Carrot Cake

Covered with plenty of tangy cream cheese frosting, my tried-and-true carrot cake recipe is tender, perfectly spiced, with all the textures and flavors you’re looking for ((no obnoxiously big chunks of carrot here 🙅). Regardless if you're a fan of its moist, spiced flavor that makes it a standout against standards like vanilla and chocolate, or if you simply think of it as the ideal vehicle for cream cheese frosting (I feel you!), having a quality carrot cake recipe up your sleeve is a must. Whether you're searching for a timeless spring dessert, the centerpiece to your Easter dinner, or the solution to that persistent carrot cake craving, this recipe is bound to be your new go-to. Read on for all my top tips to perfecting this classic cake:

What People Are Saying:
“Made this cake for Easter. Delicious! Thank you for your helpful tips and options for adding pecans, pineapple, etc.. This recipe will be an Easter tradition. Thank you.” - DLfry

“Best carrot cake I’ve ever tasted! Thank you for this recipe. It made this Easter a little more special.” - GoldBlowdryer

How To Make Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS

The Cake

• Flour: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out your all-purpose flour. This will ensure you’re using the exact right amount—you don’t want to chance messing up this cake.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The baking powder and baking soda provide lift to the cake, creating a fluffy, airy cake that still has a solid structure.
• Cinnamon: Carrot cake brings the warming, comforting vibes, and a bit of cinnamon helps tie all of those flavors together. Plus, no one wants a bland cake.
• Salt: In baking, salt won’t make our goods salty, but will balance out all of our flavors. Like in all our recipes, I’m using kosher salt, so if you’re using another salt, you’ll need to adjust the amounts.
• Sugar: This cake isn’t overly sweet, but has the perfect amount of sugar to balance out all of our mix-ins and tangy cream cheese frosting.
• Vegetable Oil: The best way to guarantee your cake doesn’t turn out dry or crumbly is to swap butter for vegetable oil in the cake batter. Why are we swapping butter for oil? Well, consider the ingredient on its own: Vegetable oil is liquid at room temperature, while butter is solid, meaning this cake will stay soft long after it’s been baked.
• Eggs: 4 large eggs not only add structure to the cake, but create a nice, moist crumb in the final result.
• Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla extract adds a warming, floral flavor that amplifies all of our other components.
• Carrots: Although it's very tempting, please do not buy pre-shredded carrots. I recommend using the large holes on a box grater for the best texture and size, but if you're pressed for time, you can use the grater attachment on your food processor if you've got one.
• Pecans: In my book, the ideal carrot cake slice is littered with toasted, nutty pecans. Not a fan of pecans? Sub in walnuts or pistachios, or leave the nuts out entirely.
• Raisins: Want to skip the raisins? Feel free to, or switch them out for dried cranberries, cherries, or any other dried fruit you want.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

• All you need to make perfect cream cheese frosting is cream cheese, unsalted butter, kosher salt, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. Follow my top tips in the recipe above to achieve fluffy, lump-free frosting.
  

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, we need to prep before starting on our cake. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat it to 350°, then grease 3 round cake pans with cooking spray. Then we can whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.

Once combined, grab another large bowl, and beat together the granulated sugar and oil with a handheld mixer (or with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating to blend completely after every time you add one. Then, you can beat in the vanilla.

Fold in the dry ingredients into the mixture until just combined before folding in the carrots, raisins, and pecans (and any other non-negotiable carrot cake mix-ins for you).

Divide the batter among prepared pans, then bake for around 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pans for around 15 minutes, then invert the cakes onto wire racks and let them cool completely. While they’re cooling, we’ll make our cream cheese frosting by beating together cream cheese, butter, and salt in a large bowl with a handheld mixer until smooth. Once smooth, add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth and spreadable.

Now, we can move onto assembling! If your cakes are a bit less-than-perfect on top and you need a flatter surface, then cut off the tops of the cakes using a serrated knife. Then, arrange one cake on a platter, and spread the top with frosting. Top with the second cake, add more frosting, then the third cake.

Spread the remaining frosting over the top and the sides so the entire cake is covered, then sprinkle some coarsely chopped toasted pecans in a circle around the perimeter.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Can I add pineapple? Sure thing—simply add ½ cup canned pineapple (drained well!) to the batter along with the carrots, raisins, and pecans.
• Do I have to make a layered cake? Nope—you can bake this in a 13"-by-9" pan if you prefer. Just keep in mind that your cake will be slightly thinner and will bake more quickly. We recommend checking after 35 minutes to see if it’s done: If a toothpick comes out clean, it’s good to go.

Storage & Make Ahead

While I’d recommend waiting to frost your cake until the day you want to eat it, you can bake the cake layers ahead of time. After baking, let the cakes cool completely before wrapping each layer separately in plastic wrap. If you’re going to use them within 5 days, you can just refrigerate them; if freezing, wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. The night before you want to frost, thaw them in the refrigerator, then stack and frost them while they’re still cold.

As for the frosting, resist the urge to make it ahead of time. Carrot cake is all about the frosting, after all, and making it day-of guarantees it will be the best it can be (and that you won’t have to wait for it to defrost to a spreadable consistency). That said, you can bake, let cool, and then decorate this cake up to 5 days in advance of serving—just make sure to keep it in the fridge in an airtight container.