This is my favorite Carrot Cake Recipe of all time, with a moist and tender crumb and the perfect blend of spices. It’s loaded with carrots and studded with crunchy pecans and raisins (which are optional, but nice!), and you’ll love the perfect whipped cream cheese frosting.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“I have made this cake several times now and it never fails to be a winner. It’s so moist and flavoursome, it’s one of my all-time Natasha’s best recipes…” – Ivy ★★★★★
Best Carrot Cake Recipe
One of my favorite cakes growing up has always been homemade carrot cake, but store-bought carrot cakes have always missed the mark for me – they’re either too sweet, too dense, or too dry. After years of testing and perfecting this recipe, I can confidently say this sets the bar high for any carrot cake lover. It’s no wonder it has scores of 5-star reviews. You’ll love this 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
In this video tutorial, I’ll show you how to make and decorate this Carrot Cake. You will be surprised at how quickly and easily this cake comes together. This is the perfect Easter dessert following a glorious Baked Ham and Au Gratin Potatoes!
Ingredients for Carrot Cake
- Carrots – the star ingredient and key to a moist carrot cake. Use peeled whole carrots and avoid baby carrots or pre-shredded carrots.
- Oil – I use light olive oil to add richness to the crumb, but you can substitute it with canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Sugar – I combine granulated sugar with brown sugar, which contains molasses, adding moisture and a little bit of acidity to create a more tender crumb.
- Eggs – add moisture and richness to the cake. Make sure they are at room temperature.
- Applesauce – adds extra moisture and creates a denser, more tender crumb. You can also substitute lightly drained, crushed pineapple.
- Spices – warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove add flavor and enhance the carrot flavor. Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice are convenient substitutes instead of using several individual spices.
- Raisins and Pecans – these are optional, but I love the textures and flavors they add. You can substitute the nuts with walnuts, almonds, cashews, or shredded coconut.
How to Make Carrot Cake
The process for making this carrot cake comes together in 2 bowls (no mixer required!).
- 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 greased 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 completely before applying frosting.
How to Frost and Decorate Carrot Cake
You can decorate this cake any way you like. You can roughly spread the frosting for a traditional look or pipe the frosting as I 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 – I use a Wilton 1 M
- Offset Spatula – this makes the process much easier and more precise
Can I make this in a 9×13 cake pan?
I love the ease of rectangular pan cakes like our Pumpkin Cake and Tres Leches Cake. 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.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
I love this carrot cake for the holidays because it can be made in advance without suffering in quality or flavor. You can either make individual parts ahead of time 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.
How to Keep Sliced Cake Moist?
Frosting will keep a cake moist, but once a cake is sliced, the cake part that is exposed can quickly dry out. If you are storing leftover cake, place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the sliced part of the cake to keep the cake moist.
Carrots are such a versatile ingredient. I 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.
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
How to Make Carrot Cake:
- Prep: 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.
- Dry Ingredients: 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.
- Wet Ingredients: 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.
- Add-Ins: Use a spatula to fold in the carrot, nuts and raisins if using and fold until well incorporated.
- Bake: 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.
- Cool: 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
*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
Filed Under
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
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Easy Strawberry Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Flan
I use King Arthur gluten free flour in most things I cook. Do you think the cake would be ok with GF Flour? I will be making for Easter
Hi Kim! I haven’t tested it, and I don’t see any comments from my viewers who have tested this. I assume it would work fine if you’re using a 1:1 GF flour. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
It’s very good. But then again, all your recipes are very good. When is the next cookbooks coming? Happy Easter Natasha to you and your family. My favourite chef. I make your food every week sometimes several times. Today I made beef broccoli stir fry with ramen. Again.
Thank you so much, Birgit! I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipes. No plans for a second cookbook quite yet, but I will definitely announce it if we decide to move in that direction.
I will make this cake. It looks so delicious and moist. I’ve made several of your recipes already and loved all of them.
Can this cake be made ahead and frozen until ready to use?
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. You can check the “Storage tips” in the recipe for more tips.
