The BEST Carrot Cake Recipe
This is my favorite homemade carrot cake recipe! 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. In fact, over the last 6 years this recipe has received nearly 600 5-star reviews – and counting!
Originally posted in 2017, I decided it was finally time to update this popular recipe with more step-by-step photos and tips to ensure that it turns out perfectly for you. I guarantee that once you learn how simple it is to make your own carrot cake from scratch, you’ll want to make it over and over again.
What You Will Need
While there are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, I promise it’s fairly simple. I won’t cover every single ingredient, but I wanted to touch on a few important ones:
- Spices: There’s a mix of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. All three spices add such a wonderful flavor to this cake, but aren’t too overpowering. Feel free to add more spices, if you prefer though.
- Oil: Any kind of neutral-flavored oil is fine to use here, but I typically use vegetable or canola oil. You may also use melted coconut oil, just make sure all of your other ingredients are at room temperature so that it doesn’t solidify.
- Applesauce: This adds the perfect amount of moisture, so you end up with a moist cake that isn’t greasy. I always use unsweetened applesauce whenever I make this recipe. If you can only find sweetened applesauce, just reduce the granulated sugar by 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- Sugar: I use a bit more brown sugar than granulated sugar because it adds more moisture and flavor to this carrot cake.
- Carrots: I don’t like to skimp on the carrots when it comes to this recipe, so there’s 3 cups of grated carrots. Make sure to use freshly grated carrots here too. Avoid using a bag of pre-shredded carrots as they are often too dry and thick for carrot cake.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to use a block of cream cheese. Avoid using cream cheese that’s either whipped or in a tub, it’s typically too thin and will result in a runny frosting.
How To Make A Carrot Cake
Make The Cake Layers
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 9-inch round cake pans well with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottoms of each pan with a parchment paper circle. This will make it much easier to remove your cake layers from the pan!
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt to a large mixing bowl and give it a good whisk.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together your oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
- Add the grated carrots to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Adding them at this point will ensure that they are fully incorporated into your batter and prevent you from over mixing it later on.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Make sure not to over mix your batter! This can overdevelop the gluten and cause the cake to turn out dense/gummy. Trust me, no one wants that.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between both cake pans. Tip: If you want to get perfectly even cake layers, I recommend using a food scale to weigh your cake batter.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly in the pans, then remove the cake layers from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Mix Together The Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the butter and continue mixing until well combined.
- Lastly, mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. If needed, stop and scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl to ensure that all of the frosting ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
Assemble & Frost The Cake
- Level the tops of each cake layer. You may use either a large knife or a cake leveler for this step, I personally love this cake leveler. It’s a great option for beginners too!
- Place one of the layers on a cake stand and scoop a little over 1/2 cup of the frosting on top, then smooth it out evenly.
- Place the other cake layer on top and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. An angled spatula or even the back of a spoon works great for this step! If you want to add a little something extra, feel free to toast some chopped pecans or walnuts and sprinkle them around the top of the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does carrot cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes, if you frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting it does need to be refrigerated. It will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can you freeze carrot cake?
Of course! You can wrap individual slices with plastic wrap and freeze them in a large freezer bag.
The cake layers and frosting can also be frozen separately for up to 3 months. I do suggest wrapping the cake layers tightly with plastic wrap before freezing them.
How do you grate carrots for carrot cake?
The easiest method is to use a box grater and grate the carrots just like a block of cheese. If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, that works too.
I also recommend peeling your carrots and removing any brown spots or blemishes before grating them.
Can I add nuts or raisins?
Absolutely! Chopped walnuts or pecans would be fantastic in this recipe, I suggest using about 3/4 to 1 cup. If you love raisins, you may also add 1/2 cup.
Adjusting Your Pan Size
One of the most common questions is whether or not this recipe can be baked in another pan. The answer is YES!
