With its outstanding spice flavor, super moist crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best carrot cake. Use brown sugar and toasted pecans for deeper flavor.
I don’t call it carrot cake. I call it “birthday cake.” It’s my one and only choice on my big day. I’ve adopted this tradition and make my own carrot birthday cake each year. And, of course, we never limit it to only once per year. This is always my top choice for Easter dessert recipes and I love making it for spring brunches, baby showers, and our community’s new bake sale.
In fact, this recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
And, finally, I firmly believe that the ONLY thing that competes with carrot cake is a batch of carrot cake cupcakes.
What Does This Carrot Cake Taste Like?
This carrot cake sets the standard for carrot cakes everywhere. It’s deeply moist and filled with toasted pecans (or walnuts, if you prefer). Most of its flavor comes from brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and carrots. Ginger adds the most delicious zing, but it isn’t overpowering at all. The cake is dense, but each forkful tastes super soft and extra lush. If made ahead, the flavor intensifies and the cream cheese frosting seeps into the layers, creating an even more tender bite.
So if you’re looking for a make-ahead cake whose taste and texture won’t be compromised, make this! It’s a total classic and 1 taste converts everyone, even those silly people who “don’t like carrot cake.” Who ARE you people?! 😉
Let’s Make It!
This carrot cake is pretty easy, but let’s walk through the process together. You can also use this detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post and video as a guide.
Begin by toasting pecans in the oven. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake for about 6–8 minutes. Toasting the nuts is optional, but you won’t regret doing it. Toasting pecans creates an unparalleled deep nutty flavor—I love using them in my hummingbird Bundt cake and pecan pie cheesecake, too. Let the nuts cool down for a couple minutes, then start the carrot cake batter. Begin with 2 mixing bowls. Whisk the dry ingredients together in 1 bowl, then the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two, along with shredded carrots and half of the toasted nuts. You don’t even need a mixer for the cake batter!
Instead of a layer cake, you can bake this recipe in a 9×13-inch pan. It’s also perfect as the bottom tier for a homemade wedding cake!
How to Make Carrot Cake Moist
If it isn’t stick-to-the-back-of-your-fork moist, it’s just not worth it. So I worked to create an EXTRA moist carrot cake. Don’t skip these ingredients:
- Brown Sugar: I’ve come across a lot of carrot cake recipes that are sweetened with mostly granulated sugar. That’s great, but granulated sugar doesn’t do much for the cake besides sweeten it. Brown sugar not only sweetens cake, it produces so much flavor and moisture. It’s just… the best!
- Oil: Cakes need fat to make them soft and tender. When preparing cakes without super strong flavors such as vanilla cake and white cake, I prefer to use butter as the fat. Butter also gives them flavor. But for cakes like chocolate cake and carrot cake that have flavor from other ingredients, I find flavorless oil is the best choice.
- Applesauce: To prevent the cake from tasting too moist (wet) and oily, I add some applesauce. You could even use crushed pineapple, too! These flavors pair beautifully with brown sugar and spices.
- Freshly Shredded Carrots: My #1 tip for carrot cakes is to shred whole carrots at home. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots because they are hard and dry. You need about 4 large carrots for this recipe. And when you grate them, you’ll notice how wet they are. That is PRIME moisture for your baked cake and you don’t want to skip it! Same principle applies when using zucchini in my zucchini cake, too.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The carrot cake frosting? Well, that’s easy too. It’s so smooth, tangy, and glides on the cake seamlessly. I call it spreadable cheesecake and it tastes unbelievable with this cake’s deep spice flavor.
Ingredients: You need brick-style cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. The salt helps offset the sweetness.
If you’re looking to pipe decoration with this cream cheese frosting, chill it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour first. This guarantees the creamy frosting will hold its shape.
And if you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting, these vanilla frostings will work just as well: vanilla buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, and not-so-sweet whipped frosting.
There’s no emotion quite like the sadness you’ll experience when that last slice is gone!
