Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
With the perfect subtle cinnamon flavor, a tender crumb and thick scrumptious cream cheese frosting, this is the very best carrot cake!
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This Moist Carrot Cake Recipe is drool-worthy
This is my mom’s carrot cake recipe that she is absolutely famous for! A lot of carrot cakes are overly spiced, dried out or too mushy – this recipe for homemade carrot cake is NONE of those things. With a perfectly balanced cinnamon/sweet flavor and a satisfyingly moist crumb, it is the epitome of a dreamy carrot cake. And the cream cheese frosting on top? Well, it’s smooth, velvety and thick enough to hold its own, all without overpowering the cake. Put them together and you have the carrot cake recipe you’ve been searching for.
Why you’ll love this Recipe for Carrot Cake
Again, this carrot cake recipe scoffs at the bland, mushy cake that is unfortunately common for its namesake and instead provides a flavorful, tender, moist & delicious dessert that you won’t be able to stop eating. Everyone who has ever tried it is amazed by how yummy it is and always asks for the recipe. Well, their wish is my command (and your lucky day!) I love to make this carrot cake recipe to bring to Easter dinner (unless my mom is hosting), spring parties, baby showers + more. It literally ALWAYS hits.
Homemade Carrot Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – Yep, just regular old all-purpose flour here yields a moist and tender cake.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda – The baking soda will help give your cake the perfect rise.
- Cinnamon – Honestly a star of the show! This helps bring together the flavor of the cake beautifully.
- Salt
- Canola oil
- Eggs
- Grated carrots – I know it’s an extra step, but grate these by hand! Don’t buy the matchstick/shredded carrots at the grocery store for this. We want them fresh because it makes a HUGE difference.
For the frosting, check out my cream cheese frosting recipe!
How to make Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Using an electric hand mixer, slowly add in the oil, eggs and packed carrots.
- Once the batter is mixed thoroughly, pour into your prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
- Ice using your favorite Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Enjoy!
How to make the Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake
I have a post all about how to make my cream cheese frosting, but I’ll give you the basics here, too.
- Use either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese until completely combined.
- Slowly add the remaining ingredients (minus the milk) into the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- If you’d like, add a little milk to adjust the thickness of the frosting to your liking.
Carrot Cake Decoration Tips
I usually opt for a little pipe work with the cream cheese frosting on top, but you can make this as simple or extravagant as you’d like! Top with candied pecans, buttercream or white chocolate carrots, or a simple swirl of the frosting.
Tips for making this Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe
Here are my best tried & true tips
- Make sure you grate the carrots fresh. I know it’s tempting to buy the pre-shredded kind from the store, but the fresh carrots make this so much better!
- Make sure all ingredients are completely mixed together before pouring into the pan. I know that sounds intuitive, but you’d be amazed how many bakers rush this and end up with dry patches in their cake.
- Be careful not to overbake your cake! This will dry it out and lose that moistness we crave here.
How to serve Homemade Carrot Cake
I start with this cake on a beautiful cake stand! Then I slice and serve when it’s time for dessert – easy as pie (or cake).
Storing this Simple Carrot Cake Recipe
Cover your cake as tightly as you can and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Does Carrot Cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes, it does! Because of the high moisture level of this cake, you’ll want to store it in the fridge to keep it from going bad. However, that doesn’t mean you need to serve this cake cold – it will be okay at room temperature for a while.
Can you freeze Carrot Cake?
You absolutely can! I would recommend freezing before frosting because it makes things a little easier, but you can also freeze the completed product. Wrap your cake in plastic wrap tightly and then seal in a ziptop bag or airtight container. Place in the freezer and use within 3 months!
Other Spring Recipes
Simple Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups packed grated carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 pan with non stick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Using an electric hand mixer, slowly add in the oil, eggs and packed carrots.
- Once the batter is mixed thoroughly, pour into your prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
- Ice using your favorite Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Enjoy!
I was thinking about baking the cake in mini Bundt molds. Do you think that will work?
That should work fine!
My first time EVER making carrot cake and it turned out SO moist!! Everyone loved them.. instead of making a whole cake, I made cupcakes… thank you so much for the recipe.. this one is going in my collection!!
Who knew grating carrots could turn into a full-blown arm workout? I felt the burn yesterday while shredding carrots for your delicious carrot cake yesterday and my triceps are really feeling the burn today. 🔥 💪 🥕 🎂