Here are a few more commonly used baking pans that you can bake this cake in:
- 9×13: Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
- 8-inch round pan: Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper circle. Pour the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Cupcakes: The full recipe will make 28 cupcakes. Only fill each liner about 2/3 of the way full so that they don’t overflow and bake for 16 to 20 minutes. I also recommend doubling the frosting to have enough to cover all of the cupcakes. If you prefer a smaller batch, try my carrot cake cupcakes instead.
Baking Tips
- 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. I have a whole post that explains the spoon & level method.
- Don’t have any applesauce? You may replace it with 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or one 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple that’s been drained.
- I opted to stick with my favorite cream cheese frosting. It makes enough to frost the carrot cake like you see in the pictures. If you really love frosting, then I suggest increasing the recipe by half.
- Additional frosting options: If you want to try another frosting, my vanilla buttercream frosting, ermine frosting, or the whipped honey mascarpone frosting I used on my Pistachio Cake recipe would be delicious too.
Video Tutorial
The BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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.
Ingredients
Servings: 10 slices
For the carrot cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (250 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil (180ml)
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar (300 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (125 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups lightly packed grated carrots (300 grams)
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 1 (8-ounce) package brick style cream cheese (226 grams) softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter (115 grams) softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the carrot cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 9-inch round cake pans well with non stick cooking spray and line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper circle. 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 to 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 for 30 to 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 20 to 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 to 1 minute until well combined and smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, stopping to scrape 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 cake layers 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 layer 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
Storage Instructions: Cake may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions: Cake and frosting will freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before assembling the cake.
Applesauce: You may replace the applesauce with 1/2 cup (120 grams) of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
To make a 9×13 cake: Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 35 to 45 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.
Adapted from Better Homes & Garden
More Carrot Cake Desserts To Try!
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Thank you Danielle :). The cake is in the oven and will be taking it out in a few minutes. Will let you know the outcome. Btw the brownies I made twice and they were lush ;). Thank you 🙂
Hello Danielle, I have just mixed all ingredients wet and dry. I am a bit concerned about the consistency of the batter, it seems a bit too runny. How should it be? Many thanks for your reply. Magdalena 🙁
Hi, Magdalena! I actually just made this carrot cake and put it in the oven! The batter is thinner than something like a vanilla cake batter, so you don’t worry. Sounds like you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just normal for this cake batter 🙂
Hello!
Im planning on making this cake as a surprise for my wifes birthday. My wife is a baker and I have absolutely no clue how she makes the things she does, so I figured worst case this experiment will give her a good laugh, even if it doesnt come out good (which I hope it does!)
I want to know if I can leave the finished cake, frosting and all, on a covered cake stand at room temperature for a few hours, or will this ruin/spoil the frosting? Should I leave it in the fridge instead?
Thanks!
What a fun surprise, Stan! As long as you spoon and level your flour and follow the instructions, I think it will turn out great for you. You can leave the cake at room temperature for an hour or two. But since it has cream cheese in the frosting, I wouldn’t leave it out much longer than that.
This is an outstanding recipe. I work in a restaurant and we had a bunch of carrot sticks leftover from a party last night. So I made your carrot cake. I’m not a baker. This is maybe the third cake I’ve ever made from scratch. This was outstanding and the kitchen staff loved it. It was gone before I could get a picture. Will definitely do this again!
Hi, Can I use self rising flour for this recipe? Thanks
I wouldn’t suggest it for this recipe, since self rising flour already has baking powder mixed in.
If I take out the baking power would it be ok to make recipe? Thank you for your fast reply.
I’m honestly not sure, Evy. 1 cup of self rising flour has 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder mixed into it. So if you used 2 cups of self rising flour it would have about 1 tablespoon of baking powder, which is more than this recipe calls for. If you use it there may be too much baking powder in the batter.
Would this cake work in a bundt pan?
I think it would, but I haven’t tried it yet so I’m not sure on the baking time.
If I have no icing sugar for the icing, can I use other sugar?
Hi, Kim! Icing/powdered sugar is the only one that will work in this frosting.