Carrot Cake Success Tips
- Line your cake pans with parchment. Place your cake pans on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the cake pan with a pencil, then cut the circles. Grease the pan and the parchment paper. Parchment paper rounds guarantee the cakes won’t stick!
- Make it ahead. One of the BEST parts about carrot cake is that it gets better with time, even after 1 full day. The flavors mingle, the moisture prevails, and the cream cheese frosting sets into the layers. It’s ridiculously good! You can make and frost the cake 1 day in advance. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.
- Use freshly grated carrots. Grate them yourself for the freshest, best result.
My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its outstanding spice flavor, super moist crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting, this is truly the best carrot cake. Use brown sugar and toasted pecans for deeper flavor. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) chopped pecans or walnuts (1 cup for cake, 1 cup for garnish)*
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (226g/240ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)*
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) smooth unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups (260g) grated carrots (about 4 large)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Toast the nuts: Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the chopped pecans (or walnuts) on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 6–8 minutes, or until fragrant. Give the pan a shake halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10–15 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Grease two or three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla until combined and no brown sugar lumps remain.
- In another large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together until just combined. Fold in the carrots and 1 cup (about 120g) of the toasted nuts. (The rest of the nuts are for garnish.) Pour/spoon the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If using three cake pans, this takes about 20–25 minutes. If using two cake pans, this takes about 30–35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to help loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to finish cooling. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. If the frosting seems a bit thin and runny, refrigerate it for 30 minutes before using.
- Assemble the cake: (For extra help with this step, see this video & post on how to assemble a layer cake.) First, using a large serrated knife or cake leveler, slice a thin layer off the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake layer on your cake turntable, cake stand, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with 3/4 to 1 cup (180–240g) of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer, upside down, and spread the same amount of frosting as on the first layer. Top with the third layer, right side up, and spread the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Garnish with the remaining toasted nuts. Refrigerate the cake for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting. If you refrigerated the cake for longer than 4 hours, take it out of the refrigerator 2 hours before serving so it can mostly come to room temperature.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared, then covered and refrigerated overnight. When ready to decorate, let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 15 minutes, then give it one more mix with the mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute before frosting cake. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See this post on how to freeze cakes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Box Grater | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Wooden Spoon | Silicone Spatula | 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Nuts: Feel free to omit the nuts for a nut-free carrot cake. No other changes to the recipe required.
- Applesauce: Instead of applesauce, you can use 3/4 cup crushed pineapple if desired. Slightly drain the canned crushed pineapple first. You want it the consistency of applesauce—not too watery. You could also use 3/4 cup mashed bananas, sour cream, plain yogurt, or canned pumpkin puree.
- Carrots: My #1 tip for carrot cakes is to grate whole carrots at home. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots because they are hard and dry.
- Oil: If using melted coconut oil, make sure all of the other cake batter ingredients (carrots included) are room temperature. Otherwise, the melted coconut oil will begin to solidify before the batter goes into the oven.
- Cream Cheese: Use bricks/blocks of real cream cheese, not cream cheese spread in a tub.
- 9×13-Inch Cake: Simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Carrot Bundt Cake: Use a 10–12-cup generously greased Bundt pan. Bake for 55–75 minutes. All ovens and Bundt pans are different, so that’s why the bake time varies. Keep a close eye on it.
- Add-Ins: If you’d like to add raisins or coconut, reduce the pecans to 1/2 cup (or leave them out). Add 1 cup of raisins or shredded coconut. Stick to around 1–1.5 cups total add-ins. Or you can leave the cake plain without any add-ins.
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20–22 minutes. Yields about 24 cupcakes. Or try my carrot cake cupcakes recipe.
Reader Comments and Reviews
do you have a gluten free version?
We don’t but let us know if you try anything!
I just made this cake using the recipe above and simply swapping regular flour for gluten free flour. However, when measuring using the 2.5 c and not by weight since the it appeared that gluten free flour might weigh more. It worked perfectly using 2.5 cups. I’m gluten free but my guests aren’t. They absolutely loved it and didn’t notice a difference at all. I love so many of Sally’s recipes, and adapt them for my personal needs.
i have baked this twice and always get asked for the recipe. although it is delicious, both times in a 9×13 pan it has deflated leaving a dip in the middle. any suggestions?
