This classic Carrot Cake recipe is one you’ll want to add to your collection! A moist and delicious cake paired with a not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting.
A lot of the recipes you find on Liv for Cake are ones where I try to transform a dessert into a cake (like this Tiramisu Cake, or Pecan Pie Cake), or ones with a variety of different flavor combinations and pairings (like my Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting).
I try to make things that are interesting or unique, but I often have people requesting the staples, so I’ve decided to start introducing some more basic recipes into my collection, starting with this Carrot Cake Recipe!
This actually isn’t the first “staple” recipe I have on my blog. Two of my most popular posts are my classic Vanilla Cake and my Simple Vanilla Buttercream. They are great “base” recipes that can be tweaked and flavored to your heart’s content.
But, in light of Easter on the horizon, I thought it would be a perfect time for a (somewhat) themed dessert to go along with it.
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
I actually didn’t really care for carrot cake until a few years ago. I guess I just never had a good one, or they had too many additions I didn’t particularly care for (pineapple, walnuts, or raisins (gasp!!)), or they were dry. I don’t know, it was just never a go-to recipe for me… until I had it at my sister-in-law’s wedding a few years ago.
At the wedding, they had a three tier cake, each with a different flavor, so naturally I had to try them all. I was least excited about the carrot cake but WOW, it totally blew me away and was easily the best of the bunch. Since then, it’s been one of my favorites.
The other thing that used to turn me off of carrot cake was the cream cheese frosting. I am not a cream cheese fan. You’ll never catch me ordering a cheesecake unless I know it’s made with something like ricotta. Cream cheese is just too strong for me, and I found that on most carrot cakes it was overpowering.
My cream cheese frosting is different than most, as it uses more butter than cream cheese, but you can totally still taste the cream cheese. It’s also not overly heavy on the sugar, but you can add more if you like. I found this recipe to be best structurally too, as a lot of cream cheese frostings can be too soft and difficult to work with. It’s important to use the full-fat brick cream cheese (not from a tub) for best results.
I chose to keep the decorating simple and do a naked cake. The recipe makes enough frosting to cover the whole cake though, if you prefer. I thought the edible flowers would be a nice touch and go well with the the spring and Easter theme. Edible flowers aren’t super easy to find, but Whole Foods almost always has some.
Make sure the flowers you use are safe to eat — some can be toxic!
This carrot cake has been a major hit over here. Ryan doesn’t typically enjoy desserts that aren’t of the chocolate variety, but he made it a point to tell me to “hold back” as much of this cake as possible. So, sorry friends! This one will be stashed in our freezer.
Looking for more Easter recipes?
Tips for this Carrot Cake recipe
- Apr 14, 2022 – Cream Cheese Frosting recipe revised to make a more stable frosting.
- You can make this recipe as-is in two 8″ pans instead of three 6″ pans.
- I used my food processor on the fine (not coarse) setting to grate the carrots. You can grate them by hand also.
- I didn’t use rainbow carrots for the inside of the cake, but you can. Just note that the purple will come out somewhat black/green and may not look very pretty!
- Use full-fat brick cream cheese (not in a tub) for best results for the frosting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Carrot Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated carrots lightly packed, approx. 4 large carrots (300g shredded)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup cream cheese full fat, chilled
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cornstarch or meringue powder optional, as needed
Assembly:
- edible flowers optional
Instructions
Carrot Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6″ cake rounds, line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine vegetable oil and sugars. Beat until well combined (2 mins). Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Add flour mixture in 3 parts. Fold in carrots.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 55mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer beat butter until pale and creamy. Reduce speed to low. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute.
- Slowly add chilled cream cheese one cube at a time (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Beat well until blended and ensure no lumps of cream cheese remain.
- If needed, add cornstarch or meringue powder 1 tablespoon at a time to stiffen the frosting (I didn't but this is an option). Run mixer on low for a couple of minutes to remove any air bubbles.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 2/3 cup of buttercream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat.
- Decorate the top with a swirl and some edible flowers if desired.
Linda says
I made this for my daughters birthday last year and her friends raves and still talk about it! So I’m making again next weekend for a combined birthday party for her and my son at their request. The best carrot cake I’ve ever had! Thank you for posting. ❤️🏅
Olivia says
Hi Linda! Thanks so much, I’m so happy you love it!
