Easy Carrot Cake Recipe (VIDEO)

This homemade Carrot Cake Recipe is moist and tender with a soft crumb and the perfect blend of spices. It’s loaded with carrots and studded with crunchy pecans and tangy-sweet raisins (which are optional but nice!).

You’ll love the layers of Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s the same frosting we use for Red Velvet Cake – a keeper of a recipe! Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make and decorate this iconic carrot cake.

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The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

I have always loved carrot cake, but store-bought carrot cakes have always missed the mark for me – they’re either too sweet, too dense, or too dry. This homemade carrot cake sets the bar high for any carrot cake lover. It’s a winning combination of the perfect cake base and fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Carrots should be the prominent ingredient of any carrot cake and this one does not disappoint. It’s also super moist from the addition of applesauce and olive oil. This cake is so satisfying, you could even enjoy it without any frosting. There’s so much going on in the flavor and texture of the cake between the shredded carrots, crunchy pecans, and sweet raisins.

Carrot Cake Video

Watch Natasha make this Carrot Cake. You will be surprised at how quickly and easily this cake comes together. This is a terrific weekend baking project and It’s the perfect springtime or Easter dessert.

What Makes Carrot Cake Moist?

• Carrots – the star ingredient and they naturally contain a lot of water. The key is to finely greater the carrots so they release their moisture in the baking process and also disperse more evenly in the cake without sinking to the bottom. Get organic carrots if possible. They always seem sweeter to me.
• Oil – we use light olive oil to add richness to the crumb, but you can substitute it with canola oil or vegetable oil. Oil is preferred over butter because oil remains liquid at room temperature which helps keep the crumb soft and moist.
• Brown Sugar – contains molasses which adds moisture and a little bit of acidity to create a more tender crumb.
• Eggs – add moisture and richness to the cake. They also help hold the cake together.
• Applesauce – adds extra moisture, and creates a denser, more tender crumb. We love homemade applesauce but storebought works fine. You can also substitute with crushed pineapple.

How to Make Carrot Cake

The process for making this carrot cake comes together in 2 bowls; stirring the dry ingredients, stirring the wet ingredients, and combining them with your carrots and optional mix-ins.

• Dry ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, breaking up the brown sugar if you see clumps.
• Wet ingredients – in a second mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – oil, apple sauce, and eggs until well blended.
• Combine – Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until moistened, scraping down the bowl.
• Add-ins – Fold in carrots, pecans, and raisins (if using) just until incorporated.
• Bake – Divide the batter between 2 prepared 9-inch cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool – Rest in the cake pans for 15-20 minutes then run a knife or spatula around the edges to release the cakes and transfer to wire racks to cool.

How to Frost a Carrot Cake

You can decorate this cake any way you like. You can roughly spread on the frosting for a rustic look or pipe the frosting as we have done here. If you want to replicate this look, watch the video tutorial above to see detailed instructions for decorating this dreamy carrot cake. Here’s what you will need:

• Piping Bag – I love the disposable ones
• Large Open Star Tip – we use a Wilton 1 M
• Offset Spatula – this makes the process much easier and more precise

What does carrot cake taste like?

Since carrots are the main ingredient of carrot cake, it has a great earthy carrot flavor with warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. The cake itself isn’t overly sweet which makes it a perfect match for the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

Can I make this in a 9×13 cake pan?

You can bake this carrot cake in a 13×9 cake pan. Prepare your pan as directed in the recipe then bake at 350˚F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Can I make carrot cake cupcakes?

Yes! Check out our Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe for instructions on converting this recipe to cupcakes.

Storage Tips

How long does carrot cake last? This cake can be made in advance without suffering in quality or flavor. You can either make individual parts ahead or fully assemble the cake ahead of time since it keeps really well in the refrigerator or freezer.

• Cake Layers – once the cake layers are cooled to room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap and keep them at room temperature overnight. Cake layers can also be frozen for up to three months. 
• Assembled Cake – once the cake is fully assembled, you can cover and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Carrot cake can be frozen for 2-3 months. 
• To Serve – If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. This cake can be served at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator. Just slice and serve. 

Carrots are such a versatile ingredient. We love Carrot recipes from Roasted Carrots to Creamy Carrot Soup and of course carrot desserts. If you’re a fan of carrots, this Classic Carrot Cake is a must-try! Layered with our Cream Cheese Frosting, it is such a nostalgic and comforting dessert that makes everyone happy.

More Classic Cake Recipes

If you love classic cakes like this Carrot Cake, then you won’t want to miss these time-tested cake recipes:

• Tiramisu Recipe
• Classic Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cake
• Vanilla Cupcakes
• Tres Leches Cake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Chocolate Cake

Easy Carrot Cake Recipe (VIDEO)

5 from 138 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

This carrot cake is soft, moist, loaded with carrots and pecans and has tons of flavor. You’ll love the layers of fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting. Carrot cake is a nostalgic and comforting dessert.

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Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Servings: 16 slices

• unsalted butter, to grease the pans
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves, optional
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup extra light olive oil, or vegetable or canola oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup applesauce, or drained crushed pineapple
• 3 cups finely grated carrots, 14 oz or 6 medium carrots
• 1 cup pecans, *plus more to garnish, optional
• 3/4 cup golden raisins, or regular raisins, optional
• 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting

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Instructions

How to Make Carrot Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the center of the oven. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with a ring of parchment paper and lightly butter the parchment. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add flour, both sugars, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt. Whisk to combine and break up any brown sugar clumps.
• In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: oil, eggs and applesauce just until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold until combined.
• Use a spatula to fold in the carrot, nuts and raisins if using and fold until well incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake in a fully preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the cake rest in the pans for 15-20 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before applying frosting and decorating. Meanwhile, make the Cream Cheese Frosting.

To Frost The Carrot Cake:

• Set the first cake layer on a cake platter and spread on a generous amount of Cream Cheese frosting (about 1/4 of the batch).
• Set the second layer over the frosting with the top-side-down to create an even frosting surface. Lightly crumb coat the cake with frosting then apply more frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
• Use a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip to pipe puffs of the remaining frosting around the top of the cake and sprinkle remaining pecans around the edges.

Notes

The nutrition label does not include frosting. Please see the Cream Cheese Frosting recipe for additional frosting nutrition information. 
*To improve the flavor of pecans, toast them on a dry skillet, tossing frequently until fragrant then cool and chop. You can also substitute pecans with walnuts, almonds, cashews or shredded coconut. 

Nutrition Per Serving

345kcal Calories41g Carbs4g Protein19g Fat3g Saturated Fat3g Polyunsaturated Fat13g Monounsaturated Fat0.004g Trans Fat41mg Cholesterol246mg Sodium230mg Potassium2g Fiber26g Sugar4077IU Vitamin A2mg Vitamin C44mg Calcium1mg Iron

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Easy Carrot Cake Recipe (VIDEO)

Amount per Serving

Calories

345

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

19

g

29

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

 

0.004

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

13

g

Cholesterol

 

41

mg

14

%

Sodium

 

246

mg

11

%

Potassium

 

230

mg

7

%

Carbohydrates

 

41

g

14

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

26

g

29

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

4077

IU

82

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

44

mg

4

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Best Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Recipe

Skill Level: Medium

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 345