Danielle,
You can make your own powdered sugar in a blender by mixing 1 cup of regular sugar with 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Blend until fine. Rumor has it that you cake even leave out the cornstarch if desired, but I have not tried it this way as I have a feeling it would have a tendency to clump.
Yes, you absolutely can! Thank you for pointing that out, I didn’t even think about it at the time. You do need a high powdered blender or food processor though.
Hi Danielle, I use a similar frosting recipe but it always turns out runny so will try yours. Is this frosting quite thick?
Thanks
Hi, Kat! Yes, it pipes really well and holds its shape. Just make sure to use a block (brick-style) cream cheese and not the cream cheese spread in the container.
Hello, I want to use this cream cheese frosting to make decorations on a cake such as grass.. i will want to dye it green for obvious reasons, will gel dye change the consistency and do you think it would hold up and stay with making grass decorations? Thanks
I haven’t tried this frosting with a grass piping tip yet, so I’m not sure how well it works with that. But gel food dye would definitely be better than liquid food dye since a little goes a long way and it won’t thin out the frosting.
The cake had good flavor. I made it in a 9×13 pan and I could not get the center to bake. Left it in the oven for an hour. Finally gave up as I was concerned about the outside perimeter getting overdone. I ended up selvaging the edges and throwing out the center. The cream cheese frosting is excellent. May try this recipe again but will cut back on the oil as I think that may contributed to my problem. There should be enough moisture in the cake with the applesauce. Any additional suggestions?
I haven’t tested this recipe in a 9×13 pan yet, so I’m not quite sure. You could always cover the cake with foil to prevent the cake from browning too much and allow the center to finish cooking. Have you tested your oven temperature with an oven thermometer?
I did this in a standard half sheet pan. 325 Convention Oven for 35 minutes. Came out beautifully.
Glad to hear that it turned out great, Robert. Thanks for sharing about the baking time for the half sheet pan too!
I love carrot cake and wanted to make one for my birthday. However, I like my carrot cake with coconuts, pineapple, and raisins. If I wanted to add these, would I leave the recipe as is and may be add a cup of each? Or would the recipe need to be changed?
You can replace the 1/2 cup of applesauce with 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple and then add some coconut and raisins. I would maybe try 3/4 cup each of the coconut and raisins and then add more if you think it needs it. I hope that helps!
Great recipe, it‘s the BEST carrot cake I have ever made. Moist and flavorful. Thank you.
So happy to hear that you loved the carrot cake, Fran!
Can you clarify the amount of flour used? 1 US cup = 150 grams. Do I use 2 full cups or 250 grams?
1 US cup = 125 grams, so 2 cups = 250 grams. To get the most accurate measurement on your flour you can weigh out 250 grams.
Superbbbbb recipe…
Perfect balance ..
It turned delicious…
Thankyou sooooooo muchhh for the delicious recipe.!!!
I’m so glad you liked the carrot cake!
Hi~ I’m Ana~~ I made this carrot cake for a party last Saturday and everyone loved it! ♥ There were no leftovers! I’m a carrot cake lover and I had another good recipe but this time I wanted to try a new one and this was definitely the best! I haven’t seen applesauce here in Colombia so I replaced it with grated green apple and it turned delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! Greeting from Bogota 🙂
So glad to hear that, Ana! You can also substitute crushed pineapple for the applesauce, but I’m glad the grated apple worked well too!
Great recipe! Easy to follow and ended with a moist and delicious cake!
Had left over frosting (which the little one devoured!)
Thank you
So glad you liked the carrot cake, Cristina!
This recipe doesn’t make nearly enough frosting, I ended up with half the frosting you saw on the cake in the picture following the recipe exactly so I don’t know if the measurement is wrong or if the one in the picture just had a bigger batch of frosting than the recipe.
The frosting recipe is correct as written. The recipe makes about 2 cups, so I use about 1/2 cup for the middle layer and the rest for the top and sides. You can certainly increase the frosting 1.5-2x if you prefer more frosting. I didn’t use a larger batch of frosting for these pictures, just the 2 cups the recipe makes 🙂
Hi Danielle,
What happens if you use cinnamon applesauce instead of unsweetened?
