Carrot Cake Recipe

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This Carrot Cake Recipe yields a wonderfully moist, tender cake loaded with tasty mix-ins that you can easily customize to make it your own. Made with homemade carrot puree and shredded carrots, and topped with luscious cream cheese frosting, it’s the best carrot cake you’ll ever have.

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

I have been testing and tasting carrot cake recipes for years and I’m not kidding when I say that this is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. The cake layers themselves are incredibly moist and loaded with warm spices, real carrot puree (this is the best part), shredded carrots, and a delightful melee of mix-ins (coconut, pineapple, nuts, and raisins) that can be easily customized to fit your taste preferences. Three layers of this glorious carrot cake are stacked, filled, and frosted with the most incredibly rich, velvety cream cheese frosting you can imagine making for the perfect combination of flavors and textures.

Why You’ll Love This Layered Carrot Cake

This really is the best carrot cake you will ever make (or taste) and I don’t say that lightly. Here’s what makes it so special.

• The perfect combination of flavors. The richness of butter and brown sugar, the subtle sweetness of the carrot puree, the perfect blend of spices, and just a hint of pineapple and coconut unite to make this carrot cake the tastiest I have ever experienced. Top it off with a rich, sweet-but-not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting and you’ll be wondering why you ever gave another dessert the time of day.
• A texture adventure. The slight chew of grated carrots and coconut flakes and the crunch of pecans give the perfect amount of character to this wonderfully moist, tender cake.
• Tried and true. There are so many ways to do carrot cake but I took the guesswork out of it for you. After testing seemingly countless recipes, I finally found the perfect combination of ingredients and methods.
• Customizable. A great thing about making a carrot cake from scratch is that you can control what you decide to put into it. I used pineapple, coconut, pecans, and raisins but feel free to experiment with other mix-ins to get the carrot cake of your dream.

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make this carrot cake recipe and some details on key ingredients. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Carrot Cake

• Raw carrots – The carrots are used both for grated carrot and to steam and puree the remaining carrots, for extra awesome flavor and moisture. I’ve been asked before about using carrot baby food in place of the carrot puree and I finally tested it. For those looking for a bit of a shortcut, there’s good news. It works!
• All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour accurately, so you don’t end up with dry cupcakes. I always recommend a food scale, but the spoon and level method is also an option.
• Baking powder and baking soda – I used both for optimal rise and texture.
• Salt and spices – Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and salt all add great flavor.
• Unsalted butter – The butter should be softened at room temperature. Otherwise, it won’t cream properly with the oil, sugars, and vanilla to make your batter and, as a result, your cake light and fluffy.
• Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil and butter in this recipe. The butter adds richness and the vegetable oil contributes wonderful moisture.
• Light brown sugar and granulated white sugar – I went with a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar not only adds moisture to the cake but also deepens the flavor of the cake to make it even more delicious.
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs and Egg white – The eggs should be at room temperature. They will mix more smoothly and easily into the batter. They should also be large in size, not medium or extra large.
• Drained crushed pineapple – Be sure the pineapple is VERY well drained so as to prevent excess moisture from changing the consistency of the cake. The pineapple is an optional mix-in.
• Sweetened coconut flakes – The coconut flakes are also optional. Feel free to replace them with a different mix-in or leave them out altogether.
• Toasted pecans or walnuts – The toasted nuts are optional. You could use a different nut if you’d like.
• Raisins – The raisins are also optional. Feel free to try a different dried fruit or leave them out completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese – The cream cheese should be at room temperature. Otherwise, it will not mix smoothly with the butter and you will find yourself with a lumpy frosting.
• Butter – Soften the butter at room temperature before using. Otherwise, it won’t mix smoothly with the cream cheese and your frosting will turn out lumpy.
• Powdered sugar – For a great frosting and piping consistency, I recommend using the amount listed in the recipe. However, you can reduce the amount if’d you like to and just spread it on.
• Vanilla extract
• Pecans

How To Make Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tie on your apron and grab your mixing bowls. It’s time to make the best carrot cake ever. Here’s a quick overview of how to do it. For more detailed instructions, scroll to the recipe card below.

Make the cake layers

• Grate the carrots. Peel the carrots, then grate them until you have 3 1/2 cups Cover and refrigerate.
• Make the carrot puree. Chop the remaining carrot and steam them for 10-15 minutes. Transfer the steamed carrots to a food processor and process until smooth.

• Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F, line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles, and grease the sides.
• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• Cream. Beat together the butter, oil, sugars, and vanilla extract until light in color and fluffy.
• Add the eggs. Mix in the eggs one at a time followed by the egg white.

• Put it all together. Mix half of the dry ingredients into the batter followed by the carrot puree. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
• Add the mix-ins. Stir in the grated carrots, pineapple, coconut, pecans, and/or raisins.

• Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 29-32 minutes.
• Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting and assembly

• Make the frosting. Mix together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in half of the powdered sugar followed by vanilla extract. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar.
• Assemble. Cut the domes from the tops of the cakes and place the first cake on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup of frosting over the top and then add the second cake layer and spread another cup of frosting over the top. Stack the final cake layer on top.

• Frost. Frost the outside of the cake.
• Decorate. Use a 9-inch offset spatula to create the spiral pattern on top of the cake and press the pecans into the sides of the cake. Use the remaining frosting to pipe shells around the outer edge of the cake.

Tips for Success

Take your carrot cake from good to great with these essential tips and tricks.

• Grate your own carrots. Grate the carrots with a box grater or a food processor. It only takes a little extra time and will produce a much tastier result (and texture) than pre-grated carrots.
• Trust me on the carrot puree. One of the most unique things this carrot cake contains is carrot puree. You could replace it with milk if you like and just use grated carrots, but it genuinely adds the BEST flavor and moisture to this cake so I highly suggest going the extra mile.
• Drain the crushed pineapple. And drain it well. Otherwise, excess moisture will wind up in the cake which can affect baking time, texture, and more.
• Don’t skimp on the creaming time. When beating together the butter, oil, sugars, and vanilla, do so until the mixture has lightened in color and become light and fluffy. This is an indication that plenty of air has been incorporated into the batter, which will help give you a light, fluffy cake.
• Don’t over-mix the batter. When adding the dry ingredients to the batter, mix just until everything is incorporated. No more. Over-mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, giving you a tough, dense cake.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl. As you add ingredients and mix them in (both for the batter and the frosting), scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently with a rubber spatula, incorporating any stray ingredients into the mixture.
• Cool. Give the baked cake layers plenty of time to cool before stacking, filling, and frosting. If they are warm, they will melt the frosting right off the cake.
• Frost with confidence. Looking to impress with a perfectly frosted cake? Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake and you’ll be frosting like a pro in no time.

How To Store Leftover Carrot Cake

• Refrigerator. Seal the cake in an airtight cake carrier. If you don’t have one, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. I suggest using toothpicks to prop the plastic away from any decorations. Alternatively, slice the cake and arrange the slices in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
• Freezer. Allow the cake to firm up in the freezer for a couple of hours before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Already sliced it? Arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container. Store the cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before serving.

Note that this cake is best enjoyed at room temperature, so allow it to sit out on the counter for 2 hours or so before indulging.

More Layer Cake Recipes To Try

The world of layer cakes is seemingly endless. Pick a frosting, pick a cake, and stack them together. I’ve worked hard over the years to find the best combinations of cakes and frostings. Here are some of my favorites.

• Orange Layer Cake
• Hummingbird Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
• Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
• Pumpkin Layer Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
• Italian Cream Cake

Watch How to Make it

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