Nia says
This is the second cake (the first was the cinnamon roll cake ) that I’ve made from your site and oh my goodness they were both amazing ! I’ve bookmarked this site! Lol I’m going to attempt to make them all 😁
Olivia says
Hi Nia! I’m so happy you love my recipes! I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂
kayleigh Arnold says
Hands down the best carrot cake I’ve ever tasted!!
I made the recipe in two 6″ tins and added 20 minutes to the baking time. I have 4 perfect 1″ layers and it is perfection!!
Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Kayleigh! I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for your tips! 🙂
Adriana says
I made this today…it was AMAZING!!! It was definitely a hit at the office party today! I would love to make this but for a 3 layer 8 inch cake. Would you know the modifications to achieve this?
kayleigh Arnold says
Hi lovely, I would change the servings to 18 above the ingredients and that will give you enough for 3 8″ tins 🙂 x
Olivia says
Hi Adriana! I’m so happy you loved it!! For a three-layer 8″ cake you should 1.5x the recipe. If you change the Servings to 18 it will give you the correct proportions, like Kayleigh mentioned (thanks Kayleigh!! 🙂 ). Baking temperature stays the same but baking time may vary slightly.
Abby T says
Loved this recipe! It’s not so so soft (like most carrot cake recipes) that you can’t stack the layers without it sliding off. I did lessen the sugar, it’s just my personal preference. Thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂 i think the spices were a perfect blend, each spice wasn’t overpowering the others. The frosting was also delicious! This carrot cake recipe is super perfect for the Fall weather! <3
Olivia says
Hi Abby! Thanks so much! I’m so happy you loved this one 🙂
Melissa Marsh says
I usually don’t comment on products or recipes unless they are really good . . . This is REALLY GOOD! Like you, I’m not a homemade carrot cake fan as I have found most recipes to be heavy, greasy and just plain gross. I typically only have a bit or two from a restaurant where I know the cake is good and wished that I could find an equally good recipe. That being said I finally found it! I made this cake this weekend for a dinner party with a good friend who happens to love carrot cake and has a mother-in-law who is an excellent baker of said carrot cake. Her mother-in-law doesn’t have the recipe written down so I have yet to secure it. This cake is absolutely delicious and was a complete hit!! It has the right amount of spice and great texture – not to heavy or too light. Just right! Your website is absolutely terrific and recently stumbled upon it. Also, your Banana Blueberry cake is Devine – my father-in-laws favorite! Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it! I am so happy you loved this one (and my Banana Blueberry!) I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂
Alejandra says
Olivia:
I live at a high altitude place (Mexico City). Do I need to adjust baking powder and/or baking soda amounts?
Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Alejandra! You will need to make some adjustments and it might take some experimentation on your part. I’ve never baked in high altitude, but here are some tips: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Zoë says
This recipe looks amazing and can’t wait to try it for a pal’s birthday this week.
Quick question before I dive in, do you need to squeeze the moisture out of the grated carrot before adding to the mixture or just throw them all in?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Zoe! Just throw them in. There shouldn’t be too much moisture 🙂
Bubble says
Did it with a piñata cake!
Yum!!
Olivia says
Hi Bubble! So happy you liked it 🙂
Katy says
Hey can’t wait to try this cake !!! Was just wondering if I can sub anything for the baking soda as it’s finding hard to get hold of !!
Olivia says
Hi Katy! Do you have baking powder? Or self-raising flour? Here are some tips: https://www.wikihow.com/Substitute-Baking-Soda
Zara says
Hi, what would the measurements for the carrot cake be if I used 3 x 7inch tins?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Zara! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html You can bake the recipe as is but the layers will be thinner so baking time will be shorter.
Nancy says
Hi, is the stand mixer necessary? I stumbled upon your blog and was inspired to start baking but cannot afford a stand mixer right now and bought an electric hand mixer instead.
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! You can totally make this with just a hand mixer. It will be fine!
Robert T. Adams says
The cream cheese icing is excellent. The cake, however, is not what I like for a carrot cake. It’s not bad but it’s not remarkable either. It’s not as dense as I like– more of a light cake, like you get from a box mix. Its spicing is not as intense as I like. Will definitely make the icing again but use another recipe for the cake.
Olivia says
Hi Robert! Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one, but glad you love the frosting!
Tia says
Any advice on adding pineapple to the batter? Should I cook it first to remove some moisture?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Tia! It would require some experimentation on my part to test that out. If you want to try it, I would use canned pineapple pieces, drain them, and squeeze out any excess water using paper towels.
