This is my favorite recipe for homemade carrot cake! This cake is so easy to make, perfectly moist, and topped with an easy homemade cream cheese frosting.
I feel like carrot cake is a dessert most people tend to only make around Easter. But honestly, carrot cake is such an incredible dessert and I think it should be enjoyed all year long. Especially when it comes to this carrot cake recipe.
I know it can be a bold statement to call a recipe the best, but I truly mean it with this one. Not only is this carrot cake easy to make, but it’s so incredibly moist and full of flavor that it’s almost impossible to stop at one piece.
Once you realize how easy it is to make a carrot cake from scratch, you’ll want to make it over and over again.
To make this carrot cake, you’ll start by mixing up your dry ingredients. One important thing when measuring out your dry ingredients is to make sure to spoon and level your flour.
You want to avoid packing the flour into the measuring cup, otherwise, you’ll end up with too much in your recipe. Or if you have a food scale, you can also weigh your ingredients to get an accurate measurement.
I also really love some spice in my carrot cake so I use some ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. All three spices add such a wonderful flavor to this cake, but aren’t too overpowering. They really take this cake from good to absolutely amazing, trust me.
For the wet ingredients, you’ll be using some oil, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and applesauce. The amount of oil and applesauce in this recipe adds the perfect amount of moisture, so you end up with a moist cake that isn’t oily.
As always, I use a bit more brown sugar than granulated sugar because it adds more moisture and flavor to this carrot cake. And of course, you’ll also be mixing in some grated carrots. I don’t like to skimp on the carrots when it comes to this recipe, so I use 3 cups of grated carrots.
I know some carrot cake recipes call for raisins or nuts, but I prefer to leave them out because I know that not everyone is a fan of them. However, if you love either one (or both!) feel free to mix some into the batter.
Then it’s all topped off with my favorite cream cheese frosting. Have you tried it yet?! It’s so good and a few of you have already made it and loved it. The store-bought frosting doesn’t even compare to this homemade frosting recipe.
And speaking of the frosting, it makes enough to frost the carrot cake like you see in the pictures. If you really love frosting, then I suggest making a bit more. Enjoy!
Baking Tips for Carrot Cake
- When measuring your flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Feel free to use chopped walnuts or pecans in this carrot cake, I suggest using about 3/4-1 cup. If you love raisins in your carrot cake, you may also use 1/2 cup.
The BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the carrot cake:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (300 grams) grated carrots, lightly packed
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 1 (8-ounce) package brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the carrot cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray two 9-inch round cake pans well with non stick cooking spray (you can also line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper for easier removal) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the grated carrots into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or rubber spatula until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Pour the cake batter evenly between both prepared cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of each one comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool in the pans for about 20-25 minutes. Once the cakes have cooled, remove from the pans and return the cakes to the wire rack to finish cooling.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix for about 30 seconds-1 minute until well combined and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
To assemble the cake:
- Level the tops of each cake with a knife or cake leveler. Place one of the cakes on a cake stand, top with a little over 1/2 cup of the frosting, and smooth it out into one even layer. Place the other cake on top and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Top with pecans or other toppings of choice if desired.
Notes
Adapted from Better Homes & Garden
To make cupcakes instead of a cake:
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. The full recipe will make 24 cupcakes or you can cut the recipe in half to make 12 cupcakes.
If you love pineapple, here’s my favorite recipe for Pineapple Carrot Cake!
Amazing! I have made this twice now and it was the first cake I had ever made. The recipe is so easy to follow. I added 3/4 cup both raisins and chopped walnuts. Tip for grating carrots is to use the shredding attachment on your food processor.
I’ve made this cake twice and it is simple, amazingly delicious and moist. Even my non carrot cake eating son liked it. Added this to my list of favorites!
Great!
This looks amazing and simple enough for an amateur like to me bake at home 😀
Just a question: could I substitute the applesauce with something else? Unfortunately where I live, applesauce is not something that is easily available. Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
Hi, Shreya! Yes, you can use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. I have notes in the recipe for substituing the applesauce 🙂
Hi Danielle,
I have not yet baked the cake, but want to find out if it will still be moist if I use sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of the applesauce.
Yes, it will still be moist!
I baked whole apples till they are soft all the way through, then peal the skin and remove seeds box , then mashed apples til smooth. Worked well for me ☺️
Question – can I use Sour Cream vs applesauce?
Yes, you can substitute the applesauce for sour cream. I have notes in the recipe card for this as well.
Would flour need to be sieved?
No, it’s not necessary.
I made this today for my husband’s birthday, as carrot cake is his favorite. I only have one 9” cake pan, so I opted to use a 9×13 pan and cut it in half to layer it. It worked beautifully, cooking it at 350 for 35 mins. It was moist and flavorful. The cream cheese frosting was perfect with some toasted pecans on top. I live in Texas where it is already nearly 100 degrees this spring, so I had to add a hair more powdered sugar and stick it in the fridge to help it hold up to the heat. This recipe is going into my permanent collection, for sure. Thank you!
