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
Hi Sally, would it be OK to reduce the sugar as 400g seem a lot. Or it’s just the right sweetness? Thanks:)
Hi Flora, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting taste and texture will be different than intended. We find the recipe as written to have the perfect balance of sweetness. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks so much for your quick reply and kind explanation! I will give it a go without reducing the sugar:)
This carrot cake was absolutely DELICIOUS. My family can’t compliment it enough. This recipe is going in the family recipe book. I look forward to trying out more of your recipes!!
Been using this recipe for a long time now and totally agree with another lady; 38 minutes in a 9 x 13 pan and it is totally done…Been doing this cake twice a month lately and always turns out a winner. Your recipes never disappoint Sally. Only had one bomb once but that was totally my fault I discovered. I always recommend your website to people who need recipes. Always look forward to something new.
This is MY favorite carrot cake recipe! I made this following the recipe directions for adding raisins and it turned out perfect. The tasted pecans are delicious in this cake. I will use this recipe every time I make a carrot cake. I know I won’t find a better one!! Thank you Sally’s.
I loved this recipe!!! It was the first time making a carrot cake and it was for a friends birthday and it was a hit. Directions were very easy to follow, I did use the shredded carrots in a bag and actually put them in my food processor and pulsed them to chop them up, they worked out great. Toasting the pecans is a must, added so much nutty flavor. The Cream Cheese Frosting was delish!!!!!! This was the best carrot cake recipe and it is now MY Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe for future requests!
Dee
Could I swap out the AP flour for cake flour? What would the results be?
Hi Cynthia, we don’t recommend cake flour for this recipe. It’s too light to hold up heavier ingredients in this cake. Best to stick with all purpose flour here!
These dosages, are they for a 3 layer cake?
Hi Greg, this recipe is written for 2 or 3, 9 inch layers. The pictured cake is 3, 9 inch layers.
WOW!! This recipe turned out great. I subbed the applesauce with crushed pineapple and added golden raisins with the pecans. Turned out awesome! Also, used 2 9-inch pans so I had a little thicker layer. My husband was so impressed for his birthday. Thanks for another wonderful recipe. You rock!
An can this b plain or frosting is needed?
This carrot cake is delicious with or without frosting!
Hi wil i b able to make this without pineapple an without yougurt an without applesauce
We recommend following the recipe as written for best results.
Hi Sally, could i halve the recipe and bake it in 2 6 x 2 inch pans?
Hi Susannah, here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. We do know that our carrot cake cupcake recipe is the perfect amount of batter for three 6 inch pans. You could use that batter and make a few cupcakes with the extra. You can read more about using cupcake batter for 6 inch pans here.
Perfect, thank you.
Hi Sally, How long should I bake this for two cake pans of 8′? Thank you!
Hi Andrea, 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. We don’t recommend only using two 8-inch pans as this would be too much batter in each pan. You can also bake it as a Bundt cake or a 9×13 rectangle, see recipe notes!
BEST CARROT CAKE RECIPE!! I’ve been making this cake for about 6 years now. Everyone constantly asks me for it. Family and friends when we have a gathering it’s the first thing they ask for. Love love love it!!!
Hi Sally, Do you think that I can add coloring to the crean cheese frosting without running flavor/consistency? Do you have any tips for this? I’m making a theme cake, but I don’t want to ruin the flavor of this delicuos cake. Thank you!
Hi Andre, yes! We recommend gel food coloring — it won’t add liquid to the frosting like a liquid food coloring will. We love using AmeriColor brand gel food coloring (not sponsored, just genuine fans).
Thank you!!
AMAZING !! My bf requested carrot cake for his birthday cake so I made this one. I have never liked carrot cake but definitely enjoyed this one. I did use my own cream cheese frosting recipe but everything was PERFECT. This is now one of my favorite cakes ever !
Hey there! I want to try this, but we don’t have block style cream cheese in Germany. Only small tub packages of Philadelphia. Can I use it? Maybe strain it with a cheese cloth first?
Hi Megan, 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 have a small oven and can bake only one 9 inch pan at a time. Does this change the bake time or temp?
Hi Nina, you can bake your pans one at a time if necessary, leaving the extra batter sitting covered at room temperature until the pan is ready to use.
