The Best Carrot Cake

Serve up this three-layered carrot cake for your sweet tooth craving. This homemade carrot cake is studded with shaved carrots and swirled with a decadent cream cheese frosting that is velvety smooth. This is the best carrot cake recipe.

If you have ever had a good carrot cake, then you know once you find that recipe, you never let it go. Well, this recipe is just that. Decadent, full of warm spices, and a frosting that makes you dance in your seat.

Consider trying these carrot cake cookies, carrot cake fudge, or even these delightful carrot cake hot chocolate bombs.

 ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A moist and flavorful made-from-scratch cake made with fresh grated carrots.
• Easy to make, and a decadent layered cake.
• You can customize this dessert with mix-in changes, a different frosting, etc.
• You can serve this for a special occasion or as a treat for an end-of-day snack.

🛒Ingredients

Next time you are in the grocery store stop by and pick up these items so that you can make this fresh treat with your family.

• eggs
• vegetable oil
• sugar
• brown sugar
• ground cinnamon
• baking soda
• baking powder
• flour
• salt
• carrots
• cream cheese
• butter
• powdered sugar
• heavy whipping cream

See the recipe card below for quantities.

🔪 How to Make The Best Carrot Cake

To make this cake, add all your dry ingredients in a bowl. Toss to blend.

Next, you will work with the wet ingredients, mixing to combine.

Add in the carrots and fold in the batter.

Pour the cake batter into your round cake pans. Bake as directed. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting, you will mix it in a stand mixer and whip it until it is light and fluffy.

Once ready, begin to frost each cake layer as directed in the recipe card. The n top with nuts and slice and serve.

💭 Tips

• Make sure that you finely grate the carrots. You can either peel the skin off the carrot or leave it on.
• Do not overmix the cake batter, or it will cause the mixture to become dense and heavy.
• Allow the cake to fully cool before you begin to frost. Otherwise, the cake will melt into the cake.
• Make sure that grease your pans well. You can also use parchment paper to the bottom of the cake pans.
• Cut off any excess of the cakes for the layers of cake, so they are level and not domed.

⁉️ FAQ

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.

🥫 Storage

Store your cake in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge. This is going to help keep your cake moist.

Or you can freeze for 2-3 months. Freeze in a sealed container. Then eat straight from the freezer or allow it to thaw first.

🍽 More Cake Recipes

• Hummingbird Bundt Cake
• German Chocolate Cake
• Coffee Cake Pound Cake

The Best Carrot Cake

The Best Carrot Cake is incredibly moist and and super delicious! Topped with a sweet and creamy cream cheese frosting you will swoon over this cake.

4.27 from 26 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Rob

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups grated carrots

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 stick of butter (softened)
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp heavy whipping cream

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Prepare 3 6” cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment paper if desired.

  3. Combine all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

  4. Run through the ingredients with a whisk breaking up any large clumps.

  5. Add in all of the wet ingredients and mix until combined.

  6. Add in the carrots and mix until just combined.

  7. Evenly distribute the batter between the three baking pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

  8. Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

  9. While the cakes are cooling, prepare your cream cheese buttercream by creaming together the cream cheese and butter until nice and smooth.

  10. Slowly add in one cup of confectioners sugar at a time until combined.

  11. Add in vanilla and cream and mix on high for 3-4 minutes until the frosting is nice and fluffy.

  12. Assemble the cake by placing one layer on a cake stand or plate and topping with about ½ cup of the frosting and leveling with a spatula.

  13. Continue with all layers. Finally cover the entire cake with the frosting, and top with chopped pecans if desired.

Disclaimer

Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.