Best Carrot Cake Recipe
The best carrot cake recipe is soft, perfectly spiced, and layered with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting that melts right into every bite.
Made with warm cinnamon, sweet carrots, and just the right amount of sweetness, this homemade cake recipe is moist, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to make.
This crowd-pleasing dessert is perfect for Easter, spring brunch, birthdays, or anytime you’re craving a classic dessert with cozy flavor.
It’s make-ahead friendly, and guaranteed to impress guests without complicated steps.
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What are the ingredients in a carrot cake?
- Shredded carrots – The star of the show, adding natural sweetness and incredible moisture.
- Cinnamon & nutmeg – Warm spices that give carrot cake its signature cozy flavor.
- Brown sugar – Adds depth and a slight caramel note while keeping the cake soft.
- Vegetable oil – Keeps every bite tender and moist (no dry cake here!).
- Cream cheese – The tangy base of that rich, classic cream cheese frosting everyone loves.
Pantry Staples That Bring It All Together – All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk work together to create structure, lift, and balance.
How to Make a Carrot Cake
- To prepare cake pans, grease the pans with butter or cooking spray. Then, lightly dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess, or use parchment paper to line the bottom for easy removal.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in wet ingredients—oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk—until smooth.
- Finely shred your carrots. Use the small side of a box grater so they melt into the batter and keep the cake ultra moist.
- Fold in the shredded carrots into the cake batter. If you’d like, add chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) or raisins into the cake batter for extra texture and flavor.
- Divide the batter between two greased pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- For the frosting, blend softened butter and cream cheese, then add powdered sugar until smooth.
- Once the cake cools, frost each layer and garnish with chopped pecans.
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Absolutely. Bake at 350°F for about 18–22 minutes.
Yes. Because of the cream cheese, store it in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before serving.
Moisture and balance. Using oil instead of butter keeps the crumb soft, brown sugar adds depth, and freshly shredded carrots bring natural sweetness and texture. The right blend of warm spices — like cinnamon and nutmeg — gives it that classic, cozy flavor that makes every bite irresistible.
No. The moisture from freshly shredded carrots is what helps make carrot cake so soft and tender. If you remove that liquid, you risk ending up with a drier cake. Just grate them fresh and fold them right into the batter.
Overmixing the batter (which makes it dense), using pre-shredded store-bought carrots (they’re too dry and thick), and skipping the parchment paper in the pan. Another big one? Frosting the cake before it’s completely cool — that rich cream cheese frosting will slide right off.
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If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out these other delicious dessert ideas for even more inspiration in the kitchen.
- Find rich, tangy cream cheese frosting flavors that pair beautifully with cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and all your favorite baked treats.
- Browse festive Easter recipes for brunch, dinner, sides, and Easter desserts that make hosting easy and family-friendly.
- Try sweet and savory carrot recipes that highlight this versatile ingredient in everything from baked goods to wholesome side dishes.
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The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Recipe:
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 3 cups shredded carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 2 sticks 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 10 cups powdered sugar
- Chopped pecans for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Whisk together until combined.
- Shred carrots with a box grater or food processor.
- Then add in all the wet ingredients of vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk.
- Whisk into the flour mixture until the batter is smooth.
- Fold in the grated carrots until thoroughly combined.
- Spray the baking pans with baking spray and evenly split the batter between the two.
- Put in the oven for a baking time of 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the tangy cream cheese frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl add the softened butter and cream cheese.
- Use a hand mixer to blend together the two until smooth.
- Then add the powdered sugar about 3 cups at a time, blending in between each addition.
- Once the cake is done, let it cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Place the first layer of the cake down on a cake plate or serving platter and add frosting in the center.
- Spread evenly with an offset spatula.
- Then add the second layer of carrot cake and add more frosting. Spread evenly from the center of the cake and around the sides of the cake.
- Add the chopped pecans around the sides of the delicious carrot cake for garnish.
- Cut, serve and enjoy!
That looks delicious! And I love how you make it without NUTS because I hate nuts! I’ll have to add this to my recipe book!
My husband loves nuts in desserts. I cannot stand them and we often argue over recipes b/c I think it ruins them.
You know, not once did I see a carrot cake growing up! My girlfriend Vera is OBSESSED with Carrot Cake, she introduced me in my 20’s. So glad you posted this since I have a few GF people in my life and can whip this pretty up for them!
I didn’t see one until I was about 20. LOL This is something my mother would never eat or make growing up.
Oh I haven’t had carrot cake in the longest time. I’m so in the mood now. Yours looks amazing. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Is it Easter yet?
YUM! We love carrot cake, but I’ve never attempted to make it from scratch. This sounds really easy though so I think it may be time!
I love carrot cake and this looks delicious! Wish I could have some.
You can’t go wrong with carrot cake, especially at Easter time and I’m sure many can appreciate a GF version too 🙂
that looks delicious! Love that you have both options on your recipe. I am allergic to nuts so this recipe omitting them makes me want to try it one day.
I’m such a sucker for carrot cake – this recipe sounds amazing!
I can’t stand the nuts and raisins, well can’t have them either haha – LOVE this and cannot wait to make. My daughter can even eat it too!! 🙂
Oh that’s great!! 🙂
I’m not a big cake eater, but I always have room for carrot cake! Looks delicious!
I will have to give this a try for my super-allergic daughter!
I like my carrot cake to be nut free as well so this is appealing to me.
This looks so incredible! Loving it!
This looks really delicious. I like carrot cake but don’t like it when it’s all clunky and over-frosted. This looks perfect!
This looks super amazing! Can’t wait to try this and share it! #typeaparent
Thank you for the recipe. This looks delicious. And carrot cake is my favorite.