Carrot Cake has a super moist crumb and loads of warm spices. This is truly the best carrot cake you’ll ever make. Roasted pecans and a homemade cream cheese frosting make it extra special.
Who doesn’t like a good old fashioned, southern style carrot cake? It's such a wonderful dessert that is perfect to serve during the holidays, or any special occasion.
It’s a dessert that’s made from the heart!
Carrot cake is a favorite dessert for many because it contains a variety of delicious warm spices like ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg paired with, toasted pecans and raisins.
Put all of those flavors together with a fluffy cream cheese frosting and you've got a little slice of heaven on a plate!
You can make this cake a day ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Not only is this recipe is easy to make, you'll be proud to serve it with these simple little carrot decorations on top!
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Step by step instructions
This is an easy carrot cake to put together but it does require a few steps to prepare the ingredients.
Prepare cake batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cake pans with oil and coat inside with flour.
- Grate carrots, chop 1 cup of pecans, and toss raisins in flour to coat them evenly. Set aside.
- Dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together with a whisk.
- Wet ingredients. In a separate batter bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the oil, eggs, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla for 2 minutes on high speed.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Add the carrots, raisins and pecans and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 minutes and then place onto a cooling rack to let cool completely.
How do I know the cake is done?
There are a few ways to tell if the cake is done. A toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, the sides are pulling away from the cake pan or the cake springs back when pushed down in the middle.
Prepare cream cheese frosting
You can use store-bought cream cheese icing if you don't feel like making your own, but I highly suggest making homemade cream cheese frosting. It makes a huge difference!
- Place the room temperature butter, cream cheese and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar ⅓ third at a time, mixing with the electric mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
How to decorate carrot cake
This cake can be decorated in so many ways, but this is my favorite. It's simple and makes a stunning presentation!
- Stack the layers onto a cake stand and use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese frosting in between the layers, the top and the outside of the carrot cake.
- Use your hands to press the extra pecans onto the outside of the cake. Place a baking sheet under the cake stand to help catch any nuts that fall off during the process.
If you are using the raw carrots to decorate the cake, place them on the cake right before you are ready to serve. If they are left on too long, the moisture from the carrots will seep out and cause the frosting to become "wet" around the edges of the carrots.
- Peel 4 large carrots and cut the end off. (They should be at least 2.5 inches long.)
- Cut the pieces in half lengthwise to get 8 little carrots. (One side will be rounded and the other side will be flat.)
- Place them on top of the cake with the pointed ends towards the center as you see in the picture below. Use parsley leaves or any kind of herb you have, to create the "carrot leaves".
Tips for success
- 3-Layer Cake: If you'd like to make a 3-layer cake use three 8" cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Cupcakes: This recipe makes 18-24 cupcakes. Use cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes.
- Pre-grated Carrots: A 10 ounce bag of pre-shredded carrots and be used instead of grating the carrots. I recommend cutting them into smaller pieces before adding them to the batter.
- Substitute Oil: Vegetable oil can be substituted with 1 cup melted coconut oil or 2 sticks melted unsalted butter.
- Nut options: The pecans can be substituted with walnuts. For even more nutty flavor, toast the pecans in the oven at 350°F on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Use a good quality cinnamon for the best taste.
- Parchment paper is not necessary but helpful in ensuring the cake does not stick to the pans when removing. Run a knife around the cake to help release the sides before trying to remove it.
How to store leftovers and freeze
- Fridge - The cake can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - Wrap the carrot cake layers, unfrosted, individually in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.
4 easy holiday dessert recipes
Your friends and family will enjoy every single bite of this carrot cake!
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
Dry ingredients:
- 2.5 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour (plus extra for flouring the cake pans and tossing the raisins)
- 4 teaspoons (4 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground ginger (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup (220 g) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cups (100 g) granulated sugar
- 4 (4 ) eggs
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Other ingredients:
- 3 cups (380 g) grated carrots
- ½ cup (725 g) raisins (toss with flour to prevent them from sinking in batter)
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 (226 g) sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 16 oz. (454 g) cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
Garnish
- 1-2 cups (1-2 ) chopped pecans to press on the side of the cake
- 4 (4 ) whole carrots
- cilantro leaves or any other herb to use as carrot leaves
Instructions
Carrot Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9" cake pans with oil and cover the bottom of the pans with parchment paper (optional). Add a handful of flour to the pans and rotate the pans to coat with flour to prevent sticking. Shake out excess flour.
