Freezing & Storage Instructions
Store leftover carrot cake in the refrigerator covered tightly for up to 4 days.
To freeze, remove the carrot cake from the pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cream cheese frosting will also freeze well for 2-3 months.
Filling Your House With The Sweet Smell Of Freshly Baked Carrot Cake Is Way Easier Than You Might Think
Theres something about carrot cake that is simply irresistible. With its mellow carrot sweetness, cinnamon spice and tangy cream cheese frosting, you cant help but cut yourself a slice. This is especially true for Taste of Home contributor Kim Orr of West Grove, Pennsylvania.
Growing up, Kim would beg her mother to this old-fashioned carrot cake recipe each year for her birthday. Luckily for us, Kim has shared this celebratory carrot cake recipe with the entire Taste of Home community. Keep reading to learn how to make this traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. We bet youll love it enough to serve on your own birthday!
But first, make sure you have the right cake supplies to create sweet success!
Simple Carrot Cake Recipe Tips And Variations:
When it comes to making a homemade carrot cake, you definitely dont want to leave out the carrots. Its just a spice cake if there are no carrots.
- Use whole carrots and shred them with a box grater for the best consistency.
- This recipe calls for just a little bit of crushed pineapple, but if youre not a fan of pineapple, go ahead and leave that out.
- If youre not a fan of pecans, you can swap them for walnuts or leave them out completely.
- Make it a layered cake! Bake the carrot cake in two 8 round cake pans instead of a 9×13 pan. Just bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Substitute applesauce for the oil by using a 1:1 ratio in baked cakes for a lighter taste!
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Need More Of My Best Desserts:
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Easy Lemon Blueberry Bread Loaf Want a delicious lemon blueberry bread recipe? I have a great tasting blueberry bread that everyone will love. This is the perfect recipe for breakfast, a snack or dessert.
Buttermilk Lemon Sheet Cake Recipe Looking for the perfect lemon sheet cake recipe? Look no further. This buttermilk sheet cake recipe is so good. It is easy to make and will be a favorite dessert recipe.
Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake Moist, delicious lemon blueberry coffee cake is mindblowing good. The aroma of baking the lemon blueberry dessert will make you drool and wish that time could go faster.
Blueberry Lemon Brownies If youre looking for the perfect recipe for those plump blueberries, look no further! These Blueberry Lemon Brownies are zingy, tart and perfect for your next summer cookout!
Why This Recipe Works
While grating carrots to prepare this cake, my husband exclaimed “I didn’t know there were really carrots in carrot cake!” Carrot cake recipe from scratch is cake that contains carrots mixed into the batter. Now-a-days, these cakes are frosted with a cream cheese frosting. Many food historians believe carrot cake originated from such carrot puddings eaten by Europeans in the Middle Ages. Sugar was expensive and many people used carrots as a substitute for sugar. Variations of the carrot pudding evolved to include baking with a crust , steamed with a sauce, or molded in pans with icing. Whatever the history of the dish, I’m sure glad it came to be – because carrot cake is one of my very favorite desserts! This recipe was given to me by a friend. She brought me this carrot cake after my middle son was diagnosed with leukemia at age 2. I still remember that moist and flavorful cake and what a treat it was – and now I’m sharing it with you!
This cake comes together so quickly and easily, and it is so good that you won’t even believe it!
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My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe
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 dont call it carrot cake. I call it birthday cake. Its my one and only choice on my big day. Ive 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 cake graces our Easter table and I love making it for spring brunches, baby showers, and our communitys new bake sale.
In fact, this carrot cake recipe is so popular around here that I stopped asking what everyone wants for dessert! Because its always this!
And, finally, I firmly believe that the ONLY thing that competes with carrot cake is a batch of carrot cake cupcakes.
Every Good Carrot Cake Needs Cream Cheese Frosting
Finally, lets get down to the business of cream cheese frosting. After all, carrot cake just wouldnt be carrot cake without a luscious cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting included in our recipe is our Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting recipe from our recipes section. We also love our heavenly Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting if you prefer a thicker consistency.
Sandwich the cream cheese frosting between your carrot cake layers, and then finish it off with a generous slathering.
I just cannot tell you how amazing this carrot cake isyou just have to try it for yourself. The carrots, pineapple, coconut, nuts, and spices all balance each other perfectly. This cake is ultra moist, and guaranteed to please any crowd!