Also, if I make it Tuesday, how can I store it until Thursday? Can I frost it and then store it in the fridge?
Thanks!
Lauren
(first time baker…)
Hi, Lauren! I think it would be okay to use cinnamon applesauce. It’s probably sweetened, but I don’t think it would affect the overall texture/taste of the cake since it’s just 1/2 cup.
It would be okay to make it ahead Tuesday and refrigerate it until Thursday. If you prefer it a little more fresh, you can bake the cake layers ahead of time and wrap them tightly and refrigerate them. Then bring them to room temperature, prepare the frosting on Thursday, and frost the cake. You can also make the frosting ahead of time too and refrigerate it, you’ll just need to allow it to come to room temperature before frosting the cake.
Hope that helps!
Hello, I just made this cake after a quick search, it was for my son’s 12th birthday. It is absolutely delicious!! The moist/dry balance is perfect, what’s really nice is that it is not too sweet. Also the dichotomy between the applesauce and ginger really makes it shine. The ginger just adds a perfect hit on the backend. Frosting is is also less sweet which wraps it up really well. Thank you!
Thank you for such a kind comment! So glad you liked the carrot cake!
Tina,
Nov. 13,2017
I made the carrot cake for the first time on
on Nov. 4 for my sons’ 24’th birthday party. Everyone loved it including the waiter. Then two saturdays later my church family had a fish fry for Veterans Day and I made the carrot cake again. Everyone loved it. There was a lot of desserts there with many homemade pies, cakes and puddings; but my carrot cake was the only one almost gone and people asking to take more home for later. We ended up taking one small piece home, and that didn’t last long. Both times I have made this cake there are never any leftovers to worry about. It is an awesome cake. Everyone wants it at the Christmas party plus a red velvet cake. Thanks
I’m so glad to hear that everyone loved the carrot cake, Tina!
If I like pecans or walnuts how much should I put in the batter?
I usually add about 3/4-1 cup to this cake.
Can this recipe be modified to a three layered cake?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine you can multiply the recipe by 1.5 and make 3 layers. Or make the recipe, them make another half batch for an extra layer.
Omg. I made this for my husband and father in law. Amazing. I am gping to share recipe with family. Dying to try your butter cream. Childhood favorite of mine. Thanks for shsring.
So glad you liked the cake, Sue! I’d love to hear how the buttercream turns out if you try it too, it’s one of my favorites! 🙂
Hi. Do you think this recipe would work in a bundt pan? Any idea on how long to bake it? Looking forward to making this as a birthday cake this wknd.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would work. I’d guess the baking time to be 50-60 minutes at 350F. I’d maybe check it about 40-45 minutes just to be safe though. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
I made this today for my son’s 13th birthday we all loved it.
I love to make this as a birthday cake for family too! So glad to hear that everyone loved the cake, Danelle! 🙂
How would you adjust the baking times for either two 8-inch round pans or a 9×13″ dish? Thank you!
I haven’t tried either yet, so I’m not quite sure. For a 9×13 pan I would guess about 40-50 minutes and for the 8-inch round pans maybe 30-35 minutes. Those are just suggestions though, so I would definitely check them a little before just to make sure. You’ll know they’re finished when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Hope that helps!
I am glad that I found your page. Last week I baked your carrot cake recipe for my family (as muffins), they LOVE it. Today, I will try your pumpkin recipe, and I am sure it be delicious 🙂
So happy to hear that your family loved the carrot cake recipe! I’d love to hear how the pumpkin one turns out if you give it a try too 🙂
Hi Danielle,
I am enjoying your tutorials on how to make your assorted buttercream icings & of course your cream cheese icing. You are a very good teacher. I’m learning quite a lot. I just happened to find your site today.