Hi Lisa, We are so happy you enjoy the recipe! A sinking cake usually means it is just slightly under baked. An additional minute or two in the oven should help for next time.
This is a great recipe, we made it in a 13×9 glass pan, cooked for about 55 minutes til a skewer pulled out clean, delicious, moist, perfectly baked. We could have upped the spices for a little more punch, but thoroughly enjoyed this thank you!!
Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead? how much should I use? Thanks!
Hi Hannah! You should be able to, though the proportion of spices may be a little bit different. We would use 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. Let us know how it goes!
Do i use fresh ginger juice or grated ginger or powder? Thank you, cant wait to try it.
Hi Julie! You want ground ginger (like powder) for this recipe. Happy baking!
I lost my favorite Carrot Cake recipe, I’m so happy I found yours. It’s amazing. Thank you.
Best ever carrot cake! Thank you so much
I will be making this for my husband’s birthday. I can’t wait to try it. I have a question about making a blood orange cream cheese frosting. I did this a few years ago and my family hasn’t stopped talking about it. I can’t find the recipe now, so I was wondering how much freshly squeezed orange juice I should add to Sally’s cream cheese frosting recipe? I don’t want to jeopardize the texture! Thanks for so many deliciously amazing recipes. I love Sally!
Hi Jennie, We have not made this with blood orange juice but that sounds delicious! Any liquid you add will make the frosting thinner, so add only a TBS at a time until you reach your desired balance of texture/flavor. You can also add some zest of the oranges for more flavor without sacrificing the texture. Let us know what you try!
Hey! I was wondering if I could use pureed carrot or something instead of applesauce? I don’t have any on hand, and i am not able to go to the grocery store at the moment.
Hi Theresa! See recipe notes for swaps you can make for the applesauce – lots of options listed there!
Hi Sally, is it okay if I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Karen! We don’t recommend whole wheat flour in this cake recipe – it will result in a more dense, dry cake. Best to stick with the recipe as written!
I only have sweetened applesauce. Any suggestions for how much to reduce the sugar? Also, I don’t have any ground ginger, can I use fresh grated ginger instead?
Hi Emma, You can use your sweetened applesauce. It’s not much sweeter than unsweetened. (We’ve done so in this recipe with zero changes and it tastes pretty identical.) You should be able to use finely grated fresh ginger but keep in mind that ground ginger is much stronger in flavor than fresh ginger. Happy baking!
Question! Would you be able to add pineapple to this recipe? If so how would you go about it? Also, is the coconut sweetened or unsweetened 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Jamie! We use sweetened sweetened coconut for carrot cake. Instead of applesauce, you can use 3/4 cup crushed pineapple, mashed bananas, sour cream, plain yogurt, or canned pumpkin puree. See recipe notes for more details.
Hi ,what cream cheese to use in UK I cannot see anywhere block cheese only spreadable
Thank you
Hi Ana, In the U.S. block cream cheese is very different than the tubs and is the only cream cheese that will work. However, we have been told by readers outside the U.S. that cream cheese in a tub is different from ours and can work, but we have not tested it. Please let us know if you try!
I am in the UK and I use Philadelphia cream cheese. Works perfectly every time.
Just baked this cake in three 9” pans and the cakes are less than 1” tall each. Followed recipe exactly. Do they normally rise more than that?
Hi Brandee! These aren’t super thick cake layers (as you can see in the photo above), but 1 inch does seem a bit thin. How was the texture? If the texture seemed too dense, the cake batter could have been over-mixed (a common cause of squat, dense cakes). Also check to make sure that your baking powder and soda are fresh – we find they can lose strength after just a few months. Hope these tips help for next time!
Pure perfection! My daughter made this for my husband’s birthday and he was over the moon. Easy recipe that turned out great!
The best carrot cake EVER’. This is an easy and most delicious recipe
Can I sub the flour with almond and the sugar with monk fruit to make it Keto?
