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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
Print
Recipe
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 47 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 17 minutes
- Yield: 12-14
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 1/3 lbs (1,060g) raw carrots
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour (measured properly)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (225g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (104g) granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup (120g) drained crushed pineapple, optional*
- 1 1/4 cup (91g) sweetened coconut flakes, optional
- 3/4 cup (80g) chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, optional
- 1/2 cup (75g) raisins, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (172g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (165g) chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the cake layers
- Peel the carrots, then grate them just until you have 3 1/2 cups (350g) of grated carrots. Cover the grated carrot and set in the fridge.
- Chop the remaining raw carrots into pieces small enough to go into a food processor or blender. Put chopped carrots in a steamer basket (or a colander, if you don’t have a steamer basket) set over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam the carrots until very tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Put the warm carrots into a food processor or blender and puree (do not add the water used to steam the carrots, JUST the carrots). The puree will be thick. You should end up with about 1 3/4 cups (420ml) of carrot puree. Set aside to cool while you make the cake batter.
- Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, oil, sugars and vanilla extract to and large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time, but do not over mix either.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each, then add the egg white. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- Add the carrot puree (it can be warm or cold) and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
- Stir in the grated carrots, pineapple, coconut, pecans and raisins (if using them all). Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 29-32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
Frosting and assembly
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until well combined and smooth.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. Add more or less powdered sugar, as desired for consistency purposes.
- To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat, if needed. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
- Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
- Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
- Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting.
- Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
- Use a 9 inch offset spatula to create the spiral pattern on top of the cake. Place the tip of spatula in the center of the cake and slowly turn the cake in circles, dragging the spatula through the frosting and moving outwards with each completed turn until you reach the outer edge of the cake.
- Press the pecans into the sides of the cake.
- Use the remaining frosting to pipe shells around the outer edge of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Set cake out for about 2 hours before serving. Store cake in an air tight container. Cake is best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
If you’d prefer to leave out the carrot puree and just use grated carrots, replace the carrot puree with 1 1/4 cups of milk. You’ll need to increase the baking time by about 3-5 minutes.
You can use carrot baby food in place of the carrot puree, if you prefer and want to save some time.
To bake in two 9 inch cake layers, bake for 38-42 minutes. This cake works great for cupcakes too. You can find my carrot cake cupcakes here.
You’ll need a 12 oz can of crushed pineapple.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 879
- Sugar: 102.8 g
- Sodium: 372.9 mg
- Fat: 39.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 129.2 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 74.8 mg
This recipe is so amazing! It has become a year-round family favorite! I am trying this recipe today with gluten-free baking flour. Can you tell me if I need to make any adjustments to this recipe? Some places I have read that it removes some of the moisture but this recipe has plenty of add ins to avoid that. I just don’t want to miss something. Thanks in advance.
Yay! So glad to hear that! I haven’t ever tried gluten free flour, but usually when people mention using it my recipes, it seems to be fine without other adjustments.
Hi! A question- I really don’t like the texture of grated carrots. Would this recipe still work if I only used carrot puree?
Absolutely.
Can I make this cake in a 9X13 pan? Thanks!
Yes, that should be fine.
I love this recipe. I was wondering if I made the cake a week or so in advance, could I freeze it and then frost and serve it? Have you eve frozen it? Thanks
So glad to hear that! It should freeze pretty well. Just wrap the layers well and thaw in the fridge before frosting.
Will the cream cheese frosting do well in Florida heat? I’m baking a two tier carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Should I add anything to the frosting to firm it up or should it be fine? Thank you!
Most frostings aren’t going to do well sitting out in the heat, and cream cheese frosting would have even harder time because it’s already on the thinner side. I would not set it outside.
So excited to try this recipe! Do you know how many cups of batter this roughly makes? I am making several different sizes and would love to see how much I need to calculate. Thank you.
