Jamielyn Nye
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This carrot cake is moist, flavorful and easy to make in one bowl. Topped with a fluffy homemade cream cheese frosting it’s a family favorite and the best for any celebration!
While this cake is traditionally made at Easter, we love it year round and make carrot cake cookies, caramel carrot cake and carrot cake cupcakes, too!
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Table of Contents
- Moist and Easy Cake!
- Easy Carrot Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Grating Carrots
- How to Make Carrot Cake
- Baking Tips
- Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Frosting
- 5 star review
- Recipe FAQs
- More Cake Recipes for Easter
- Easy Carrot Cake Recipe Printable Recipe
Moist and Easy Cake!
Carrot cake is one of those classic Easter desserts that everyone always looks forward to, as well as my chocolate egg nest treats, coconut macaroons or this pineapple upside down cake recipe.
This easy carrot cake recipe is super moist and has the perfect sweetness from the pineapple. I love that you just need one bowl and a wooden spoon. No mixer is required!
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe Ingredients
This carrot cake recipe is one of the best and easiest recipes to make for any special day! It is light and tasty with a sweet and savory flavor!
Find the fullprintable recipewith specific measurements below.
- Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil moistens the cake and results in a tender crumb.
- Sugars: Combine white and brown sugar together for extra sweetness and a delicious base. Sugars lock in moisture helping the wet and dry ingredients combine together.
- Eggs: Bind together the cake batter with eggs and makes the structure of the cake.
- Carrots: Just what the cake is all about! Freshly shredded carrots are needed for texture and an amazing flavor. I would avoid the pre-shredded carrots in the produce area as they are too dry.
- Pineapple: This is a hidden treat that makes the carrot cake moist but also adds extra texture and a sweet flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Added in for flavor!
- All-purpose flour: Soft and tender cake is created from the flour as the base of the cake.
- Baking soda and powder: Together these leavening agents work together to balance flavor and texture while lifting and rising the cake batter as it is baking.
- Cinnamon: A sweet and savory flavor that has a hint of spice.
Grating Carrots
One of the keys to the BEST carrot cake is using freshly grated carrots. Here are a few tips and answers to questions I get frequently asked about the carrots in my easy carrot cake recipe.
- Yes, carrots need to be peeled. Peel your carrots before shredding them. The peel can have a bitter taste and texture which would ruin your baked good.
- Best ways to grate carrots. Using a hand grater is an easy way to grate the carrots. Make sure to use the side of the grater with the large holes. To make it faster, use a food processor. Pulse it a few times until the carrots are grated into small pieces (but not puréed).
- Size and amount of carrots. For this recipe, you’ll need about 2 medium carrots to make 1 cup of packed grated carrots. Buy a couple of extra just in case it doesn’t make enough. Larger carrots will be easier to grate than smaller ones.
- Measuring amount of grated carrots. When measuring the grated carrots, pack them loosely in your measuring cup.
How to Make Carrot Cake
The best carrot cake recipe is right here! It is moist, flavorful, and a delicious combination of a rich and savory dessert. It is the perfect combination!
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Shred carrots with a grater.
- Mix: In a large bowl, stir the oil and sugars with a wooden spoon. Then stir in the eggs, carrots, pineapple, and vanilla. Next stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and stir, just until combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick come clean. Let the cake cool completely.
- Frosting: For the cream cheese frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.Add more powdered sugar until you reach desired thickness and sweetness.
Baking Tips
Here are some baking tips to make this cake even better! Add in fruit, top with coconut or nuts or double the recipe for a layer cake.
- Pineapple. Make sure to drain the pineapple. The carrots already contain a lot of moisture, so adding crushed pineapple to the juice will ruin the consistency of the cake.
- Applesauce. Applesauce can be used in place of crushed pineapple if you prefer.
- Extra mix-ins. Feel free to mix extras into the batter, like raisins, chopped pecans or walnuts, or shredded coconut. You can even toast the nuts first for even more flavor.
- Line the pan. The cake is super moist, so make sure to use parchment paper and cooking spray. You don’t want it to stick to the pan!
- Toasted coconut. Before serving, try topping the cake with freshly toasted coconut. It adds incredible flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.
- Doubling. To double the recipe, use a 9×13″ baking dish. You can also make cake layers by using two 9-inch round cake pans.
