This is my favorite recipe for carrot cake! It is 100% made from scratch, easy to make, versatile, and utterly delicious. One of our most popular recipes! Just read all the rave reviews! Jump to the Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
A slice of homemade carrot cake
How to Make Carrot Cake From Scratch
This carrot cake is quick, easy to make, and utterly delicious. It wasn’t until recently that we realized just how much we love carrot cake. It wasn’t something either of us grew up eating. Thanks to this easy recipe, we fell in love. You can make this cake quickly without lots of fancy equipment. Not only is this the best-tasting carrot cake we’ve made, but it’s a cinch to make. If you are looking to make cupcakes, see our easy carrot cake cupcakes recipe! It’s inspired by this cake.
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Slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
More carrot recipes: Try our quick and easy roasted carrots, carrots with garlic butter, or these honey roasted carrots.
Carrot Cake Ingredients
The ingredients you need for this cake are simple and I bet you have quite a few of them already in your kitchen! The full recipe is below, but here is a quick overview:
I like using all-purpose flour, but you can substitute some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat or white whole wheat flour. For a gluten-free carrot cake, swap the flour for your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
Baking soda helps the cake to rise. We don’t add baking powder, the cake does not need it.
Salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract make the cake taste amazing.
Oil keeps the cake nice and moist — any neutral-flavored oil will work. (Melted coconut oil works, too, but there will be a light coconut flavor in the baked cake.)
Sugar makes the cake moist, light, and delicious. I love a combination of white and brown sugar, but you can use one or the other. Since posting the recipe, some of our readers have asked whether or not we can reduce the sugar called for in the recipe. You can, just keep in mind that the amount we specify will produce the moistest cake.
Eggs give the cake structure.
Lots of carrots make this the best carrot cake. I like to hand grate my carrots since I prefer the texture, but you can use your food processor or buy pre-grated carrots from the store. When we first tested the cake, we scaled the number of carrots back to two cups since three cups just sounded a bit extreme. After baking and letting it cool, we were a little disappointed. So if you’re making the cake and start to second-guess the number of carrots called for in our recipe below, don’t. You need all three cups. It is a carrot cake, after all.
Pecans and raisins are optional! I know that some people love nuts and raisins in carrot cake, while others cannot stand to add them. These are completely optional, so go with what you love.
Making the Cake Batter
The method for this carrot cake recipe could not be simpler! If you have a couple of bowls and can stir ingredients together then you can absolutely make this cake! As you can see from our recipe video, all you need to do is combine all the ingredients. Here’s how I like to do it:
Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another: I like to whisk my dry ingredients together in one bowl until they are well blended. Then I whisk all the wet ingredients together in another bowl.
Fold the dry and wet ingredients together: Then I switch to a rubber spatula or large spoon and fold the two — wet and dry ingredients — together until I don’t see any large streaks of flour. (We use the same method when making this cinnamon coffee cake, our easy pineappleupside-down cake, and this buttery blueberry cake. Both recipes are so good!)
Add carrots, nuts, and raisins: When I’ve got the batter ready, I fold in the carrots, and if I’m using them, the nuts and raisins.
Adding grated carrots to the cake batter.
We add 3 cups of shredded carrots to this carrot cake!
Baking the Cake
When it comes to baking the carrot cake, divide the batter between two buttered and floured cake pans and bake until done. The cake layers bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes (they smell fantastic). After baking, let the layers cool then frost with your favorite frosting.
Pouring carrot cake batter into round cake pans
Frosting the Cake
We love our extra creamy cream cheese frosting. It’s soft and creamy and doesn’t firm up like some cake frostings. (If this is what you are looking for, check the notes section of the recipe, we provide a recipe for traditional cream cheese frosting).
The frosting is actually the same one we used to top our Guinness Chocolate Cake. It’s made with only three ingredients:
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Heavy cream
If you’re not into frostings or if you don’t have the ingredients on hand, try the cake as-is without any frosting at all. Or, sift a little bit of powdered sugar on top. When Adam and I were testing this recipe, we skipped the frosting the first couple of times and fell in love with the cake completely plain.
An 8-inch round carrot cake with a slice cut out
What Our Readers are Saying
If you don’t believe that our recipe helps you bake the best homemade carrot cake, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.
“Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, very easy to follow, came out perfect first attempt great hit with the family, now a regular demand from my kids.” – A
“This carrot cake was amazing!!! I made it for my husband’s birthday and he said it would win a Paul Hollywood handshake (from The Great British Bake-off)” – Yuna
“This is an absolutely divine carrot cake recipe!!!! It is so hard to find one that is not dry – this one is moist and works perfectly every single time and we make it often as it is definitely our favorite!!!” – Jodi
Since posting this recipe, we’ve had some frequently asked questions. Here are the most common:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make carrot cake cupcakes using this recipe? Yes, absolutely (and if you read through the comments, many of our readers have done just that). To make cupcakes instead of a cake, we’d recommend baking for 14 to 18 minutes (or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean). Then let them cool for a few minutes in the cupcake pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. The recipe should make about 24 cupcakes. We have been asked this question so often, that we’ve added a carrot cake cupcakes recipe to the blog (click to see it now).
Can I make one large single-layer cake? Yes, but the baking time will change. For a bundt cake, a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan should be fine. You will likely need to increase the baking time by about 30% in the 10-cup pan, somewhat less in the 12-cup. The batter will also fit into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan, but you might need to leave out a bit of the batter so it does not overflow. (I’d also bake the cake on a sheet pan, just in case some batter comes over the sides.)
How do you store the carrot cake? Technically, because there is a cream cheese frosting on the cake, it should be kept in the fridge, but most bakers (even professional ones) are okay with leaving a frosted cake on the counter for a day or two (as long as your kitchen isn’t hot). If you prefer to refrigerate the cake, it will last for 5 to 6 days.
Can I use applesauce instead of oil in the carrot cake recipe? This is something we have never tried ourselves, so you may need to do some experimenting on your own. That said, you should be able to swap some of the oil for applesauce without too many issues.
Can I add pineapple to the carrot cake? Yes, absolutely. It will add even more moisture to the cake so use fresh pineapple or if you are using canned, drain it first before adding to the cake. We do not recommend adding more than 1 cup.
Recipe updated, originally posted April 2014. Since posting this in 2014, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
2163 comments / 1187 reviews
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Incredibly Moist and Easy Carrot Cake
PREP 20minsCOOK 45minsTOTAL 1hr 5mins
This is the best carrot cake recipe I’ve ever used. We prefer to use a hand grater when preparing the carrots since it creates delicate carrot shreds that melt into the cake batter. Pre-shredded bags or shredding carrots using a food processor are also options, but the carrot shreds will be larger.
This recipe is forgiving. You can make this with or without the nuts or raisins. We love the combination of granulated and brown sugar, but if you only have one of them, use it, and the cake will still be delicious.
Frosting: Our creamy frosting recipe shared below is not a traditional cream cheese frosting. Thanks to whipped cream, it’s creamier and has soft peaks (you can see it in our video). We love it, but if you prefer a more traditional frosting, see the tips section below the recipe. We have provided instructions for a classic cream cheese frosting that works nicely with this cake.
Makes 1 (9-inch) double layer cake (16 thin slices) or 22 to 24 cupcakes
WATCH US MAKE THE RECIPE
YOU WILL NEED
FOR CARROT CAKE
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups (295 ml) canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (190 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (300 grams) grated peeled carrots, 5 to 6 medium carrots
1 cup (100 grams) coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup (65 grams) raisins
FOR CREAMY FROSTING
8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups (140 grams) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (50 grams) coarsely chopped pecans, for topping cake
DIRECTIONS
MAKE THE BATTER
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottom with parchment paper and then grease the top. Or grease and flour the bottom and sides of both pans.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176C).
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until very well blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each one.
Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients in three parts, gently stirring until they disappear and the batter is smooth.
Stir in the carrots, nuts, and raisins.
BAKE CAKE
Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans.
Bake until the tops of the cake layers are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.
Cool cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the cake layers out onto cooling racks. Remove the parchment paper and cool completely. If you find that a cake layer is sticking to the bottom of the pan, leave the cake pan upside down and allow gravity to do its thing.
TO FINISH
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a handheld mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
Beat in the powdered sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time, until fluffy.
Pour in the whipping cream. Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the frosting is whipped and creamy. This frosting resembles the texture of whipped cream. Chill covered until ready to frost the cake.
