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The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

Find out why this is the best carrot cake recipe with rave reviews on the internet. With a simple list of ingredients and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting, you can have a delicious dessert to share with your friends and family.

It’s carrot cake season! A Classic Carrot Cake recipe is always a favorite. It’s simple, straightforward, and undeniably delicious. 

With all of the flavors people love – sweetness from the carrots, the perfect blend of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and a little bit of tang from the rich cream cheese frosting. Plus, it’s perfect for springtime.

If you’re looking for the best carrot cake recipe out there, look no further.

carrot cake

Whether you’re looking for a special occasion dessert like a birthday cake or just something to curb your sweet tooth, this easy carrot cake recipe is sure to hit the spot, becoming a family favorite.

Whether you’re a first-time baker or an experienced cook, you can make this homemade carrot cake recipe easily.

carrot cake

How to Make the Best Carrot Cake Recipe

Ingredients 

Directions 

Heat oven to 350 degrees f. Prepare 2 round cake pans with non-stick spray or butter or a 9×13 sheet cake pan. 

Shred 5 medium sized fresh carrots using a box grater. Grate them into a colander, to catch any unnecessary moisture coming off of the carrots.

You can also use a food processor for the grated carrots. If you want to make your carrots ahead of time, you can. Just store them in an airtight container.

You can use a stand mixer on medium speed to medium-high speed with the paddle attachment or use a hand mixer and a large bowl. If not either of those, just use a mixing bowl and a rubber spatula.

Beat your wet ingredients together: oil, sugar and eggs together until blended.

Combine the flour mixture and dry ingredients into the wet mixture, except for carrots and mix.

Add carrots and mix together.

carrot cake

Pour batter into your prepared pan(s).

Bake for a baking time of 30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Let your delicious carrot cake cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing from the cake pans.

Cool an additional 1 hour on the cooling rack before frosting.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the tangy cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula.

Transfer to a cake plate or serving platter.

Can I Make This Recipe Into a Layer Cake or Cupcakes?

Absolutely! 

8″ Layer Cake: Prepare and pour your carrot cake batter into 2 prepared round cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill two-thirds to the top, bake for about 20 minutes. 

Just be sure to have enough frosting for your cake layers or cupcakes.

The moist crumb texture also makes this a great recipe to make into a bundt cake using a tube pan.

carrot cake

Variations on Carrot Cake 

Add 1/4-1/2 cup of the following extra ingredients into the batter. 

Add chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans into the batter or on top of the cake.

Many of my friends like golden raisins in their carrot cake, so you can try that

Coconut is another big carrot cake addition. 

How to Store Your Carrot Cake 

Personally, I love the way this cake tastes the next day. The flavors truly come out more and more as time goes on.

With that said, since you are using a lot of fresh ingredients like cream cheese and carrots, I suggest storing your frosted cake in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 5 days max.

When you are ready to serve your cake, take it out and let it sit for an hour or so at room temperature. 

carrot cake

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carrot cake

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Find out why this is the best carrot cake recipe with rave reviews on the internet. With a simple list of ingredients and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting, you can have a delicious dessert to share with your friends and family.

Ingredients

  • * 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • * 1 cup vegetable oil
  • * 3 large eggs
  • * 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • * 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • * 1 tsp baking soda
  • * 1 tsp vanilla
  • * 1/2 tsp salt
  • * 3 cups shredded carrots (or 5 medium sized)
  • * cream cheese frosting

Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Beat oil, sugar and eggs together until blended.
    3. Add remaining ingredients except for carrots. Mix.
    4. Add carrots and mix together.
    5. Prepare 2 round cake pans with non-stick spray or butter.
    6. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    7. Let cool about 10 minutes before removing from the cake pans.
    8. Cool an additional 1 hour before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

Did you make this recipe?

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Glenda Cates

Wednesday 25th of May 2016

Good morning,

How are you this morning? I would like to thank you for allowing us to feature your lovely Carrot Cake on our Blog this morning. And I look forward to following you and seeing what other recipes you share with us. As we are just starting to eat Gluten Free to see if it keeps my sons stomach from hurting as he has trouble with it and the doctors haven't fiigured out what it is.

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