- Frost cake. Wait for the cake to cool to room temperature before adding on the frosting. If the cake is too hot or warm, the frosting will melt to the sides or leave spots unfrosted.
Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Frosting
A cream cheese frosting is the perfect pair to carrot cake. It’s sweet and tangy and balances the warm spices in the cake.
For some fun variations of the frosting, add 1/2 cup dulce de leche to the frosting and a pinch of salt to make caramel cream cheese frosting.
A maple cream cheese frosting, cinnamon cream cheese frosting or sour cream frosting would also taste delicious.
5 star review
“Made this today and I must say its the best carrot cake ever. Easy to make with on hand ingredients that I always have. The cake is very light, however the taste is intense and wonderful. This is a keeper in my recipe box.”
– Ferryal
Recipe FAQs
What is carrot cake supposed to taste like?
Carrot cake is described as a spice cake. Most carrot cakes have baking spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg that are used for flavor and a savory combination. The taste is most described as savory with a hint of sweet and spicy.
Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil for the carrot cake?
While technically yes you could, carrot cake is better with vegetable oil or canola oil. Vegetable oil cakes tend to bake up thicker and stay moist and tender far longer than butter cakes. It is a preference and what you may have on hand too!
Does carrot cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Simply place the cake in an airtight container and cover it with a lid or plastic wrap/aluminum foil. It can stay fresh in strorage in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.
Can this carrot cake recipe be stored in the freezer?
If you plan on freezing this dessert, I’d recommend cutting the cake into squares and then freezing them in the pan overnight. This allows the icing to harden up so that it won’t stick. Then wrap the cake squares in plastic wrap and add them to a zip-top bag. Place in the freezer for 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy, remove the plastic wrap and thaw in the fridge.
Planning an Easter dinner menu? Add these favorites including easy deviled eggs, easy baked ham recipe and glazed carrots.
More Cake Recipes for Easter
- Easter Cake Pops
- Layered Easter Cake
- Cadbury Easter Cupcakes
- Lemon Poke Cake
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Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
5 from 65 votes
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Author: Jamielyn Nye
This carrot cake is moist, flavorful and easy to make in one bowl. Topped with a fluffy homemade cream cheese frosting it's a family favorite and the best for any celebration!
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 50 minutes mins
Servings: 9
Video
Ingredients
Carrot Cake:
- ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar , packed
- 2 large eggs , beaten
- 1 cup packed freshly grated carrots , about 2 large carrots
- ½ cup crushed pineapple , drained
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 3 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8" pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Shred carrots with grater.
In a large bowl, stir the oil and sugars together with a wooden spoon. Then stir in the eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla. Next stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir, just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes clean. Let the cake cool completely.
For the cream cheese frosting, beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.Add more powdered sugar until you reach desired thickness and sweetness.
Frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting, then cover until ready to serve.
Cut carrot cake into 9 large squares or 12 medium pieces. Enjoy!
Notes
Caramel frosting: For a fun twist on the cream cheese frosting, simply add 1/2 cup dulce de leche to the frosting. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
Doubling the cake: You can easily double this recipe (hover over the serving amount to double the serving amounts). Just use a 9×13″ pan or 2 (9×9″) circle pan if doubling. It will be slightly thicker, so I like to take out about 1/2-1 cup batter for the 9×13″. You’ll also want to cook about 5-10 minutes longer (I like to turn down the heat to 325°F the last 10 minutes so it doesn’t brown.)
Nutrition
Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 2679IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe adapted from Dessert for Two byChristina Lane.
Categorized as: American, Cake + Cupcakes, Desserts, Easter, Freezer-Friendly, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
More about Jamielyn Nye
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Add a comment
57 comments
- Valerie
Besides adding coconut my mother made an amazing glaze that was made with butter- milk and sugar n baking soda. put on a warm not Hot cake!.
- Reply
- I Heart Naptime
MMMM! That sounds delicious!
- Reply
- Valerie
I add angel flake coconut. put it thru a chopper to be finer like my Gran use too.
- Reply
- I Heart Naptime
That is perfect! Thanks for sharing.
- Reply
- Sarah
Followed the recipe to the T and it turned out delicious. Soft moist and not too sweet or oily. This recipe will me be my go to carrot cake recipe
- Reply
- Ruby
Delish!! Made this for Easter and it was a hit:). Moist, tasty and super easy to make. I doubled the recipe to make a round layered cake. Definitely will be making this carrot cake again. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
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