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
This carrot cake recipe is phenomenal! I made it for work and this was all they requested from the very first time I brought it to the office! Thank you for coming up with the perfect recipe!❤️
I love you recipes, they are my go too. My problem is with this cake is it’s been in 45 minutes. I covered it to avoid it browning too much, but it’s still so so wet in the middle. My oven seems to be calibrated at the correct temperature.. not sure what to do my cakes are very brown.
Any pointers for next time would be appreciated
Hi Michaela, what size pans are you using? Are they overfilled by chance? This is certainly a moist cake, but you’ll want a toothpick to come out clean when tested. Or, any chance that any of the ingredients were over measured by mistake? We’re happy to help troubleshoot further!
Thank you for replying, I used 2, 9 inch pans. I pre measure everything and I’m sure it was all correct. I will attempt it again and see what Happens.
i was rather disappointed wiith this recipe. The irgrendients sounded great but it turned out waaaay too sweet.
I love the base to this recipe so much that I tried it with small apple chunks and rum soaked raisins instead of the shredded carrots. It turned out so moist and tasty.
Thanks Sally
I made this with Bob’s red mill gluten free flour 1:1. I let the batter sit for 20min and then baked it. It turned out perfect! Great recipe and flavor.
I used 3 cups of carrots because that is what most other recipes used. I liked the spices in this recipe and I used crushed pineapple. It was perfect so I recommend increasing the carrots!
I’ve baked this cake many times and get asked to make it more often. Coming up I will bake it for a large group.
I will be making 2 12X18 sheet pans. I did the surface area calculation to determine that ingredients should be multiplied by 1.7 for each sheet.
What r your suggestions for bake time and temp? Will this work ?
Hi Paul, we haven’t tested this recipe in that particular size pan, so we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but you can use the same temperature as written. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Paul, how’d your half- sheet cake work out? Did the 1.7x for turn out to be the right calculation for (1) 13×18”? I’d like to try the same thing for a large group.
Can I use melted butter instead of oil?
Hi Joan, We recommend following the recipe with oil. It makes for an ultra moist cake and really lets the spice flavors shine through. We do not recommend butter in this cake batter.
I loved this recipe so much
I made this for my daughter’s birthday. Everyone loved it and not a crumb was left over. The cake was delicious. I had some jaggery that I used instead of the brown sugar and added a pinch of cinnamon to the cream cheese frosting.
Thank you.
Perfect. I had a few fumbles along the way and it still turned out to be the most amazing cake ever!!!
If use self raising flour and a recipe calls for 2 tsp of baking powder how much should I ad ?
Hi Rob, We don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results.
Every one here loves this recipe but I did make one change instead of apple sauce and white sugar I use apple jelly. Makes it sweet and moist.
Hi Sal, yet another shmashing recipe. So easy! I forgot coconut. That’s my thing. I like a bit of chew in my carrot cake. Those toasted pecans are delish. Forgot to put them in so they’ll decorate the cake. Made for Mum’s birthday tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing if she notices the difference between her recipe and yours. Yours is bound to win with those delicious warming spices. Can’t wait! Thanks again for sharing.
This turned out so delish! Very easy to follow and loved that it was so moist!
I’d love to make this recipe, could it be made gluten free?
Hi Brogan, we haven’t tested a gluten free version, but let us know if you do.
This is by far the BEST carrot cake I have eaten and made
It was delicious. I would like to know whether a cake which has been left in the fridge for almost 24 hours can then be frozen.
Hi Adam, yes, though it may have a slightly heavier/denser/more moist texture. 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 serving.
Thanks for your reply. As long as there’s no risk of food poisoning from not freezing it sooner, then that’s great.
What can I substitute in apple sauce?
Hi Camille, 3/4 cup crushed pineapple, mashed bananas, sour cream, plain yogurt, or canned pumpkin puree can be used in place of the apple sauce. See recipe notes for more details. We hope you love this one!
Without a doubt the best carrot cake recipe I’ve made. I love how flexible the recipe is, and how moist the crumb is on this cake. Excellent recipe for cream cheese frosting as well, and that alone is worth 5 stars!
I love alll your cake recipes they are amazing!! I often have left over frosting, can I freeze it to use another time or would you not recommend this?
Hi Shakira, yes, you can freeze this frosting for up to 3 months.
For sure this is one of the best carrot cake recipes. Everyone wants the recipe.
Toasting the pecans are ‘key’ to bringing out the flavour in the nuts. I use one small can of crushed pineaple drained well. To bring out that umami flavour I also add a generous 1/2 C
of grated unsweetened coconut.
My daughter baked this for my birthday once and it disappeared! I shared the recipe with my friend Leah and she made it as a wedding cake. The carrot cake disappeared. They had leftover vanilla but no more carrot cake.
We’re so glad it was a hit!
I would like to make it a little less sweet, Could I omit any of the sugar? If so what would you recommend to add less of?
Hi Karina, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Can’t wait to make this! Do you know of any adaptations for someone living in Denmark? I know the protein in flour tends to be different. Thanks!
I love all of your recipes, but I have to tell you that the carrot cake recipes have been absolutely a joy in our house. My son has several allergies so I don’t use tree nuts and replace eggs with yogurt. It is still the best carrot cake we have ever had and he asks for the cake or cupcakes all the time!
I followed the EXACT recipe and it still turned out dry.
Everyone said this was the BEST carrot cake they ever had!
Hello Sally, My daughter and I love your recipes, and we thought we remembered there being a long version of this one. We really love the longer videos, as they help us remember amounts, techniques, etc. If you could possibly add the longer one, we would really appreciate it.
Thanks so much,
Hi! This is the only video that I’ve ever filmed for this particular recipe. It’s 3 minutes long. I wonder if you’re thinking about a different cake recipe?
I do it again with blueberry and black berry without Spices.. Thank you for sharing . This is the first product make me reapeat four times within a very nearly times..