For the carrot cake, to replace the applesauce – try using pumpkin – same amount (the plain one you would use to make pies). You can’t taste the pumpkin, and it does give the cake moistness. I’ve been using this for years. I’m looking forward to trying your carrot cake, as well as your other recipes. Thank you.
So glad you found my site, Murielle! I haven’t tried using pumpkin in this recipe, but I love that idea. I have quite a bit of pumpkin in my pantry right now for fall, so next time I make this cake I’ll have to give that a try! 🙂
I apologize. The canned pumpkin that I meant to say to use for baking is the ‘PUREE’, not the one used for pies.
No worries! I thought you meant puree when I read your first comment, Murielle 🙂
Hi Danielle,
Ive tried it last night and used pineapple instead of applesauce
and it worked! Its the best! 🙂
Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the carrot cake and that the pineapple worked well, Iris! Thanks for sharing 🙂
hi Danielle
what can I use as a substitute for unsweetened apple sauce
I haven’t tried it yet so I’m not 100% positive, but 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple may work.
I used 1/2 cup chopped pears. They blended well with the spices. Great cake that taste better every slice!
Chopped pears sound delicious, Charlotte! So happy to hear you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Hi Danielle. Please what can i use as a substitute for cinnamon and brown sugar. I can’t get both here. Thanks.
You can replace 1 teaspoon cinnamon with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground allspice. Since there’s 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon in this recipe trying using 1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice. For the brown sugar, you can make your own with 1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses mixed together. Or you could use something else like coconut sugar.
If you make your own brown sugar using white sugar and molasses, just be sure to make enough to get 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar. The recipe I gave makes 1 cup 🙂
Dumb question Do you need to drain the crushed pineapple
I haven’t tried it with crushed pineapple yet, Cathy. But I would drain the pineapple though if you do use it.
I had been thinking for a while to try a carrot cake and since I’ve already enjoyed quite a few of your recipes, (especially the lemon and poppy seeds bundt cake) I picked your carrot cake recipe. It was delicious – even better the next day – perfectly moist and delicately spicy, not too sweet. Big success with my whole family. Will definitely bake it regularly. Thank you!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Rozenn! And so happy to hear that your family loved the cake, this is one of my favorites! 🙂
I’m trying this recipe today. I hope all the reviews are right.
Hope you enjoyed the carrot cake, Yvonne! 🙂
I’m making your carrot cake again tonight. It’s been a hit since I started making it. Very easy. Thanks fir sharing.
I’m so glad to hear that, Yvonne!
What do I use if I dont have u sweetened applesauce
You can use sweetened applesauce or the same amount of crushed pineapple.
This is an awesome recipe! I made this cake for Mother’s Day and my mom LOVED it!! The cake is super moist and very flavorful, I will definitely be making this cake again.
This made my day, Jessica! I’m so glad your mom enjoyed the cake! 🙂
I was looking for a perfect dessert to make for Easter and made this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting a couple of days ago and it was a huge it with my family! Each and every person who had a slice said it was “the best carrot cake they have ever had” and had seconds! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!!
This made my day, Jenny! I’m so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the carrot cake. 🙂
How long will the cake stay moist? Can I make the day before serving and cover or refrigerate or will it dry out? Please let me know when you get a chance! Thanks!
The cake will stay moist for quite a few days, I’ve never had any problems with it drying out. You can make it the day before, cover, and refrigerate it, then let it come to room temperature before frosting. You can also wrap each layer tightly once they cool and freeze them as well for up to 3 months, just thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Just made this! Hoping it’s great for my hubby’s birthday…. question: I will be refrigerating for 1 day and then letting them come to room temp before frosting them tomorrow… do you recommend taking the cakes out of the baking pans before refrigerating? Or leave them in the pans and just take them out once they’ve “warmed” to room temp?
Hi, Katy! I normally take the cakes out of the pan after 20 minutes, let them cool completely, then wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them. I think it would probably be fine to let them cool, then refrigerate them in the pans though.
Is there any modification for high altitude?
I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, but some readers have found this guide helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html.