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!
This site contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission.
I know this is redundant at this point, but wow, I’m so glad I picked this recipe out of the myriad of carrot cake recipes I had considered baking -it’s awesome! While it seems there is certainly a commonality shared by the recipes; it seems it’s some minor alterations that make this one really stand out.
I was so worried about an oily cake or a too sweet cake, and this one delivered what I had hoped – moist, but not oily (some recipes had pictures where it looked like you could squeeze the cake and get oil to drip out of it), sweetness but not cloying (don’t get me wrong – I like sweet!). I’m kind of going on here, but I’m keeping this one as my carrot cake recipe going forward.
I know some don’t like when a person modifies an original recipe and then rates it, but I read all the comments before I made this and got a couple of ideas along with the possible modifications/add-ins mentioned in the recipe to make a few tweaks.
I used a 1/2 cup of pear “sauce” instead of applesauce (I simply chopped and cooked down a pear with a TBSP of water, mashed it with skin on) and added in some freshly grated ginger in addition to the powdered ginger, I soaked a 1/2 cup of raisins in hot water with some orange liqueur, and added 3/4 cup of toasted chopped pecans, I used only brown sugar and not quite the amount called for, also a little less oil than called for. I added orange zest and maybe 1/2 tsp of orange extract in frosting. I added an extra cup of powdered sugar to the frosting. I was concerned it wouldn’t be enough as I like my frosting, but I do believe the original amounts would be plenty for next time. NUMMY!
Thanks for a great recipe and well written, too. I’ve bookmarked your site for other baking information and recipes. So helpful!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the carrot cake, Jean! Your modifications sound wonderful too, I love the idea of soaking the raisins in the hot water and orange liqueur!
I plan to half the recipe and make cupcakes. Would you recommend cutting the icing recipe in half too? I plan to pipe the icing onto the cupcakes.
Hi, Kristen! It depends on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes. If you prefer more frosting, I would use the full frosting recipe. The cupcake picture right below the recipe has a taller swirl of frosting and I used the full recipe for a batch of 12 cupcakes. If you prefer less, you can cut it in half.
Could I put this in a bundt pan?
Yes, absolutely! I’m not sure on the exact baking time I would guess 45-60 minutes at 350°F. If the top begins to brown too much, just tent with aluminum foil.
I’m planning on serving this cake Easter Sunday. Today is Friday and I just put it in the oven. Can I prepare and Frost cake today and put it in the fridge until Sunday?
That would be fine, Lauren! The cake will stay good in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
this cake looks amazing! but i dont have applesauce – can i just omit it, or do i have to replace it with something? thank you
You would need to replace the applesauce with something else. I’ve tried crushed pineapple and that works really well in this recipe. I think plain Greek yogurt/sour cream may work fine, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Hi! I was just wondering if anyone has tried this with coconut oil or any other type of oil. Do you think coconut oil would work? Thanks so much!
Coconut oil would be fine, Kari. Just make sure to measure 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil and that your eggs are at room temperature so the oil doesn’t solidify.
Thank you!!! ??
I mean 3/4 cup of melted coconut oil! 🙂
I always use coconut oil 1/2 cup melted (you can now purchase the coconut oil in liquid form as well) I’ve not tried the liquid, but see no reason why it wouldn’t work. I use my eggs straight from the fridge and have never had a problem with it solidifying.
This is the best recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Kimberly! Glad you liked the carrot cake too!
Hi Danielle!
Thanks for posting this recipe. Having read a few comments, it looks really good and I’m looking forward to baking this carrot cake for my family this Easter.
I didn’t read all the comments (there are loads of them 🙂 ) but I’ve seen that if we plan to make it the day before, you recommend to refrigerate it and take it to room temperature before frosting it.
It may be a dumb quetsion but I wanted to know if it would be ok to do the whole cake (baking + frosting) the day before, refrigerate it and take it to room temperature before serving. I don’t think I’ll have time to do the frosting and assemble the cake before lunch. I’m not used to working with that kind of frosting or recipe (I’m in Belgium, I never tried that kind of pastry), so I wanted to make sure it would be ok.
Thank you for your help! 🙂
Hi, Stephanie! Yes, absolutely! You can frost the cake and assemble it ahead of time, then just leave it on the counter for a little bit to come to room temperature.
Thank you so much for posting such a great recipe! It was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! The icing was amazing and really complimented the cake perfectly! I doubled the icing recipe because my family is big into icing haha and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and this is a recipe I will keep in our recipe book as a staple now. Thanks so much for sharing!
Definitely nothing wrong with adding more frosting, Megan! I’m glad to hear that everyone loved the cake 🙂
Could I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?
That would probably be fine, I would just replace the applesauce with 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple.
I would like to make this cake in two 10″ pans for a large crowd at Easter. Should I one and a half or double the amounts in the recipe and any idea how long to bake?
I’ve never tried it in 10-inch cake pans, so I’m not quite sure. I think doubling this recipe would be too much, so I would probably do 1.5x the recipe. I’m not sure on baking time, I would just check them with a toothpick once the tops are set. If you have any leftover batter, you can also make a few cupcakes.
How many does this feed?
It depends on how you slice the cake, I usually do 12 slices.
it feeds 3 lol
Any idea on the nutritional facts? Sugar/carbs/calories. Need to know for Grandma’s insulin pump.
Hi, Sabrina! I’m not sure on the nutritional info, but you can plug the ingredients into a website like My Fitness Pal to get an estimate.
If I baked the cake in two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans how long do you think the bake time would be and do you think it would work?
