Description
This Carrot Cake is everything you could want in a dessert—moist, tender, and spiced to perfection, with just the right amount of sweetness. Topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, it’s a cake that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Carrot Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk (or more, if needed for consistency)
Instructions
1. Preheat & Prepare Pan
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
3. Prepare Wet Ingredients
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
4. Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Fold in shredded carrots, walnuts, and raisins (if using).
5. Bake the Cake
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a little milk to reach your desired consistency.
7. Frost the Cake
- Once the cakes are completely cool, spread a layer of frosting on top of the first cake.
- Place the second cake on top and frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
- Garnish with extra chopped walnuts or shredded coconut if desired.
Notes
✔ For extra moisture, use finely grated carrots instead of shredded ones.
✔ Store the cake in the fridge for up to 5 days (the frosting will keep it fresh!).
✔ Make it a day ahead – Carrot cakes often taste better after a day of chilling in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of the cake)
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
Keywords: carrot cake, cream cheese frosting, moist carrot cake