- Dry Ingredients: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 2.5 cups flour, 4 teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder and set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: In a medium sized batter bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup vegetable oil on high speed for 2 minutes.
- Combine: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir them together using a spatula until combined. Stir in the 3 cups of carrots, ½ cup of raisins and ½ cup of chopped pecans.
- Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove from oven, let cool for 20 minutes before transferring the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar ⅓ at a time and beat until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Assembly
- Place the first layer on a cake stand and cover with cream cheese frosting. Stack the second layer on top and spread the top and outsides of the cake with frosting. Use your hand to press the additional 2 cups of toasted pecan pieces to the outside of the cake.
- Right before you are ready to serve, cut the ends off the whole carrots and then cut the carrot in half lengthwise. Place them on top of the cake with the pointed ends facing the center. Use a the cilantro leave as the carrot tops. (See notes.)
Notes
- Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- If you are using the fresh carrots to decorate the cake, place them on the cake right before you are ready to serve. If they are left on overnight, the moisture from the carrots will seep out and cause the frosting to become "wet" around the edges of the carrots.
- For a 3 layer cake use three 8 inch cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- This recipe makes 18-24 cupcakes. Use cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes.
- Vegetable oil can be substituted with 1 cup melted coconut oil or 2 sticks melted unsalted butter.
- A toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, the sides are pulling away from the cake pan or the cake springs back when pushed down in the middle.
- Parchment paper is not necessary but helpful in ensuring the cake does not stick to the pans when removing. Run a knife around the cake to help release the sides before trying to remove it.
- Carrot Cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the slices individually in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in 2014 and updated in March 2020 with new photos, an enhanced recipe card and expert tips.
- Change to the original recipe - The original recipe called for 1 cup granulated sugar. We cut that down to ½ a cup and added 1 cup of light brown sugar to create more moisture in the cake.
Kathy says
I read on another site where a half a cup of butter and a half of cup of yogurt can be used instead of the one cup canola oil. Is this something you agree with?
Amy says
Hi Kathy, I've never tried that but I think it could work. Let me know if you try it!
K. Clark says
This turned out wonderfully...... I added diced cherries and blueberries to the batter with the multicolor baby carrots. For the topping I mixed instant vanilla mix with cream cheese and cherries. Thanks for the inspiration ?
Amy says
That sounds fabulous! What a great idea! 🙂
Wendy says
Hi Amy ! YUM !!! I only changed 4 things. I added another 1/2 cup of raisins, 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice in place of 1 of the tsp's of cinnamon, made it in a 9 x 13 pan and 1/2'd the frosting recipe. DELICIOUS !!! :)))
Amy says
That does sound yummy! 🙂
Vicki K says
Question: To make this carrot cake GLUTEN-FREE, how much GF flour mix should I use to substitute for the regular flour in the recipe? Also the liquid has to be increased if you use GF flours. I really want to make this cake, and you can't sub 1 for 1 GF flour mix to regular flour.
Amy says
I've never made this cake gluten free before. The best suggestion I have is to use a premade gluten free flour mix that is especially made to use at a 1:1 ratio. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mix is a good one to try.
Lisa Jean says
I just made this cake this morning and it's wonderful. It was easy and I put it together quickly. It's a real keeper.
Amy says
Thanks Lisa. Happy Thanksgiving ??
Margaret Moriarty says
Hi, My husband and I love Carrot Cake, but we neither one like raisins. Can this be made without the raisins? Also, I use Sucralose Zero calorie Sweetener when baking. It measures cup for cup like sugar so you can feel guilt free while eating desserts. Thank you for this recipe.
Amy says
Hi Margaret, You can definitely leave out the raisins. I haven't used the zero calorie sweetener but I've heard others say good things about it. I would give it a try. Please let me know how it turns out!
Sandra says
I just baked them as a cupcakes and. They taste amazing! And loved the frosting to. Great recipe! Pinned.
Amy says
Thank you Sandra! 🙂
J.J. says
Could I make cupcakes out of this recipe?
