The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Moist, perfectly spiced, and finished with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best Carrot Cake recipe that you will ever taste!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword carrot cake recipe, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings
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slices
Calories 505.3 kcal
Author Blair
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
list of 14 items
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained (optional)
list end
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
list of 6 items
½ cup salted butter, softened
8 ounces full-fat block-style cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
Approximately 2 tablespoons milk (more or less, depending on desired consistency)
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
list end
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
list of 3 items
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the oil and eggs, one at a time. Beat with an electric mixer
until completely combined. Add carrots and vanilla extract; mix well. Fold in nuts and/or pineapple, if using.
3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set on a wire
rack to cool completely.
list end
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
list of 2 items
1. Once the cake is completely cool, prepare the frosting. Cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and mix
until completely blended. Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. I use about 2 tablespoons of milk
total, but you may need slightly less or slightly more.
2. Spread the frosting on top of the cool cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired.
list end
Recipe Notes
• Small Carrot Cake Recipe: Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan. It’s a perfect size cake for a smaller family.
You may need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes, too.
• Always use freshly grated carrots that you grate yourself at home. These will be very wet, which is a great way to keep your carrot cake moist. Do not
use packaged pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store.
• Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese
or cream cheese spread from a tub.
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes: You can use the same batter to prepare about 24 cupcakes instead of one large cake. Bake standard-size cupcakes at 350 degrees
F for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Optional Mix-Ins: My family prefers the cake batter to be smooth, without the addition of pineapple, nuts or coconut, so I typically omit those extra
ingredients. If you prefer, you can certainly add in 1 cup of chopped nuts, an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple (drained) or a handful of shredded coconut.
• Grease or spray the pan really well with non-stick spray so that the cake doesn’t stick. I like to use
a baking spray with flour
in it.
• Make Ahead: This cake just seems to get better as it sits, so it’s a really nice option to prepare in advance. You can make and frost the cake one day
ahead of when you plan to serve it.
• How to store Carrot Cake: Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator. I like to bring it to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before slicing and
serving, but that is optional.
• While it’s best within 1-2 days of baking, you can safely store the leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Sealed in an airtight container, slices of frosted carrot cake will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 505.3 Calories from Fat 230
% Daily Value*
Fat 25.5g39%
Saturated Fat 7.8g49%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.7g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.2g
Cholesterol 77.6mg26%
Sodium 404.4mg18%
Potassium 62.7mg2%
Carbohydrates 67.3g22%
Fiber 1.3g5%
Sugar 53.4g59%
Protein 4.2g8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
From the seasoned mom
_._,_._,_
Moist, perfectly spiced, and finished with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best Carrot Cake recipe that you will ever taste!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword carrot cake recipe, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings
undefined
slices
Calories 505.3 kcal
Author Blair
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
list of 14 items
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained (optional)
list end
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
list of 6 items
½ cup salted butter, softened
8 ounces full-fat block-style cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
Approximately 2 tablespoons milk (more or less, depending on desired consistency)
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
list end
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
list of 3 items
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the oil and eggs, one at a time. Beat with an electric mixer
until completely combined. Add carrots and vanilla extract; mix well. Fold in nuts and/or pineapple, if using.
3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set on a wire
rack to cool completely.
list end
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
list of 2 items
1. Once the cake is completely cool, prepare the frosting. Cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and mix
until completely blended. Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. I use about 2 tablespoons of milk
total, but you may need slightly less or slightly more.
2. Spread the frosting on top of the cool cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired.
list end
Recipe Notes
• Small Carrot Cake Recipe: Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan. It’s a perfect size cake for a smaller family.
You may need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes, too.
• Always use freshly grated carrots that you grate yourself at home. These will be very wet, which is a great way to keep your carrot cake moist. Do not
use packaged pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store.
• Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese
or cream cheese spread from a tub.
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes: You can use the same batter to prepare about 24 cupcakes instead of one large cake. Bake standard-size cupcakes at 350 degrees
F for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Optional Mix-Ins: My family prefers the cake batter to be smooth, without the addition of pineapple, nuts or coconut, so I typically omit those extra
ingredients. If you prefer, you can certainly add in 1 cup of chopped nuts, an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple (drained) or a handful of shredded coconut.
• Grease or spray the pan really well with non-stick spray so that the cake doesn’t stick. I like to use
a baking spray with flour
in it.
• Make Ahead: This cake just seems to get better as it sits, so it’s a really nice option to prepare in advance. You can make and frost the cake one day
ahead of when you plan to serve it.
• How to store Carrot Cake: Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator. I like to bring it to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before slicing and
serving, but that is optional.
• While it’s best within 1-2 days of baking, you can safely store the leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Sealed in an airtight container, slices of frosted carrot cake will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 505.3 Calories from Fat 230
% Daily Value*
Fat 25.5g39%
Saturated Fat 7.8g49%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.7g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.2g
Cholesterol 77.6mg26%
Sodium 404.4mg18%
Potassium 62.7mg2%
Carbohydrates 67.3g22%
Fiber 1.3g5%
Sugar 53.4g59%
Protein 4.2g8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
From the seasoned mom
_._,_._,_