I think it would be fine to bake this recipe in two 9×5 loaf pans. I’m not sure on the baking time, but I would guess somewhere between 40-60 minutes at 350°F. If the tops become too dark, just cover loosely with aluminum foil until a toothpick comes out clean.
Hi, this is more of a question before I make it. Is this icing really creamy, as in not pipable? I have made a yummy cream cheese buttercream in the past for red velvet cupcakes so I am debating if I should stick to a regular cream cheese frosting of a cream cheese buttercream. I plan on making a reguale cake but just wanted to pipe some decorations on top Any thoughts?
The frosting in this recipe pipes pretty well, here’s an example of what it looks like in this post: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/. It is a little softer than buttercream, but still pipes good.
I made this delicious recipe of yours for family and neighbors since my husband is the only one in the house who can eat gluten. I followed the recipe to a T! I did make it into mini muffins being easier to share. I was really worried if they would still turn out so I babysat them while baking. Amazing and delicious and moist! Thank you for sharing your yummy recipe! =)
So glad they turned out great for you, Jessica! 🙂
This is a great recipe, Danielle! I made it as a sheet cake for a celebration of life. I made it the night before and it was perfectly moist. I wanted a recipe to match the Whole Foods recipe but I think your recipe is even better. With the help of my niece, I want to make the cupcakes for the fireman in our local firehouse. Thank you!
Thank you, Mary Anne! I’m glad to hear that it turned out great as a sheet cake. I hope you and your niece enjoy making the cupcakes as well! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Super delicious cake!!
Gabi
Thank you, Gabi! I’m glad you liked the carrot cake!
How many people is this supposed to serve???
If I go by the “makes 24 cupcakes” I ‘d guess serves 12.
Having to guess is not a great way to start….
Hi, Anne. It depends on the size of the slices. This recipe makes a 9-inch layered cake, so I usually cut it into 12 servings.
Can I use brown sugar and omit granulated sugar for the cake?
Also,can I make it eggless and not use eggs at all?
You can use all brown sugar in this cake. I would not suggest omitting the eggs all together otherwise the cake will not turn out right. You may be able to use an egg substitute, but I’ve never personally tested one with this cake.
Hi! The cake was great. But I have a question the sides cooked very dark in a 6in pan. How can I fix this issue?
Hi, Lauree! Baking soda causes baked goods to brown more, so that’s likely why the edges were darker. The edges of mine tend to be a little dark in a 9-inch pan, but you can’t really tell once the cake is frosted. Did you have to bake it longer in the 6-inch pan?
Made myself this carrot cake for afternoon tea (just halved the recipe), and absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing
I’m so glad you enjoyed the carrot cake, Hannah!
I was craving carrot cake so I googled recipes. This one had such great reviews and by looking at the ingredients compared to other carrot cake recipes, I knew it was going to above average. Finally baked it yesterday and it came out AMAZING! It hit the spot! I was worried about the ginger and nutmeg because I’m not a huge fan of either, but there is just the right amount of each to really bring out the flavor without being too “spice-y”. Next time I’ll probably bake the pecans inside the cake because I just love pecans! I am so excited to share this cake with my friends and family. I’ve never made a cake from scratch before so the fact that this cake came out tasting great made me feel so good and like I might be able to pass it off like I actually know how to bake haha bookmarked this recipe for future use and can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you, Lexi! You can certainly add pecans to the batter too (or even walnuts and some raisins). I’m glad to hear that it turned out great for you 🙂
Thanks for your tip, Danielle, my carrot cake came out perfect in the one pan, and moist but baked to perfection at 40 minutes! (i made it without the frosting, and it was still delicious!)
So glad to hear that it turned out great, Pam!
Can I bake this cake in one pan? I’m about to make it. If so what size pan do you recommend?
That should be fine, Pam. This should be enough for a 9×13 pan. I haven’t tried it in one yet so I’m not sure on the baking time, but I would *guess* 40-55 minutes. A large bundt pan should also work as well. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Just made cupcakes for a work potluck tomorrow…added 1 cup of chopped pecans to dry ingredients, and 1 tsp of cinnamon to frosting….also a bit more powdered sugar cause I wanted to pipe frosting. My husband ate 3!! Or maybe 4….said they were my best ever (I have made other recipes) so yummy!! Can’t wait to share with my colleagues. Thank you for sharing!!
So happy to hear that, Jennifer! I’m planning to make this for Easter, I’ll definitely have to try adding some cinnamon to the frosting.
Hi I’m looking for a carrot cake recipe without nuts so I’m going to give this one a try prior to making it for a friends wedding…. would it work with vanilla buttercream as I don’t want to use cream cheese on the wedding cake?
I really think this pairs best with cream cheese frosting, but I do think vanilla buttercream would work fine. I have a basic vanilla buttercream frosting recipe here: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-make-buttercream-frosting/.
How well would this recipe work with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so I’m not quite sure. If you’ve had success substituting a certain brand of gluten-free flour 1:1 in other recipes, then it may work okay.
I’d like to make this carrot cake in a 9×13 pan, instead of round 2 cake pans. Will it be ok??
I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine that it would be fine. I’m just not sure on the baking time though. If the top becomes too dark before the center is finished baking, you can tent with aluminum foil until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
The cake turned out to be really moist and delicious. Thankyou for this wonderful recipe
Happy to hear that you liked the cake, Marie!
The cake look turned out great :). We have just covered it with the icing. Thank you for this recepie – I don’t bake at all and with you it is nice and easy. This is my second bake with you after brownies :). Thank you will try next something else :).
So happy to hear that the cake turned out great, Magdalena! I’d love to hear if you try any other recipes! 🙂