Carrot Cake
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This classic Carrot Cake Recipe is moist, perfectly spiced and layered with the most delicious cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake is simple to make and this recipe for carrot cake comes out perfect every time.
Looking for other delicious cake recipes: Chiffon Cake, Oatmeal Cake, Peach Upside Down Cake.
Homemade Carrot Cake
Homemade Carrot Cake is filled with warm seasonings such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. These spices make every bite a delicious treat. This carrot cake recipe comes out moist and soft. This cake recipe makes 2, 9 inch cakes that are perfect for making a special treat that is just right for sharing!
This carrot cake recipe is one that has been in the family for generations, I got this recipe from my own grandmother and am always grateful for those classic recipes that have been tried and tested. While I have adjusted the spices a bit by adding a few more, the base recipe will always remain the same.
How to Make Carrot Cake
There are just a few simple steps to making the best carrot cake recipe. First, beat the eggs in your mixing bowl for about 30 seconds until they are bubbly. Then add in the oil, sugar and vanilla. Beat those together with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until the mixture is fluffy.
Next, in a separate bowl, simply whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg until they are well blended together. Then add them right into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Once those are all mixed together add in the shredded carrots, I like to use 3 cups for this recipe which I feel is just the right amount of carrot. It is not an overpowering flavor and does not make the cake of bits of chewy carrot throughout.
Chopped pecans are my nut of choice for this cake, but walnuts are also a good option. The nuts are optional so if your fam does not like them, go ahead and skip this step of the recipe.
Line 2, 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. I have found that it is best to spray the pan first, then place the parchment on the bottom so it sticks and then spray the pan again. This will allow the cake to release easily from the pan when it is done baking.
These cakes will bake at 350ºF, so be sure to get that oven heating up when you start mixing the batter together so it will be ready when you are.
These carrot cake rounds will take 35-40 to bake. You can tell if the cakes are done by poking the center with a toothpick and only a few crumbs come out on the toothpick. If there is liquid coating the toothpick, then you need to bake the cakes for longer. If this happens, simply set your timer in short increments, like 2-3 minutes, to avoid over baking your cakes.
Take the cakes out of the oven and let them rest in the pans for about 10 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack to continue cooling before frosting with the cream cheese frosting. If you would like, you can wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to make frosting easier.
You are almost in carrot cake bliss!! The last part is frosting the cakes. I find it is easiest to frost the cakes when they are cold and the frosting is at room temperature. I also, only like to frost the center and top of this carrot cake, I think there is such a thing as too much frosting and it can sometimes overpower the cake.
Start with one layer of cake on the bottom and spread a generous amount of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake, taking it all the way to the edges, even poking out of the sides just a little if you like.
Next, you are going to add another layer of cream cheese frosting to the top of the cake. I like to use an offset spatula to help spread the frosting around the top. You can even use the spatula to make pretty swirls across the top of the cake.
At this point the cake is ready to eat if you did not add nuts. If you are using nuts, go ahead and add them to the outside rim of the top layer of the cake for additional crunch and design.
Carrot Cake Recipe
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Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 carrots grated
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Prepare 2, 9 inch round cake pans by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until bubbly. Add in the oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix for about 1 minute, until it is fluffy and well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until smooth and combined.
- Mix in the carrots and pecans (if using)
- Evenly pour the cake batter into the two prepared pans
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla and mix.
- Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until the frosting has reached a spreadable consistency.
- Spread the frosting on top of one layer of cake, then place the other cake on top and finish frosting the top of the other cake with the remaining frosting.
Notes
- To help with frosting, this cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill before frosting.
- The nuts in this recipe are optional
- If you don’t like pecans, walnuts are a good substitution.
Nutrition
This classic Carrot Cake Recipe is moist, perfectly spiced and layered with the most delicious cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake is simple to make and this recipe for carrot cake comes out perfect every time.
How to Store Carrot Cake
Always store your carrot cake in an air tight container in a dry place. Carrot cake can be left on the counter for 1-2 days. If you want it to last longer, store your carrot cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze this carrot cake recipe as well. To freeze, I like to take each layer and wrap tightly in plastic wrap then place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