Tia says
I just popped this cake in the oven, with equal parts pineapple to carrots (300g each) I used canned pineapple drained it and tossed it in some flour before adding it to the batter. I will be sure to add another comment with the results!
Tia says
The cake just came out of the oven, the layers seem perfect! Used dole canned pineapple tidbits for reference. It was probably an additional 20g of flour.
Olivia says
Yay! So happy to hear it turned out. Thanks so much for your tips. I’m sure others will find them very helpful.
Carmen says
Really good!
Olivia says
Hi Carmen! So glad you love it 🙂
Charne says
Hi Olivia,
I love the flavour of the recipe! However, my cake didn’t rise in the middle, and only on the edges. The middle was doughy and dense. I made the recipe again, thinking that made I didn’t mix it enough, but it did the same thing. Any advise ?
Olivia says
Hi Charne! Strange that it didn’t rise in the middle… are your baking powder/soda still fresh? And are you at high elevation by chance? Did it not rise at all or did it fall? And if the latter was it in the oven still or after you took it out? Might be that it needed a bit more time in the oven.
Jane says
Hi Liv,
So I’ve made this cake for an afternoon tea which I thought was for tomorrow… turns out it’s in three days. I have iced it in the naked fashion. I’m wondering will it keep in the fridge or should I freeze it until the day before & defrost it overnight?
Thanks
Jane.
Olivia says
Hi Jane! I would freeze it as the fridge tends to dry cakes out (freezer doesn’t). I would chill it till the frosting sets then wrap it in plastic wrap so the naked sides don’t dry out. Defrost in the fridge overnight then take out 2-3 hours before serving so it can come to room temp 🙂
Jane says
Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver.
Jane
Louise says
I made this. My oven is terrible and temp is extremely uneven plus no light. Burned one side of 2 of the layers. No problem! Once I leveled the layers, I just reduced the diameter of each layer to avoid using the burned part. (I used the lid of a round box as a template). Despite this initial disaster, the cake was amazing – still moist and really tasty. Butter cream is not overly sweet and I could still taste the cream cheese. It was a hit with everyone. I did add a little milk (about a teaspoon) to the butter cream as it was a little thick and I was struggling to apply the crumb coat. It was perfect after that.
Olivia says
Hi Louise! I’m so happy to hear that it turned out and that you loved it 🙂
Leah says
Really want to try this cake! But wanted to ask if it would be possible to add raisins to the mixture as is?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Leah! You should be able to fold them in right at the end with the carrots, but I would toss the raisins in 1 tsp of flour first. This will increase the volume of batter though so just be sure your pans are not filled too high 🙂
Amanda says
Thank you for such a fantastic recipe! I’m so happy with the way my cake turned out. It’s for my husband’s birthday tomorrow as carrot cake is his favourite.
Do you have any more tips for the cream cheese frosting? Every time I try it, it really doesn’t come out well. It tasted ok today but really was a bit too runny. Plus there were still some small lumps of butter (I was worried about over beating but I did beat the times you suggested). The layers were sliding about and I nearly had a disaster! Luckily I’ve managed to keep it all together and the fridge has helped it to harden a little bit but it was really tricky to get the swirl and decorate. Anything you could suggest I try differently next time? I have a stand mixer. I’m in the UK too if that makes any difference. Thanks again!
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback, I’m thrilled that you loved it and I hope he does too! 🙂 Cream cheese frosting is so hard to work with – I always struggle with it too. You could add more powdered sugar to make it more stable, but I find that makes it very sweet. It should be smooth though, were your CC and butter both at room temp? It helps if they are both at the same temp but not too soft and mushy. You could always pop the whole bowl of frosting in the fridge for 20mins or so and then rewhip — that should help firm it up a bit 🙂
Amanda says
Thank you for the tips! I’m glad it wasn’t just me finding it tricky. I did have them at room temperature so I think I’ll try chilling and re whipping next time. I don’t really want to add more sugar as the taste was perfect as it was! It really was a wonderful cake. Thank you!
Pria says
Hi Amanda, which cream cheese did you use please. I am in the UK too and my cream cheese frosting is always runny no matter which recipe I use 🙁
Hi Olivia, I tried your recipe today , it’s for a cake tasting at my sister’s care home for elderly people. I hope they will enjoy the carrot cake.
It’s just I always end up with a runny frosting
Olivia says
Hi Pria! Do you use full-fat block (not tub) cream cheese? CC frosting is always a bit on the softer side, but shouldn’t be runny. You can always chill it a bit and rewhip to firm it up too.