Amy says
Hi JJ, Yes you can. Just fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for about 20 minutes. Check them to make sure they are done by using the clean toothpick method.
Monica says
Hi Amy! Great recipe! How many cupcakes does one recipe make?
Amy says
I think it makes about 24 cupcakes.
Tammy says
This is a great recipe! I added some nutmeg the second time....even better!!
Amy says
Hi Tammy! Adding the nutmeg sounds like a great idea 🙂 I will have to try!
Mary says
Hi Amy,
Would this recipe work if I made it in two 9" pans? It looks amazing and am going to try making it this weekend. Thanks Mary
Amy says
Hi Mary, I'm pretty sure it will be fine. Please let me know how it turns out!
Samantha says
Is there some moisture missing? I just made this and the batter was THICK like brownie batter if you don't add the eggs or cookie dough...I ended up having to add 1/2 cup of water and then since you don't soak the raisins first I added a few extra tablespoons of water to make up for the Raiden pulling moisture. It's already in the oven but I just wanted to see what the batter is supposed to be like?
Amy says
Hi Samantha! The batter is very thick! I am just now seeing your question so please let me know if it came out ok.
Sandy says
Hi, I was wondering if I could use a bundt pan for the recipe?
Amy says
Hi Sandy! I'm pretty sure you can. I'm not sure of what the baking time would be. I would keep an eye on it!
Suri says
Hi ! Recipe looks great. However, was wondering if I can make
it in a bundt pan and not add any frosting ? Do you think it would taste good just as a simple pound cake?
Amy says
Hi Suri, I think it would taste great as a "pound cake". I'm not sure of the cooking time so keep an eye on it while it's baking!
Rebecca says
I plan on making this cake for the 4th of July! What is the best way to go about layering the 3 cakes together and making sure they're even?
Amy says
Hi Rebecca! I like to use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the pans. I just place one scoop into the first pan, then a scoop into the second pan, then a scoop into the third pan and then keep rotating until the batter is gone. I hope this makes sense!
Jess says
I used stevia in this recipe instead of sugar, and omg it was amazing! Best carrot cake and cream cheese frosting ive ever had 🙂
Amy says
Hi Jess, thanks for sharing that. I'm definitely going to have to try that! 🙂
Sue says
I just read your post about using stevia. We have tried using it in baking, and it has not turned out well!! Flat and dense. What ration to real sugar did you use?
Kristin says
I have used this recipe SEVERAL times! my entire family loves it! THANK YOU!
Amy says
Hi Kristin, that is awesome! Thank you for letting me know how much they enjoy it 🙂
Allie says
Hi Amy, would substituting light brown sugar for granulated effect the cake?
Amy says
Hi Allie, it will effect it a little. It will add more moisture to the cake and give it a richer flavor. I don't see how it could hurt! Let me know how it turns out!
Amy whitaker says
hi Amy
how many large carrots would make up the 3 cups in the recipe?
thanks
Amy says
Hi Amy, I think it would be around 4-5 large carrots.
sandrea says
Hi, I was wondering if you used unbleached or bleacher AP flour? Thank you! :]
Amy says
Hi Sandrea, I use unbleached all purpose flour for baking.
Sandrea says
I just made this and it was amazing! This is the best carrot cake I've ever tasted! Way better than whole foods and nuggets cake! I wanted to try and use white whole wheat flour next time, do you think that would work or would it change the texture and moistness of the cake?
Amy says
Hi Sandrea, thank you so much! With the amount of oil and moisture from the carrots, I think it should be fine. If you decide to try it please let me know how it turns out. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Patricia Conci says
This cake was a disaster for me. I used cake flour instead of all purpose and did not add baking powder. Was that my downfall? The three layers are literally like pancakes. Yikes!!
Amy says
Hi Patricia, that stinks! I think it was the baking soda. Baking soda is a leavening agent and helps the cake to rise so definitely use it when the recipe calls for it. I don't think the cake flour had anything to do with it at all. I hope you try again because it really is a delicious carrot cake!
AG says
i don't see baking powder in the ingredients. do you mean baking soda? looks great, saving to try!
Amy says
Yes, I stand corrected! Thanks for pointing that out. 🙂