This is the best homemade carrot cake you will ever taste! Its so easy to make, perfectly moist, and topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting.
You’ve likely tasted Carrot Cake before, but nothing compares to the sweetness of this incredible recipe. Learn how to make such a tasty dessert at home from scratch.
Sweet Cake with Carrots
If you’re a fan of Carrot Cake and have always enjoyed that cinnamon-like taste with the cream cheese frosting added on top, you’ll be glad to know that you can make it at home instead of buying it at the store. When you follow this recipe, preparing such a decadent dessert is easy and stress-free. You can enjoy this cake for various occasions, including birthday parties, Easter, and even anniversaries because it’s a carrot cake recipe that everyone will love.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Carrot Cake
- The dessert is super fresh and flavorful. Because you’re making it from scratch, you can expect it to taste its absolute best.
- Not only are you making the cake from scratch, but you’re also preparing a delicious, creamy cream cheese frosting that will blow you away.
- It’s so good that everyone will love it, including both adults and children in your family!
Ingredients for the Best Recipe for Carrot Cake
If you’d like to prepare the absolute best Carrot Cake that you’ve ever tried in your life, be sure to have these ingredients ready to use:
- Raw Carrots – You’ll use raw carrots in this recipe, grating them down into thin pieces to combine with your cake batter.
- All-Purpose Flour – The flour is a must-have for the homemade cake batter you’re preparing.
- Ground Cinnamon – Enhance the taste of the carrot cake using fresh ground cinnamon.
- Ground Cloves – The cloves add a bolder taste to this cake, taking it up a level on the flavor scale!
- Light Brown Sugar – Bring more sweetness to your cake using packed light brown sugar.
You’ll also need vegetable oil, softened butter, granulated sugar, eggs, an egg white, ginger, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla extract. There are also several optional ingredients to add to this cake, including crushed pineapple, sweetened coconut flakes, toasted pecans, and raisins.
When preparing the frosting for the cake, you’ll only need a few ingredients, including softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans.
What does the crushed pineapple do when added to this cake?
Crushed pineapple adds a sweeter touch to the Carrot Cake and enhances its flavor and texture. It’s a great addition to this delicious dessert. However, it’s completely optional. If you’re allergic to pineapples or don’t have some available, it’s fine to omit them from this recipe.
Why do I need to leave the cream cheese at room temperature?
When you allow the cream cheese to sit at room temperature for a bit, it softens, making it easier to mix with your other ingredients. It’s an important step in the process of preparing the frosting from scratch.
What is the purpose of steaming the grated carrots?
When you steam your grated carrots, you’re softening them up a bit. The softer texture makes them blend in perfectly with the cake, so no one will even notice that they’re added to the cake. Of course, this comes in handy when serving this sweet dessert to children who are often picky eaters!
Do I have to add chopped pecans on top of this cake?
No, it’s entirely optional. If you love pecans, go for it. They add more flavor and texture with each bite of ths cake. If not, you can use a different type of nut or skip the nuts altogether.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Some people like to add a touch of whipped cream on top of the frosting of this cake. If you’d like to do that, consider putting the whipped topping in a piping bag and piping small bits of the whipped cream over the cheesecake to have that finished touch. The light flavor of the whipped cream goes great with the moist, delicious cake and its sweeter cream cheese frosting.
- Make sure to keep your cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. The carrot cake will taste best when served cold.
- You can make this cake in advance and then put it in an airtight container, storing it in the fridge for up to three days. So, if you’re planning to make it for Easter, you can make it a day or two in advance with no problem!
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Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Cake Layers:
- 2 1/3 lbs raw carrots
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs + 1 egg white
- 12 oz. crushed pineapple optional
- 1 ¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes optional
- ¾ cup toasted pecans optional
- ½ cup raisins optional
Frosting:
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 10 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup roughly chopped pecans optional for topping
Instructions
Cake Layers:
- Peel the carrots and grate until you have 3 ½ cups carrots. Cover and set in the refrigerator.
- Chop the remaining carrots and place in a steamer basket, or colander, and steam over boiling water until the carrots are very tender. About 15-20 minutes.
- Put the carrots in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth puree. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 8- inch cake pans by rubbing generously with vegetable shortening and dust with flour and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, vegetable oil, both sugars, and vanilla extract until light in color and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and combine after each addition.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until there are no dry spots remaining.
- Add in the carrot puree and mix until fully combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until there are no dry spots remaining. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to insure all the ingredients were mixed well.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and gently tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove form the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until there are no dry spots remaining. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract and remaining powdered sugar and mix until just combined. Increase speed to high for 2-3 minutes until nice and fluffy.
Assembly:
- Use a large, serrated knife to remove the domes form the top of the cakes if necessary.
- Place the first layer of cake face down on a cake plate or stand and top with about ¾ cup frosting and smooth.
- Repeat with the other layers of cake.
- Once you have placed on the last layer, cover the entire outside of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
- Cover the cake with the remaining frosting and smooth. If you like reserve about ¾ up frosting to pipe around the top and bottom of the cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
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