The BEST Carrot Cake Recipe
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 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 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 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.
- Additional frosting options: if you want to try another frosting, my vanilla buttercream frosting or the whipped honey mascarpone frosting I used on my Pistachio Cake recipe would be delicious too.
More Carrot Cake Desserts You’ll Love!
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.
I made 2 of these cakes to serve to 24 people after teaching a painting lesson. The raves about it were over the top. I didn’t taste it myself because I’m gluten intolerant but may make a half recipe with gluten free flour.
It was such a hit that I am serving it at my next class…ty for the recipe.
I make this cake gluten free substituting gf flour 1:1 and it’s perfection!!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I omitted the granulated sugar and when frosting the cake, I left the sides bare, which meant only half of the frosting was used. I also slice thinner to get 16 slices. Hopefully this reduces the sugar/calories because I can’t get enough. The flavor and consistency is perfection. It is absolutely delicious and my family has really enjoyed it for Easter. I will make this often for the spring.
This really is the best carrot cake. I just made this for Easter and wow!
I have been making this carrot cake for years. Mostly around Easter. It’s everyone’s favorite. So moist and delicious. I do cut the spices in half
I made this for our Easter dinner. The recipe didn’t make enough frosting in my opinion so I whipped some real cream and folded it in. Absolutely fantastic! My family thought it was store-bought.
This is the exact SAME carrot cake recipe I use and man o man is it delicious. I also add chopped walnuts.. The best ever!
Absolutely delicious but instead of flour, I put in a box of carrot cake mix
This is the best carrot cake hands down of any I have ever eaten.
I’ve made this 4x and each time I make it, it gets rave reviews…my neighbor travels the world and said this carrot cake rivals any that he’s had anywhere! So easy to make too!! Look no more if you want a great carrot cake recipe; this is a keeper!
OMG so very good!! I did make some changes😬 I didn’t have enough carrots and no applesauce. So I added a cup of shredded apples with two cups of carrots. Then add fresh ginger to carrots and apples and fresh squeezed lemon. Added a 1/2 cup of sour cream. And I doubled the cream cheese icing
Unbleached or Bleached All Purpose ?! Do think baking in a Bundt Pan would b a good idea ?! TYSM ☺️
Either one is fine, but I used bleached all-purpose flour. You can bake this in a bundt pan too, you will just need to increase the baking time.
This was a great carrot cake. Everyone loved it. Will definitely make it again
This has been my family’s favorite carrot cake. I made it for the first time about 5 years ago and keep making it. Absolutely delicious! It is very moist, smooth and sweet.
I loved this recipe. It gave me a good base carrot cake recipe to feel safe enough to spark my creativeness.
I shredded the carrots and chopped them so the grated shreds were not too long.
To Step 4
I added 1/2 C flour dusted chopped pecans (dusted so they don’t sink)
1/2 C spiced rum soaked raisins (soaked for at least 1 hr)
1/2 C coconut
1/2 C fresh chopped pineapple
I had to bake it 12 mins longer.
To the Frosting:
I added 1/2 teaspoon salt to cut the super sweetness
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
This was a dream!!
It was incredible ! Thank you so much ❤️
The carrot cake is phenomenal, I am routinely asked to make it for birthdays. However, I do use another cream cheese frosting recipe to supplement the cake. The recipe here for the frosting I find to be very wet and has poor coverage.
Does this cake need to be refrigerated after frosting it
Yes, it does need to be refrigerated after frosting.
The best carrot cake I’ve ever had! Followed the recipe exactly.
The absolute “BEST!” Carrot Cake recipe! Always a winner wherever I take it! Thank you so much Danielle ♥️😊
Has anyone tried using the shredded carrots in a package from the grocery store? I’m trying to save some time (and disaster in my kitchen.) I feel like it might alter the moisture content, because the pre-shredded carrots are dried out more.
I do not recommend using them for this recipe.
Made this carrot cake yesterday. It was the first time I tried making one. This cake was amazing. I did substitute the applesauce with crushed pineapple and added 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. I could eat that frosting by the tub full, it’s so creamy and delicious. This will be the only carrot cake I will make.
Delicious carrot cake. World class!
Love this recipe! One thing that I disliked about carrot cake was the amount of oil. With half the usual oil, and a little applesauce, this is perfection. Flavor and texture are not sacrificed. You would never guess this was healthier!
I would like to make this recipe as a 3 layer cake in 8-inch tins. Do you recommend doubling this recipe pls or x1.5? Thanks loads !
I would use 1.5 times the recipe.
How do you keep the nuts from settling in bottom of cake
You could try tossing them in a little flour before folding them into the batter.
This recipe is the best! Makes the most delicious and moist carrot cake. I like to add pecans to mine.
I google best carrot cake and make Danielle’s every time. Always moist and delicious. I cut back on the oil by 1/4 cup and add a bit more unsweetened applesauce. I also only use 1 cup of brown sugar and no white sugar. I add extra spice too. Always a favourite. Thanks Danielle.
This carrot cake is OUTSTANDING!! My first attempt at making carrot cake from scratch – it was my daughter’s request this week for her 13th birthday. I love the precise gram measurements for the ingredients, it made putting the cake together so simple – especially when I had to measure out the carrots I shredded. I especially love that this recipe doesn’t use pineapple, coconut or nuts – it was a perfectly moist cake and the spices were spot-on PERFECTION. I will definitely be hanging on to this recipe – I would love to try cupcakes next time!
Hi
The 300g for brown sugar seems off.
It’s correct.
Absolutely fabulous cake. I followed the directions perfectly and was rewarded with a great version of my husband’s favorite cake. Very moist, excellent flavor. He loved it!
This was delicious will definitely make it again !!