This recipe calls for ginger. I just wanted to clarify if it is fresh or ground ginger. Also, must the eggs and egg white be room temperature or are cold eggs and egg white fine?
It’s ground ginger. I add the eggs when they are cold but you can certainly bring them to room temperature first. Either way is fine.
I’m excited to try this recipe, which I will be making tomorrow, but I have a question as I’m prepping some of the ingredients in advance. With the crushed pineapple, it says “drained,” but I was wondering if you’re pressing out every last drop of liquid, because I can extract a lot more pineapple juice if I press down on it with a spoon. I’m not sure what to do. The only size can of crushed pineapple I can get in my store is a 20 oz can, and I was going to follow your gram measurement of 341 grams, but after pressing out ALL of the juice from a 20-oz can, it was only about 179 grams of pineapple. Should I put some of the liquid back in to equal 341 grams? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
So my gram measurement is what the can is with the liquid. Makes me rethink how to list that, but in the meantime here’s what I suggest. I’d use about 107 grams of the drained pineapple. Here’s my math – if your 20 oz of can of drained pineapple weighs 179 grams, that’s 8.95 grams per oz. So if you need 12 oz worth of drained pineapple then 8.95 * 12 is 107.4 grams. That said, a little more or less isn’t going to hurt the cake. I hope that helps and that you enjoy the cake!
Yes! Thank You So Much! It does help. I’ll try it and see how it goes. I just started creaming the fats and sugars. I appreciate your quick response.
I’ve tried several different carrot cake recipes lately, and I’ve tried some good ones, but this one is probably my favorite. I haven’t been much of a carrot cake fan in the past, but I’m converted! This cake has SUCH good flavor! My cake layers turned out perfectly. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to press out all the liquid with the crushed pineapple, but that’s what I did. I used more than 2 lbs of carrots, but I didn’t have quite enough carrot puree, and I didn’t feel like rushing to the store for more. I ended up with 1 1/4 cups puree, so I appreciated the tip about using milk in place of the puree. If my husband and I did the math correctly, I added about 1/3 cup milk? It seemed to work out though! I love texture in food, but for some reason, I don’t like chunks too big in carrot cake, SO I finely ground my pecans, pineapple, and coconut as much as I could in my food processor (NOT altogether, mind you). I paired this cake with a brown butter cream cheese frosting, and it was SO good. I highly recommend that. This recipe is a keeper! Lindsay, I’ve tried quite a few of your desserts/cakes, and I always know they will turn out well/how they’re supposed to. Thanks for another great recipe!
So glad to hear you loved it and that you’ve come to trust my recipes! Thanks Kristin!
This was a hit for my dad’s birthday party. I used 7 cups powdered sugar for the frosting and it tasted great. Thank you for this yummy recipe!
I made this for Easter and my family said this is on par…maybe even better than Cheesecake Factory!!! I told everyone about your site and said I’ve not been steered wrong yet!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am wanting to make the cake in advance and then frost it the next day – would you store the layers in the fridge overnight?
I would just store it in an air tight container at room temperature. But refrigerating it would be fine too.
Can you just grease the cake pan if no parchment paper?
Sure, that should be fine.
I love the recipe.. thank you so much so excited to try it out
Absolutely delicious. Carrot cake is my husband’s favorite and he said it was the best he’s ever eaten! There were no leftovers! Thank you for another fantastic recipe.
Wonderful! So glad to hear that!
My favorite cake I’ve made from your site. Only modification I made was that I left out 200g of the powdered sugar for the frosting (because I ran out), and it was PLENTY sweet still and had great consistency. I’ve received great compliments and a coworker told me it was “to die for”. Thanks!
Wonderful! Glad to hear that!
Curious on if you think buttermilk could be used instead of milk if i decide to not purée carrots
I haven’t tested it but I would think buttermilk should be fine. Keep in mind though that the carrot purée acts like part of the liquid in the cake, so if you leave it out you may need to replace it at least in part with something else like more milk.