Weve made countless variations of carrot cake over the years, but THIS is our favorite! Nothing else compares!
*Although this scratch Carrot Cake recipe is our absolute favorite, we also have a fantastic doctored cake mix Carrot Cake recipe for those of you who prefer recipes based on cake mix. You can find it at the bottom of this post!
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Tips For Moist Easy Cake
- Grate carrots using the larger holes on a cheese grater, or with the shredding option of a food processor.
- Ensure ingredients are at room temperature.
- While a lot of carrot cakes are made in layers, this cake is easier because it is baked in just one layer. Line your pan with parchment paper if youd like to lift the cake out to slice.
- No need to pull out the stand mixer, this cake is so simple that I use a spoon or rubber spatula and a bowl.
- This cake is deliciously rich cake and very moist, so store it, covered in plastic wrap or in an air tight container, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It tastes best if you bring it to room temperature before serving.
- Keep in mind that this freezes well, in case you want to bake it now and enjoy it later!
What Makes This Carrot Cake Recipe The Best
Well, were a little biased, but this carrot cake is the best ever. We just love carrot cakes that have tons of flavor from fresh ingredients.
This carrot cake has it all: carrots, spices, pecans, coconut & pineapple! With that amazing roundup of ingredients, how could you go wrong?
Carrot Cake is a year-round favorite. This recipe receives so much traffic no matter what time of year, but it is a go-to recipe for Christmas, Easter, and all of the holidays in between!
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How To Make Carrot Cake Frosting
The traditional carrot cake frosting is made with cream cheese that is mixed with the butter, the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract. This cake frosting is perfect because its not too sweet and really goes well with the cake. You can also go for unsweetened whipped cream if you want something lighter.
The following recipe is to prepare a frosted layer cake: you can decide to bake the batter all together in a single pan to avoid the frosting and obtain a cake like the one you can see in the image lazy photo above.
The History Of Carrot Cakes
Though we dont see carrots in many desserts, it actually makes perfect sense in terms of the sweetness factor. Heres a little carrot cake history for you- Even in medieval times, carrot puddings were hugely popular due to their natural sweetness.
The carrot cakes that we know and love today are believed to have evolved from these flavorful carrot puddings.
That natural sweetness also explains the resurgence of carrot based desserts during World War II when sugar was rationed.
Fast forward to the 1960s and 1970s and carrot cakes began to enjoy widespread popularity in the US not only for their amazing flavor, but also because its healthy.
Okay, so carrot cake as a health food may be a bit of a stretch, but the idea really makes it easier for me to cut myself a giant slab of cake! Mmmmmm. Because, you never know.
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Cake Carrot Cake Be Frozen
If you have more cake than you can eat before it goes bad, you can freeze the cake. I always recommend freezing a cake like this, that is decorated and topped with frosting, on a plate before you wrap it and store it. That is because the frosting will stick to the plastic wrap that you use in order to protect the cake from getting freezer burn. Once the cake is frozen, you can then take each slice of cake and wrap it with plastic wrap. Store all of the wrapped cake slices in a freezer bag. This keeps the cake together and helps to add another layer of protection from freezer burn.
Ingredients Needed For Carrot Cake
Heres the basic list of ingredients youll need in order to make this simple carrot cake recipe. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Pineapple squeeze as much juice out as you can before adding
- Pecansyou can use walnuts or leave them out completely if desired
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Classic Cakes Loaded With Goodness
Over the years, weve received a flood of rave reviews on this cake, making it one of the most popular on our site!
I love cakes with lots of stuff cakes with a wonderful mix of textures and flavors, whether bits of fruit or coconut or pecans, etc.
For instance, good old fashioned Hummingbird Cake, Italian Cream Cake , German Chocolate Cake and Apple Spice Cake are close to the top of my list, but Carrot Cake is king! .
Does Cream Cheese Frosting Need To Be Refrigerated
Since this frosting has cream cheese in it you will need to refrigerate it. If you need to make the frosting ahead of time, simply mix it together, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days. When youre ready to use it, let it come to room temperature, and mix well before frosting your dessert.
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How To Make A Carrot Cake From Scratch
The method is straightforward and quick: first, mix the dry ingredient in a bowl, then mix the wet ingredients and then combine the two. In the end, stir in carrots without skimping on quantity.
