This two-tiered stunner of a carrot cake is studded with finely shredded carrots, warmly spiced with cinnamon, and then blanketed with rich cream cheese frosting.
Why this recipe works
Boy, do we have the best carrot cake recipe for you! To start, the cake itself is fluffy, moist, and soft speckled with finely shredded carrot which gives it that natural orange hue. The aroma as it bakes with cinnamon is incredible to say the least. Lastly, the silky smooth cream cheese frosting that’s layered between the cake and crumb coated on the outside adds the finishing touch to this classic carrot cake. It’s an absolute winner, I’m telling you!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CARROTS – The carrots must be washed, ends cut, and completely peeled. Carrot skins are bitter and since this is a sweet recipe, it’s best to do so. You’re aiming for a fine shred, so I recommend using a box grater as opposed to a food processor. Otherwise, too thick of carrots can cause the cake to be crumbly.
CAKE – Double check your baking powder and baking soda for freshness. This is essential for perfectly risen layers. It’s always best to weigh your ingredients when baking for the best results. Too much flour can cause the cake to be overly dense and dry.
EGGS – Use room temperature eggs which when beaten, trap air more efficiently leading to a lighter, fluffier cake. Cold eggs can cause the fat to seize up resulting in a denser, uneven texture.
FROSTING – What’s a carrot cake without cream cheese frosting? Be sure to use confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar or icing sugar) and not granulated sugar. Granulated sugar can cause the frosting to be gritty.
DECORATION – In the recipe card below we show you how to separate the frosting into three parts so that you can pipe on the carrots for decoration. However, you can decorate it as you please and use all of your frosting to create a thicker coat around the cake if desired. As well as the piped carrots we add a perimeter of pecan halves and chopped pecans.
How to Make Carrot Cake
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Spray the two 9-inch round cake pans with Canola cooking spray. Place 2 round pieces of parchment paper fitted to the bottom of the cake pans and spray more cooking spray over the parchment. This helps the cake separate from the cake pan after baking completely intact. Set the prepared pans aside.
- Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven then preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, granulated white sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger (optional), Kosher salt, and baking soda.
- In another large mixing bowl, add the beaten eggs, finely shredded carrot, vanilla extract, and Canola oil. Stir the mixture until completely combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, stirring in between each addition, until combined. Add an even amount of batter to each prepared baking pan.
- Bake the cake layers in the center rack for 30-35 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a knife or wooden toothpick into the center of the cake and it should come out clean. Cool the cake pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove the cake layers from the cake pans and allow to cool completely on the wire racks. Remove and discard the parchment paper. The cake must be completely cooled before applying the frosting.
- When the cake is completely cool, if the cake needs to be leveled you can now level the cake with a bread knife. This allows you to stack the layers evenly when assembling. If the layers are pretty flat, it is not necessary to level the cake layers.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) mix the cream cheese, unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until combined.
- Gradually mix in the sifted confectioner’s sugar, sprinkling 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture is smooth.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of frosting to pipe on the carrots, and 1/4 cup to pipe the leaves (if desired). You can place them all in separate bowls.
- To color the 1/2 cup of frosting for the carrot decor, add 2 drops of orange food coloring and 1 drop yellow.
- To color the 1/4 cup of frosting for the leaves, add 1 drop green and 1 drop yellow.
- Set your frosting aside until ready to frost the cake. If you have some time until frosting the cake, you can refrigerate it but make sure it is room temperature before frosting. It usually takes a 1/2 hour to become room temperature after removing from the refrigerator.
Assembling the Carrot Cake
- Add the first layer to the cake turntable or cake stand. Add frosting to the top of the layer and spread it out so that it hangs over the edge. Add the 2nd layer. Add enough frosting so that it hangs over the edge. Add dollops of frosting to the sides and using a bench scraper, cake comb and/or offset spatula spread the frosting on the sides.
- To create a crumb coat look as seen in our photos, it’s easiest to use a turntable. Using a bench scraper, gently rotate around the cake removing excess frosting. Scrape excess frosting into a bowl. Repeat a couple times until you achieve the desired level of “nakedness” on your cake.