When the cake layers are completely cool, frost the top of one cake layer, and place the second cake layer on top.
Add the remaining frosting to the top of the carrot cake and use a butter knife or small spatula to swirl the frosting around. Leave the sides of the cake unfrosted. Finish with a handful of nuts on top.
ADAM AND JOANNE'S TIPS
Frosting Substitute — Traditional Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large bowl, beat 16 ounces of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of softened butter together for a minute or two until smooth. Add 4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes until extra creamy. If it is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of cream or milk.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes: For cupcakes, we’d recommend baking for 14 to 18 minutes (or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean). Then let them cool for a few minutes in the cupcake pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. The recipe should make 22 to 24 cupcakes.
Using a bundt pan: We have never done this in our kitchen, but a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan should be fine for this recipe. You will likely need to increase the baking time by about 30% in the 10-cup pan, somewhat less in the 12-cup.
Using a 9-inch by 13-inch pan rectangular pan: Simply add all the batter to the rectangular pan and bake. Bake time may be slightly longer.
Recipe inspired and adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Recipe for Carrot Cake Cupcakes.
Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1 slice (1 of 16) / Calories 535 / Total Fat 33.4g / Saturated Fat 6.9g / Cholesterol 69.3mg / Sodium 315.9mg / Carbohydrate 56.4g / Dietary Fiber 2.4g / Total Sugars 40.5g / Protein 5.6g
AUTHOR: Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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2163 comments…LEAVE A COMMENT
Anne-Marie October 6, 2022, 3:51 pm
Absolutely the best carrot cake I have ever made. Moist and fool-proof. I thought I had made a mistake in the ingredients when baking … I was so liquid and sort of smelled of old-fashioned brown sugar fudge at the early stages (I did use golden and white sugar). But the end result was beyond what I had hoped for. The creamy icing was too watery for me, so I made the traditional one to frost and used the more fluid one as a side sauce. Received rave reviews from the entire family! Thank you for a super recipe!!
REPLY
Cindy N October 5, 2022, 9:53 pm
Delicious carrot cake. After making the first carrot cake and finding it so delicious, I made three more in disposable rectangle pans and stored in freezer. When I needed a cake, I just thawed it out and the cake was just as good as freshly baked. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
REPLY
Sarah October 4, 2022, 3:44 pm
This was good warm, but after refrigerating it’s even better. It would be good made ahead for an event.
REPLY
Jennifer October 3, 2022, 5:39 am
Excellent flop proof recipe. Delicious every time. Family’s favorite!! Simple and quick. 10/10
REPLY
Shelley October 2, 2022, 8:46 pm
OMG. The several THOUSAND positive reviews of this cake were enough to convince me to try this for my daughter’s boyfriend’s birthday. It turned out FANTASTIC, and got rave reviews from everyone. I did use golden raisins (chopped very tiny) and made the cake in two 9″ pans. I was a bit nervous about using the frosting with the whipped cream (and no butter) but decided to make that version vs. the butter version as less calories. It was delicious, and easily spread over the entire cake (sides, top and middle). I definitely will be making this again for years to come. Thanks to everyone who wrote honest reviews because I would not have chosen this recipe without all of you!
REPLY
Annie October 1, 2022, 8:17 pm
This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever made. I made this recipe as a cake which came out wonderful and this time I made them into cupcakes without frosting and I tried them fresh from the oven after cooling and it was the most delicious cupcake I’ve ever tried in my life.
REPLY
Jennifer b October 1, 2022, 7:53 pm
Delicious. I made this with subbing 1/2 thé oil for coconut oil and instead of raisins, added 1/4 cup of shredded coconut. Walnuts instead of pecan (personal preference). The icing is spectacular and the cake just delicious. Baked 40 mins. Thanks for the recipe. Will make again.
REPLY
Anna September 27, 2022, 9:12 am
I’ve been making this recipe for about 2 years now. Everyone goes crazy about it, it has become our celebration cake, birthday cake, new year’s eve cake, we’re just looking for a reason to eat it.
REPLY
Colleen September 25, 2022, 6:15 pm
Made in my Nordic ware 12 cup 75th anniversary bundt. Absolutely stunning. The cake is beautiful. If using sharp edge Nordic ware I would recommend leaving raisins out or process them fine. Would love to share pic
REPLY
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