This batter is also really versatile: you can stir in nuts, dried fruits or leave it as it is. It depends on your taste and also when you make it.
The traditional carrot cake recipe includes a layer of cream cheese frosting: it supposed to be mandatory to give a special kick to the cake, but if you want, you can skip it, leave your cake as it is, sift a little bit of powdered sugar on top and eventually serve with some ice cream or whipped cream.
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
This is my favorite recipe for homemade carrot cake! This cake is so easy to make, perfectly moist, and topped with an easy homemade cream cheese frosting.
I feel like carrot cake is a dessert most people tend to only make around Easter. But honestly, carrot cake is such an incredible dessert and I think it should be enjoyed all year long. Especially when it comes to this recipe.
I know it can be a bold statement to call a recipe the best, but I truly mean it with this one. Not only is this cake easy to make, but its so incredibly moist and full of flavor that its almost impossible to stop at one piece.
Once you realize how easy it is to make a carrot cake from scratch, youll want to make it over and over again.
To make this carrot cake, youll start by mixing up your dry ingredients. One important thing when measuring out your dry ingredients is to make sure to spoon and level your flour.
You want to avoid packing the flour into the measuring cup, otherwise, youll end up with too much in your recipe. Or if you have a food scale, you can also weigh your ingredients to get an accurate measurement.
I also really love some spice in my carrot cake so I use some ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. All three spices add such a wonderful flavor to this cake, but arent too overpowering. They really take this cake from good to absolutely amazing, trust me.
Baking Tips for Carrot Cake
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Can I Make This Cake In Advance
I actually love to bake this cake the night before and then frost it the next day. I find the flavor of this carrot cake is always better on day two, plus it even tastes delicious straight out of the refrigerator. Ive given detailed instructions on how to prep this moist carrot cake ahead of time in the recipe card below.
How To Make Carrot Cake From Scratch:
Similar to how you would make my Homemade Vanilla Cake, youll start with combining the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs, vegetable oil, white sugar and brown sugar until light in color.
- Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, mix until combined.
- Add the grated carrots and squeezed pineapple, then stir until fully incorporated. Fold in the pecans.
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What Frostings Pair Well With Carrot Cake
For me, you just cannot beat a thick coat of cream cheese frosting spread over carrot cake layers. It is pure heaven! The slight tang from the cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the spice in the recipe and the sweetness from the carrots, coconut, and pineapple.
If you cannot use cream cheese frosting or just dont care for it I would go with a Classic Vanilla Buttercream or add a little cinnamon to the vanilla buttercream for a delicious Cinnamon Buttercream.
Ive experimented with and tried so many carrot cake recipes over the years, but this is the recipe that we always come back to- we think that you are going to love it too!
As I mentioned above, I think that carrot cakes are best with cream cheese frosting! You can find our cream cheese buttercream frosting listed in our recipe below, or you may also like our Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting if you prefer a thicker consistency! Either recipe tastes fantastic with carrot cake!
Tips And Tricks For This Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
- Measure the flour correctly. When measuring the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and then level it off. Resist the temptation to dip that one cup measuring cup into your container of flour. You will end up with too much flour and a denser cake.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. You want new ones every six months. To test them, drop your baking soda in vinegar and your baking powder in water. They should bubble and react immediately.
- Your eggs should be room temperature. Fill a bowl with luke warm water and put them in there for a few minutes to speed this along.
- Make sure your butter and cream cheese are room temperature before making the frosting.
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Moist & Fluffy Homemade Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting Will Become Your New Favourite Recipe
This carrot cake recipe is one you will fall in love with time and time again! The perfect balance of flavour with a hint of cinnamon, soft crunch from nuts, crushed pineapple and an incredibly moist crumb smothered all over with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting.
The perfect texture, the best flavour, easy and foolproof Carrot Cake!
How To Store This Poke Cake
While cake itself doesnt need to be refrigerated, you will need to store this cake in the refrigerator. With the cream cheese frosting and sweetened condensed milk as the drizzle to go into the holes in the poke cake, you need to make sure this cake is refrigerated. You do not want to keep this cake at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
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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. Heres 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 dont see any large streaks of flour.
Add carrots, nuts, and raisins: When Ive got the batter ready, I fold in the carrots, and if Im using them, the nuts and raisins.