Smiled reading your intro Sally. I had decided to make my favourite cake for my birthday and that’s carrot cake! I’ve never made it before and looking forward to trying your recipe. It looks beautiful in the picture with the flowers.
Hope you love it, Miriam — and happy early birthday!
Hi! Would I be able to use whole wheat flour or almond flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Nicolette, for best results, we recommend sticking with all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour would make the cake very dense and may even dry it out a bit. Almond flour has very different baking properties than all-purpose flour and wouldn’t be a 1:1 swap.
Has anyone tried to make a fully vegan version of this? Obviously dairy-free butter is an easy swap for the sponge, but 4 eggs is a lot to replace and I’ve had mixed luck with egg replacers before.
Are the eggs a binder here? A raising agent? What would a replacement need to do in this recipe?
Hi Jen! The eggs provide moisture and structure in this cake. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for vegan ingredients. But let us know if you give anything a try!
I’ve made this cake twice swapping in flax eggs for chicken eggs and it turned out great!
Make this cake every year for my mother in law’s birthday. Probably 5 or 6 times now. So so good. I usually swap the apple sauce for crushed pineapple. Perfect Carrot cake. Love this recipe thank you!
Hi Sally!
Could I swap the pecans for raisins? I’m making this for my boyfriend’s birthday and he doesn’t like nuts, but he does like raisins!
Hi Madison, you definitely could!
I have tried so many carrot cake recipes, searching for the perfect one. This one is the best one I’ve tried by far! Mine turned out kind of crumbly, though, and I’m not sure if that’s what it was supposed to do or if I did something wrong. It was moist, but crumbly.
fluffy but a little greasy.. this was by far the tastiest carrot cake ive tried so far – but for me it turned out a little greasy.. next time i bake this i will likely cut down on the oil!
I made this recipe for my Dads birthday and everyone loved it. I thought it was moist and fluffy, but i will say I don’t like carrot cake, but yes I did eat it (Because I made it and I had to try it) Everyone agreed it tasted great and it was definitely a lot better then the last carrot cake I made. I made cream cheese whipped cream for the frosting and everyone loved it. Defiantly recommend using this recipe if you want a great carrot cake. I also left out the nuts, ground cloves and ginger. Have a great day 🙂
I would like to make this in a half sheet cake. What would the measurements and bake time be for that.
Hi Stacey, see recipe notes for 9×13 baking instructions, or see our cake pan sizes and conversions guide for other pan sizes. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I made this cake in a nine inch pan and it tastes great! But it did not rise as expected. Used good baking powder, did sub pineapple for the applesauce but measured carefully and drained very well. Any suggestions?
Hi Renee, this is a denser cake, how is the texture? Did you use two or three 9 inch cake pans, not just one? For a one layer cake we recommend this carrot cake batter instead.
Amazing recipe! Made it for my mom last week and everyone loved it! I did, after toasting the pecans, run them through a chopper to make them a little smaller so that I was sure to get some in every bite. Hehe. The moisture was perfect! The icing did taste like spreadable cheese cake YUM! I could have just ate that with a spoon… maybe I did, just a little.. hehe
I used coconut oil, & made it dairy free by using vegan butter and vegan cream cheese in the frosting, and it was incredible! I also halved the recipe and used three 6 inch pans, baked for 27 mins. It was moist, you can taste the subtle spices, and it tasted better than ones I’ve had from stores/bakeries!
The recipe was easy to follow. I don’t know if my carrots were extra big, but I got 2 cups form about two carrots. Also, I wanted the 9X 13 version , but the cook time was too long . I only cooked it for 38 min ( it was suggested 40-45) and it was over cooked. I don’t know if it was my oven or the pan.
Next time, I’ll try the round pans.
It still tastes good, just not as moist as I think it could be.
I wanted to know—if I don’t want to use ginger in this recipe, do I need to change the amount of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg used? Or does everything stay the same and I just omit the ginger?
Hi Marcy, you can simply omit the ginger, or swap with more of the other spices. Whichever you prefer!
I don’t see any carrots in the recipe
Hi Tina, it’s the last ingredient before the cream cheese frosting ingredients! You’ll need 2 cups (260g) grated carrots (about 4 large).