- Place twelve pecan halves around the perimeter of the cake. The pecans are a good indicator as to where you should pipe the carrots on. Sprinkle with additional chopped pecans.
- Using a Wilton tip 10 or similar, begin piping the carrots. You can use the pecan halves as a marker for where to pipe each carrot. Start with gentle pressure then apply more pressure as you elongate the carrot. Doing so will create ridges and enlarge the carrot as seen in the photos. The “thick end” of the carrot should be in the centermost part of the cake.
- Using a Wilton tip 5 for the leaves, simply pipe two lines from the thick end of your carrots.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
We have tested this cake with and without cake strips and it comes out great either way. Because carrot cake is semi-dense, similar to a quick bread, it doesn’t always need cake strips and rises fairly flat on its own. If it’s something you are used to using in cakes then by all means, but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them handy.
Absolutely! You can prepare, frost, and decorate your carrot cake 1-2 days in advance. I would highly recommend storing it in a cake carrier in the refrigerator so that it stays air-tight.
You can freeze the carrot cake layers before assembling. Wrap the fully cooled cake layers in plastic wrap a few times followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze them flat (optionally on a baking sheet until firmly frozen). You can also freeze individual frosted slices of this cake. To do so, flash freeze the slices on a baking sheet. Once solid to the touch, wrap them individually in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Transfer the wrapped slices to a plastic zip-top bag. To thaw, remove the wrapping and allow to thaw in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is my kryptonite. I am unashamed to admit I’ve had a slice for breakfast with my coffee quite a few times! This beautiful cake is of course a staple around Easter and springtime, but isn’t limited to a specific time of year. It’s a lovely birthday, bridal shower, baby shower, and potluck cake of all magnitudes.
Garnish your carrot cake however you prefer and enjoy it whenever you see fit. Whether that’s as a midnight snack, breakfast, or dessert – that’s up to you to decide.
More Carrot Cake Recipes
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Carrot Cake
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
To make the Carrot Cake Layers
- Canola cooking spray for greasing the 2 cake pans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 275g. or the same amount of cake flour
- 2 cups granulated white sugar 437g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon *Saigon cinnamon is most fragrant
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger optional
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs beaten *room temperature
- 3 cups shredded carrots 285g. very finely shredded, lightly packed. *the carrots must be peeled and ends cut
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Canola oil
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese plain, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5-6 cups confectioner's sugar sifted. 744g (weighed pre-sifted)
Optional Toppings
- 12 pecan halves
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Optional Piped Carrots
- orange food coloring
- yellow food coloring
- green food coloring
Things You’ll Need
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- cake turntable optional for decorating
- Wilton tip 5 optional for decorating
- Wilton tip 10 optional for decorating
Before You Begin
- The carrots must be washed, ends cut, and completely peeled. Carrot skins are bitter and since this is a sweet recipe, it’s best to do so. You’re aiming for a fine shred, so I recommend using a box grater as opposed to a food processor. Otherwise, too thick of carrots can cause the cake to be crumbly.
- Double check your baking powder and baking soda for freshness.
- Use room temperature eggs which when beaten, trap air more efficiently leading to a lighter, fluffier cake.
Instructions
- Spray the 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with Canola cooking spray. Place 2 round pieces of parchment paper fitted to the bottom of the cake pans and spray more cooking spray over the parchment. This helps the cake separate from the cake pan after baking completely intact. Set the prepared pans aside.Canola cooking spray
- Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven then preheat your oven for 350 degree F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, granulated white sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger (optional), Kosher salt, and baking soda.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- In another large mixing bowl, add the beaten eggs, 3 cups finely shredded carrot, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3/4 cup Canola oil. Stir the mixture until completely combined.4 large eggs, 3 cups shredded carrots, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3/4 cup Canola oil
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, stirring in between each addition, until combined. Add an even amount of batter to each prepared baking pan.