I’ve made this cake many many times and it always comes out perfect! Except I always replace the applesauce with high fat sour cream. I only have one springform though so I have to bake it for a while longer, and then I let it cool completely and cut it in half. It’s seriously the best cake ever, thanks so much for this recipe!
What can I use instead of eggs?
I haven’t tested this cake with an egg substitute, but you may be able to use flax eggs.
This is the BEST carrot cake I’ve ever had or made!!! We’ve made it twice in the last month, it was that good… Refrigerate and eat it with coffee in the morning, too die for My only critique is the frosting was too thin and became sheer when applied to the cake (cake was fully cooled over night, so it wasn’t from the heat although that’s what it looked like after frosting it… ).. So i doubled the frosting recipe and added an extra cup of powder sugar (3 cups per recipe/6 cups total) and that made it a thicker consistency. I also added chopped walnuts and pecans to the cake batter which gave a nice extra texture.
Hi Danielle,
Your carrot cake recipe looks amazing and can’t wait to try. When making the recipe into cupcakes, how far would you fill the cases so they come out even and not overflowing?
Thanks in advance 🙂
I would only fill them about 2/3 of the way full so they don’t overflow. I have a carrot cake recipe here too if that helps.
I was delighted with the whole cake, frosting was perfect, I followed all the steps, never deviating from the ingredient .
Added walnuts to the top and inbetween the cake layers.
Thank you!
I only have 8” pans, should I do 2 layers using those or 3? and how long do I bake for if I use those?
I would probably just do 2 layers with the 8-inch pans. I’m not sure on baking time, but you may need to increase it 5-10 minutes.
Indeed the BEST carrot cake Ever!
Super duper sumptuous…. So darn delicious!
Love love love the recipe!
Is the brown sugar packed?
Yes, I pack it.
I loved this recipe! I’m glad you supplied weights for the dry indredients. I recently started using a food scale for baking as my results I find are much more consistent than measuring by volume. I used a convection oven at 325 for 45 minutes. Lastly, I was afraid the frosting would be a little scant, but it actually ended up being just right. My common complaint with many carrot cakes is that they are over frosted – way too sweet. This cake came out perfectly.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Delicious! I made this today for my daughter’s birthday. I did make 3 layers and doubled the frosting. Better than any store bought carrot cake ever!
DELICIOUS!! My friend and I made this and it turned out great! Thanks so much, will be making again;)!
AMAZING recipe!! This was my first homemade cake EVER. The instructions were super easy to follow and everything came out delicious. I love carrot cake and this did not disappoint. Thank you!!
I have made this recipe at least 5 or 6 times now, today is my first time doing it as cupcakes instead of one large Bundt tin cake and as always this recipe comes out perfection every time! this recipe is truly golden! It never fails me and EVERYBODY who has tried it says how amazing it tastes! Thank you for creating the best carrot cake recipe!
Going to make this for Father’s Day as my dad and my husband both love carrot cake!! If I use a bundt pan, how long would I bake?
I would guess 45-60 minutes.
I’ve baked it as a cake and it’s absolutely stunning! But at home we’re very into loaf-type breads… do you thing this could be turned into a loaf? And if so, how much time and temperature would be needed?
Yes, absolutely! I would probably bake it in two loaf pans. I’m not sure on baking time but I would guess 40-60 minutes at 350°F.
I just made this today for Father’s Day weekend and my husband LOVED it! It is his favorite so I thought I would take a stab at it. It was flavorful, moist, and just the right balance is sweetness.! What a beautiful recipe!! Thank you so much. My husband thanks you 😊
Hello, what can I replace nutmeg with? I live in Scotland so it’s not that popular here. Also can’t wait to make this cake for my boyfriend since it’s his favourite.
Hi! You could replace it with ground cinnamon or ground cloves.
I think this recipe looks good but I wondered if I could make it with less sugar so not so sweet? Also could I make the cake a day ahead and the next day make icing ?
You can reduce the sugar by 1/4-1/2 cup, but I wouldn’t recommend reducing it by more than that otherwise it will affect the texture of the cake. You can also make the cake layers a day ahead of time, wrap them tightly, and store them in the refrigerator.
Hi, I was wondering if I would have to store this in the fridge if I made it the day before?
If you frost the cake, you’ll want to store it in the refrigerator.
Could I use duck eggs for this recipe?
You may be able to, but it really depends on the size of your eggs. One large egg is equal to 50 grams without the shell.
Can I replace oil with butter?
You probably can, but it will change the taste and texture of the cake and it won’t stay quite as moist.
OMG! What an amazing recipe. The cake is the most delicious carrot cake I have ever made. It is super moist and not overly sweet. I was hesitant about using the applesauce, but wow! Thanks so much for sharing, This is my new and only carrot cake recipe now!
Can I use fresh grated ginger instead of powder? Does it make a big difference not to use nutmeg and ginger ?
Freshly grated ginger would be fine. The cake won’t be quite as spiced if you omit them, but it will still taste fine.