Hi Natasha, I love your recipes. I really want to make this cake! I have one question..will it work in a half sheet pan 18x13x2? My neighbor has sued me to fix a 1/2 sheet cake-carrot cake for Easter. Please advise soon. Thank you!
Hi Georgianne! You will need more batter, this fits a 9×13 cake pan.
Do you think if I doubled the recipe that it would work? I would like a 2-3” height cake for the 18×13 pan. In my previous comment the word “sued” was accidentally put in for “asked”. I had the mic on by accident and it picked it up from TV…
I haven’t tested a larger pan so I can’t say for sure how much batter you’ll need. I think doubling would be a good amount.
This cake looks delicious but can I use it to make cupcakes instead? If so would temp and time stay the same?
Yes! Check out our Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe for instructions on converting this recipe to cupcakes.
Could I make a Bundt cake? What would I need to do to turn this into a Bundt cake? This recipe looks delicious.
Hi Marci! I haven’t tested it, but some of my viewers reported making this in a Bundt pan at 350 for 45-50 mins.
Can you make this carrot cake recipe into cupcakes
Yes! Check out our Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe for instructions on converting this recipe to cupcakes.
Hi! If you were to freeze the cake, what is your recommendation for freezing. Would you wrap in Saran Wrap? Would you not fully frost it? Looking for pointers. Thanks!
Hi there! Please go to this portion in the recipe “Storage Tips” as there are some tips there on how to store it in the fridge or freezer
This was the first carrot cake I’ve ever made. It was for my daughter-in-law’s birthday. Everyone loved it! Thank you so much for including a video in addition to the recipe. It’s a great help. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear the video was helpful, Cynthia! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Excellent carrot cake! Super moist and not too sweet just right! 🥰
Is there any way I Can omit the eggs and applesause?
Hello Karen! I have not tried omitting them from the recipe or using substitutes to advise. If you do an experiment, we’d love to know how it goes!
This was my first cake (from scratch) I’ve ever made, and I’m in my 30s. I will say it’s an easy cake, but the shredded carrots took forever. The cake/frosting was amazing! In the future can you shred the carrots 1-2 days in advance? This will definitely be a 2 day process as I dread using a shredder.
A food processor shreds carrots very quickly. Great tool for kitchen if you dont have one.
Why isn’t this receipt in your cook book and if it is what is it under
Hi Pat, while I wish I could fit all of my recipes into the cookbook, I couldn’t fit them all.
Hi Natasha, Renee here I love so many of your recipes. For this cake I’m assuming the applesauce should be sweetened if store bought correct? Thank you
Hi Renee, you can use our Homemade Applesauce Recipe or store bought. The sweetened part is optional depending on how sweet you would like it to be. We’ve had readers love it both sweetened and unsweetened. I hope that helps.
Natasha, I am making this cake tomorrow for a dinner party for Christmas 🎄. We want to make it into cake roll …do you think it will work as a roll? Any suggestions?
I have not tested that to advise. That will work I imagine but you need to make some modifications.
I dont have any applesauce any suggestions for a replacement. Also can this be done in a loaf
Hi Tonya! I suppose you could use another fruit puréed like a mashed banana. Crushed pineapple is a great substitute.
You can bake this in a different size pan, you’ll just have to experiment with the baking time in the oven.
I, also did not have applesauce, but did have Carrot baby food. It was perfect. Used same amount as called for
Do you roast the nuts? I did this first a friend they loved it. Was the best they ever ate.
Hi Wanda! See my note in the recipe card at the bottom. So glad it was enjoyed!
This is a keeper! Very moist. I made half of the recipe in a 9×9” pan. Took 33 minutes in my oven. About 1/3 of the frosting was more than enough.
Thank you for sharing that with us!
I am a 71 year old that likes to cook, bake ,and BBQ. I also love carrot cake. I did the recipe almost exactly but being paralyzed on my left side from strokes it was a little challenging, but oh so worth the effort and time. Thank You. BTW,I did a 9x13as I can’t manipulate 9 ” rounds. time was a solid 35 minutes at 350.
Can you this recipe for a Bundt mold pan instead of the 2 round pans instead thank you for your time
Hi Patty! Some of my viewers reported making this in a Bundt pan at 350 for 45-50 mins.