- Bake the cake layers in the center rack for 30-35 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a knife or wooden toothpick into the center of the cake and it should come out clean. Cool the cake pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove the cake layers from the cake pans and allow to cool completely on the wire racks. Remove and discard the parchment paper. The cake must be completely cooled before applying the frosting.
- When the cake is completely cool, if the cake needs to be leveled you can now level with a bread knife. This allows you to stack the layers evenly when assembling. If the layers are pretty flat, it is not necessary to level the cake layers.
To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer (or using a hand held electric mixer), in a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, unsalted butter, and pure vanilla extract until combined.8 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Gradually mix in the sifted confectioner's sugar, sprinkling 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture is smooth.5-6 cups confectioner's sugar
- Reserve 1/2 cup of frosting to pipe on the carrots, and 1/4 cup to pipe the leaves (if desired). You can place them all in separate bowls.
- To color the 1/2 cup of frosting for the carrot decor, add 2 drops of orange food coloring and 1 drop yellow.
- To color the 1/4 cup of frosting for the leaves, add 1 drop green and 1 drop yellow.
- Set your frosting aside until ready to frost the cake. If you have some time until frosting the cake, you can refrigerate it but make sure it is room temperature before frosting. It usually takes a 1/2 hour to become room temperature after removing from the refrigerator.
To Assemble the Carrot Cake
- Add the first layer to the cake turntable or cake stand. Add frosting to the top of the layer and spread it out so that it hangs over the edge. Add the 2nd layer. Add enough frosting so that it hangs over the edge. Add dollops of frosting to the sides and using a bench scraper, cake comb and/or offset spatula spread the frosting on the sides.
- To create a crumb coat look as seen in our photos, it's easiest to use a turntable. Using a bench scraper, gently rotate around the cake removing excess frosting. Scrape excess frosting into a bowl. Repeat a couple times until you achieve the desired level of "nakedness" on your cake.
To Decorate
- Place twelve pecan halves around the perimeter of the cake. The pecans are a good indicator as to where you should pipe the carrots on. Sprinkle with additional chopped pecans.12 pecan halves, 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- Using a Wilton tip 10 or similar, begin piping the carrots. You can use the pecan halves as a marker for where to pipe each carrot. Start with gentle pressure then apply more pressure as you elongate the carrot. Doing so will create ridges and enlarge the carrot as seen in the photos. The "thick end" of the carrot should be in the centermost part of the cake.
- Using a Wilton tip 5 for the leaves, simply pipe two lines from the thick end of your carrots.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- You can prepare, frost, and decorate your carrot cake 1-2 days in advance. I would highly recommend storing it in a cake carrier in the refrigerator so that it stays air-tight.
- Freezing – You can freeze the carrot cake layers before assembling. Wrap the fully cooled cake layers in plastic wrap a few times followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze them flat (optionally on a baking sheet until firmly frozen).
- To freeze individual frosted slices of this cake, flash freeze the slices on a baking sheet. Once solid to the touch, wrap them individually in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Transfer the wrapped slices to a plastic zip-top bag. To thaw, remove the wrapping and allow to thaw in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This recipe originally appeared here on April 6, 2019 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips. The recipe is inspired by “Carrot Cake” from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book and was contributed to the blog by Sara from Life’s Little Sweets.
Amanda Davis
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Cidi says
I used a 9 x 13cake pan and found it seemingly well cooked after 45 min , clean toothpick in middle and pulling away from edges slightly, but an obvious settling in middle, not exactly fallen. And this settling is a rectangular pattern like the pan. Please, any comments. However, a delightful recipe and those settled areas just seemed a little more moist! Not a crumb left.
Amanda Davis says
Hi Cidi. Glad you liked it! What you said suggests that the middle didn’t cook as fast as the outside of the cake, so I would say drop the temp by 25 degrees next time.
Brenda Hill says
I was mortified when I went straight to the recipe and the ingredients said 3 cups of canola oil. Then I went back to the top and read 3/4 of a cup. I just thought you might want to change that. I will be making this, I love carrot cake!
Amanda Formaro says
I’ve fixed it, so sorry for the error!