes to the recipe required. It’s still incredibly delicious without nuts!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I’ve made it several times and it’s always good! I do have one question though, how do I halve the recipe? And if I were to halve the recipe, would anything change?
Hi Hannah, You can cut this recipe in half and bake in a 9-inch square baking pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time. Same oven temperature.
Amazing. Best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. This recipe is a must try.
I made this cake for my mom’s 85th birthday because she requested carrot cake. Everyone loved it. It was very moist and very flavorful. I used walnuts instead of the pecans as I felt that was more traditional in a carrot cake. I followed the recipe exactly otherwise. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
My first carrot cake and it was delicious and simple. I’ll be making this again.
This came out fabulous. We didn’t use the full cup of oil (Started with 3/4 then added a smidge more until texture was a tad more liquidy) and the texture was great. Our baking time (two layers, round pans) was pretty long, maybe 45 minutes even, but that’s probably an oven-to-oven thing. Really thrilled with taste and texture!!!
I’m aiming to make 4 OR 5 dozen carrot cupcakes with just a simple one layer swirl of frosting. Can you tell me what amounts I should use for the cupcake and frosting, please?
Hi Tori, This recipe yields about 3 dozen cupcakes (see recipe notes). You can make 1.5 times the recipe.
I can’t wait to try this carrot cake for an upcoming birthday. It’s a favorite, but there’s always a request for raisins and crushed pineapple. Can you give me any advice about ingredient measurement alterations to add a handful of raisins and crushed pineapple? You mention adding apple sauce or crushed pineapple – how much? Thanks. Your Lemon Blueberry Layer cake was my first SBA cake several years ago and I’m hooked on your recipes. Making Salted Caramel today!
Hi Joe, 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. Instead of applesauce, you can use 3/4 cup crushed pineapple See recipe notes for details.
Results are in….. 5+ STARS!!! Thank you for another deliciously wonderful cake recipe. Best carrot cake, EVER! Moist, flavorful, and absolutely amazing. The ginger, nutmeg, and cloves really add an extra layer of (just the right amount of) tasty. I kept to 1.5 cups of add-ins, including toasted pecans, raisins, and shredded coconut. I swapped the apple sauce for drained crushed pineapple. I use vanilla bean paste, or should I say over use, and I love the vanilla bean specks in the frosting! That simple – my new go-to carrot cake recipe. Thank you, again.
I made this cake for my teenage son’s birthday 3 years ago. And 2 years ago. And last year.
Guess what I’m doing today? LOL ;p
Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe!
(And btw you also have the patience of a saint :D)
I loved this recipe. FOR REAL. And everyone in my house. My brother asked me for another one for his birthday. I would like to know if I made half of the recipe, which cake pan should I use? Thank you!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and it was absolutely perfect!! I do have a question, though. With all the distraction, the cake was left out on the counter overnight. I have read that some recipes contain enough sugar to prevent bacteria growth that can be concerning with cream cheese. Thoughts on if this will be safe to consume today?
I am so surprised this cake has so many good reviews….
This is definitely not the most moist carrot cake recipe I’ve ever used. It tastes pretty bland, I even used a little extra of the spices.
I thought the cream cheese frosting would be a savior but even the frosting misses the mark – I cant decide if it’s the milk or salt.
I followed all these so called “tips”
Unfortunately this is going to go in the trash, I can’t serve this to people.
I do not recommended this recipe if you are an advanced baker. Reviews must be from people are not carrot cake connoisseurs.
TEN STARS!!! It is AMAZING!!!
Made this for my Mom’s 96th birthday and it is the best cake I’ve ever made! I ended up using sour cream b/c I wasn’t sure if cinnamon applesauce would have worked and I definitely didn’t want to screw it up. Next time I’ll try the applesauce. I used 2 9″ round pans and had about half the frosting leftover even after a very generous usage on the cake.
Hi Sally! I’m making this as a birthday cake for someone who can’t have the cream cheese. Do you have a butter cream icing to suggest or another alternative? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, try our vanilla buttercream recipe!