How would it affect the cake if you add raisins?
Hi Drema, See recipe notes (Add-Ins) for details on adding raisins!
Do you think this would work as a cake roll?
Hi Melissa, we haven’t tested it so we can’t be sure. We’ve successfully used it for layer cakes, Bundt cakes, thicker sheet cakes, and cupcakes. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi, can I add molasses to the carrot cake instead of sugar?
Hi Omneya, That would take some recipe testing for us to be confident of an answer. Molasses is very thick can can be difficult to add to cake batter without first mixing it with hot water (like we do in our Gingerbread Snack Cake). That may be too much moisture for this already very wet cake batter. Let us know if you try anything!
Can I make these into cupcakes?
Absolutely! See recipe notes for details.
Would it be possible to make a smaller cake in 6 inch pans? I looked at the cake pan sizes & conversions post on this website and assume I would have to half the recipe. How would this affect baking time?
Hi Lise, for a 6 inch carrot cake, we recommend using the batter from these carrot cake cupcakes instead.
Hi there. My frosting has come out runny and even when I add more icing sugar it’s not thick enough. I’ve used the correct measurements for each ingredient. I did use the Philadelphia cream cheese. Would that be why it didn’t thicken enough?
Hi Chantelle! Did you use the Philadelphia cream cheese that is sold in block from? If you use the one sold in a tub it will be too runny.
Made this recipe for my MIL’s 70’th birthday cake – she loves carrot cake. WOW – gotta say, this is a perfect recipe. The addition of the roasted nuts makes it all the better. Thank you for this recipe.
Hello. I tried this recipe today and it was absolutely AMAZING!!! It was so moist, flavorful and smelled amazing. It was a hit with my family, especially the little ones my toughest critics. I did not and would not substitute a thing, recipe was great as is. I can not wait to try more.
I have an issue sometimes with the cake turning green. I googled why this could happen and read that it could be to much baking soda. Is this true?
Hi Dina, that’s happened to me before when making carrot muffins. It’s never happened with this carrot cake recipe though. If desired, you could play around with reducing the baking soda and adding more baking powder in its place. I haven’t tested this, so let me know if you do.
Hi Sally! I love all of your amazing recipes and am so thankful for each and every one! I was asked to make a carrot cake for a friend’s bday that doesn’t have “chunks” in it. I wondered if you have ever altered this to included pureed carrots or know how to alter the recipe to still get the same structure of the cake without it falling apart from too much moisture. Any advice you have would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks a ton!
Hi Elizabeth, we haven’t tried adding pureed carrots to this recipe. It would take some testing in order to ensure results, since it would add even more moisture than the grated carrots. However, the grated carrots aren’t “chunky” in the end cake, per say. Let us know if you decide to give it a try!
If I wanted to add raisins about how much would I use?
Hi Susan! See recipe notes (Add-Ins) for details on adding raisins!
Could I replace apples for the carrots to make an apple spice layer cake?
Hi Sarah! We haven’t tested that but don’t see why not – let us know if you give it a try. Sounds delicious!
I love love the cake, made it three times already. My family is addicted I tell you. Thanks sis for this recipe
I love this recipe. I made it again for my own birthday cake and it was a huge hit. Can I use this recipe to make mini loaves (5”x2.5”x1.5”). Thank you
Hi Dana! We would use our carrot cake loaf recipe to make mini loaves. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, so use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This really is the best carrot cake…thank u so much for this amazing recipe ❤
This sounds delicious; may be a stupid question but my oven can be weird. Do you bake all 3 cakes (8″ rounds) at once or separately???
Hi Craig! We bake them all at once on one rack. We usually rotate the pans once while baking because most ovens have hot spots – this helps the cakes bake more evenly.
Question! If I used 8 inch cake pans for this recipe how long would they go in the oven for?? Also do you fill them about half way?
Hi Britt, you can divide this batter between three 8 inch pans. Your layers will be a bit thicker than ours so might take an extra minute or two in the oven.
Thank you! Do I fill the cake pans about half way with batter?