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A slice of carrot cake on a plate with a fork beside it.
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Carrot Cake Recipe

My easy Carrot Cake recipe is moist, tender, and irresistible! Covered with fluffy cream cheese frosting, it’s a crowd-pleasing dessert every time.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cool Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 629kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
  • 9-inch round cake pans
  • Wire rack

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2½ cups all purpose flour (300g)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1⅓ cup vegetable oil (320ml)
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10mL)
  • 3 cups grated carrots (from 1 pound of carrots) (315g)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans (120g)

For the Frosting:

  • 1 (8-ounce/227g) block cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar (480-600g)

Instructions

For the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray or butter, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir together just until combined and only a few streaks of flour remain.
  • Fold the carrots and pecans into the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake layers to cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack. Once cooled, invert the layers and remove the parchment paper.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until very soft and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cream cheese and beat until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
  • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar. (Use more sugar for a firmer, sweeter frosting.) Once combined, scrap down the bowl and add the vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until fluffy and easily spreadable, about 1 minute.

For the Assembly:

  • Place one cooled cake layer top-side up on a cake stand or serving platter and spread ¾ cup of frosting over the top, all the way to the edge of the cake. Place the other cake layer top-side down on top. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake.
  • If you desired, you can save some of the frosting to pipe decorations onto the cake or press chopped toasted pecans onto the frosting. Chill the cake for 30 minutes to set the frosting before slicing. Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Video

Notes

  • Peel your carrots before grating them. The peels can be a bit bitter, so the carrots will actually taste sweeter if you peel them first.
  • Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting. If the cake is still warm, the cream cheese frosting can melt, causing the top cake layer to slide right off!
  • Chill the cake before slicing. Not only does this set the frosting so it firms up and keeps the cake layers firmly in place, but it also reduces messy crumbs when you cut the cake, so you end up with picture-perfect slices!
  • I like to cut the cake with a serrated knife. Because of the chunky additions to the cake batter, a serrated knife does a better job of cutting through the cake cleanly.

Nutrition

Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 4437IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg