Two layers of ultra moist, perfectly spiced cake topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting is the only carrot cake recipe you’ll ever need!
The easiest way to get your veggies in is via carrot cake. I mean, I’m joking but not joking because carrots have never tasted this good! This carrot cake recipe is crazy moist and tender, spiced to perfection and studded with bursts of pineapple, coconut, and crunchy walnuts. Don’t like those mix-ins? Feel free to switch them out for raisins, pecans, or other mix-ins you’re digging.
And we can’t talk carrot cake without talking cream cheese frosting. It’s the same frosting that’s on my Pumpkin Cupcakes and Pumpkin Bars. It’s my go-to cream cheese frosting for a reason! It’s tangy and sweet, and creamy and soft. AKA…it’s just right.
Make carrot cake up to 5 days ahead (yes, I said 5 days!), and it will be just as good as day one.
What You’ll Need to Make Carrot Cake
These ingredients will make the most moist and tender carrot cake ever, with a luscious cream cheese frosting!
Carrot Cake:
- Shredded carrots – don’t bother shredding your own carrots; just buy the pre-shredded ones in the grocery store!
- All-purpose flour – regular all-purpose flour is the base for our cake.
- Granulated sugar – regular white sugar is the best for carrot cake!
- Canola or vegetable oil – a flavorless oil like canola oil creates a deliciously moist and tender cake.
- Sweetened coconut flakes – for all you coconut lovers, this is for you! If you don’t like coconut you can eliminate it.
- Chopped walnuts –walnuts add a buttery crunch.
- Fresh pineapple – pineapple adds moisture and pops of freshness. A trick is to buy pre-cut fresh pineapple and then dice it into smaller pieces.
- Large eggs – eggs create structure.
- Baking soda – for a fluffy cake, use baking soda.
- Vanilla extract – you can’t beat vanilla for flavor!
- Pumpkin pie spice – pumpkin pie spice is a blend of all those warm baking spices we know and love.
- Salt – salt enhances flavor.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream cheese – cream cheese frosting can’t be beaten on carrot cake!
- Powdered sugar – powdered sugar creates structure for our frosting.
- Unsalted butter – butter adds richness to the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – I love vanilla in cream cheese frosting!
- Salt – salt enhances the flavor.
- Toppings of choice (optional) – want to decorate your carrot cake? Try using finely chopped walnuts, coconut or toasted coconut, or sprinkles!
How to Make Carrot Cake
The full instructions are in the recipe card; this is an outline!
- Prepare pans.
Grease, line with parchment, grease again, and then flour two 9-inch cake pans.
- Mix dry ingredients.
Combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Mix wet ingredients.
Blend granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a stand mixer.
- Combine wet and dry.
Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Prepare add-ins.
Toss carrots, coconut, walnuts, and pineapple with 2 tablespoons flour.
- Incorporate add-ins.
Fold carrot mixture into the batter.
- Bake.
Divide batter into pans and bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes.
- Cool cakes.
Cool in pans for 30 minutes, then fully on racks for 2-3 hours.
- Make frosting.
While cooling, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Add sugar.
Mix powdered sugar into frosting until fluffy. Refrigerate until cakes are fully cooled.
- Assemble cake.
Frost the top of the first cake layer.
- Finish frosting.
Add the second layer, frost the top and sides.
- Decorate.
Top with coconut, walnuts, or sprinkles if you’d like! Chill before serving for easier slicing.
Video: Watch How to Make It
The Best Cream Cheese Frosting
Try to make this frosting and not “sample” it a few too many times. It’s ridiculously creamy, tangy-sweet, and soft – the perfect topper for our carrot cake! Plus it’s really easy to whip up. The ingredients are simple: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. The tip to creamy, uniform cream cheese frosting with no lumps is to make sure you soften the butter and let the cream cheese stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before making the frosting.
Then let your frosting chill in the fridge until your cakes are fully cooled; that way the frosting will be stiff enough to easily frost and make your carrot cake extra pretty!
My Pro Tip
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
Use pre-shredded carrots: storebought shredded carrots work great!
Use pre-cut fresh pineapple chunks: then dice theminto small pieces.
You can opt out of a mix-in: don’t like coconut, pineapple, or walnuts? You can eliminate one, or replace one with another mix-in of choice!
Coat mix-ins with flour: this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Grease, line with parchment rounds, and flour pans well: nothing’s worse than cakes that are stuck in the pans!
Frequently Asked Questions
Carrot cake is actually better the next day! Carrot cake keeps really well for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Yes, because the frosting is made with cream cheese, you need to store it in the fridge. I also like serving carrot cake chilled anyway!
Yes, cut the cake into slices, freezing the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once frozen, wrap them individually in freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months. Thaw pieces in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
Decorate carrot cake with chopped walnuts, toasted or regular coconut, or a dusting of pumpkin pie spice for a classic finish. For a creative touch, try adding carrot sprinkles, orange zest, or a caramel drizzle!
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
Moist Carrot Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 (9-inch) cake pans
- Stand mixer
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Carrot Cake:
- 3 ½ cups shredded carrots
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons (and more for greasing pans)
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 ounces full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature for 30 minutes
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup toppings of choice, optional (finely chopped walnuts, coconut, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Well-grease the sides and bottoms of 2 (9-inch) cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper round. Grease the top of the parchment. Then sprinkle a small amount of flour into each pan. Tilt and tap the pan so the flour covers the greased sides and bottoms. Shake out any excess flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt for the cake. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla for the cake. Mix together on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- In a large bowl, toss together the carrots, coconut, walnuts, and pineapple. Then add 2 tablespoons of flour and toss again.
- Add the carrot mixture to the cake batter, and mix until just combined.
- Evenly divide the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with loose crumbs (not batter!). My oven takes 45 minutes.
- Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, run a knife gently around the outside of the pans, and carefully invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely (about 2 ½ hours before frosting).
- While cooling, make the frosting. Add room temp cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla, and salt to the bowl of a mixer. Whip together over medium-high speed until creamy and uniform, about 90 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar. Starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high speed, whip together the frosting for about 90 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Let frosting chill in the fridge (at least an hour) until cakes have cooled completely.
- Place the first cake, flat-side up, on a cake stand or plate. Frost the top of the cake with about ⅓ of the frosting.
- Place the second cake on top of the first, round side up. Frost the top of the cake, and then the sides, with desired amount of frosting.
- Decorate with coconut, walnuts, sprinkles or leave as-is! I recommend chilling cake for at least 30 minutes before slicing, for easier slicing, and make sure to store in the fridge when not enjoying!
Video
Notes
- Store-bought shredded carrots work great!
- Don’t like coconut, pineapple, or walnuts? You can eliminate one, or replace one with another mix-in of choice! Don’t eliminate more than one mix-in, so the quantity of mix-ins doesn’t change dramatically.
- I buy pre-cut fresh pineapple chunks and then dice them into small pieces.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow, this is by a mile the best carrot cake I have ever tasted! This will be a standard in my home from now on! Thank you.
Love this! Thanks for letting me know!
Grace
I admit to being a carrot cake snob, so I made this recipe thinking it would not measure up to the description. Boy, was I wrong. It’s without question THE BEST carrot cake I have ever tasted. It is so moist, intensely flavored and chock full of stuff that almost transcends cake status to another category of dessert.
FANTASTIC!!!
Wow, what a compliment! I’m thrilled to hear how much you liked the cake! Let me know if you try any other recipes 🙂
Grace
What a cake!!!
HA! Agreed 🙂
Grace