Carrot Cake Recipe

I love carrot cakes!! Partially because they’re a vehicle for that amazing, slightly tangy cream cheese frosting but also because they’re super-moist, perfectly sweet and mine always have toasted pecans or walnuts thrown in for some extra crunch. My pet peeve is oily carrot cake so my recipe uses apple sauce and sour cream to add more moisture while using less oil. If you love carrot cake like I do then you need to try my carrot cake cupcakes too!

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

Sour Cream: You can use plain yogurt instead if needed.

Apple Sauce: This is a secret weapon in making your carrot cake next-level moist without any greasiness! You can use unsweetened apple sauce or your favorite variety.   

Spices: I used all my favorites but you can use what you have on hand and sub in your favorites too.

How to Make Carrot Cake

1. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices to a sifter and sift into a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl add the oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream, apple sauce and vanilla extract then set aside.

3. Shred the carrots. I like to use a finer grater but the large one works too. Using a scale is the best way to measure but a pound of carrots is about 5 medium sized carrots. If you add a bit over or under the cake will still be fine.

4. Chop your toasted pecans then toss them with a tablespoon of the dry mixture.  If you haven’t toasted nuts before it’s super-easy! Just spread out on a baking tray and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes or until they smell nice and fragrant. Remove from oven after 5 minutes and move around on the baking sheet so they toast evenly.

5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the shredded carrot and toasted pecans to the batter then fold in so they’re distributed evenly. Divide the batter equally into three eight inch pans that have been buttered and floured with parchment paper rounds on the bottom. Bake at 35oF for about 40 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.

6. Add the room temperature butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat together until smooth. Scrape the bowl down and mix a few seconds more.

7. Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl (this step is optional especially if your powdered sugar is totally lump-free). Add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese/butter mixture a cup at a time while the mixer is running on low. Scrape the bowl down and mix until smooth. You can add more sugar to taste, as well as to stiffen the consistency if needed.

8. Pipe the frosting onto the first cooled cake layer, add the second layer, pipe more buttercream and add the third and smooth any bulging buttercream on the side. At this point I like to pop my cake into the refrigerator to chill so the frosting sets a bit and stabilizes. 20-30 minutes should be fine. You can wrap the cake in plastic to protect it from errant smells and prevent moisture loss but it’s not a must.

9. Cover the cake in a layer of cream cheese frosting. Smooth the side with a bench scraper then the top with an offset spatula. Smooth the side once more then use the offset spatula to pull in the corner and create a clean edge. Press chopped toasted nuts onto the side of the cake. I like covering the bottom third but you can cover the entire side.

10. For the carrots you’ll want to mix up a small batch of buttercream. I just added 1/2 cup of salted butter to a bowl then add 2-3 cups of sifted powdered sugar a cup at a time until you have a thick paste-like frosting. Divide into two batches, a slightly smaller one for the carrot tops, which you will color green and a larger batch that will be colored orange. Use a large round tip like a 1A to pipe the carrots. I piped mine at different heights to they looked a bit more organic but you could make them all uniform instead. Use a grass tip (233) to pipe the green tops. Touch the carrot with your piping tip as you begin squeezing so the two buttercreams adhere to each other.

Pro Tips for Making this Recipe

• The nuts can be omitted. I love the crunch and depth of flavor they add though. Walnuts and pecans work well in this cake so use whichever you prefer.
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• You can make this recipe as cupcakes or as a sheet cake.
• Cake strips will help you get a nice flat top after baking so you can stack the layers without trimming.
• If your frosting is runny then add more powdered sugar a cup at a time until the consistency thickens up. You can also chill the frosting slightly so it firms up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I add to this recipe?

• 1 cup rasins
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• Sub the pecans for walnuts
• Sub the apple sauce for chopped pineapple.

How should I store this cake?

It’s not best to leave your cake out since the frosting is full of dairy so store in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temp before serving for best results. You’ll probably have some left over cream cheese frosting after smoothing so use that to cover the exposed interior after cutting the cake. This will keep your cake nice and moist throughout.

How long does carrot cake keep for?

This carrot cake will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the unfrosted layers for up to two months if wrapped well.

Can I make this as a sheet cake? 

Yes! This recipe makes a delicious 1/4 sheet cake, which is 9×13 inches.  Bake at 350F for about 55 minutes or until the center is springy to the touch.

If you’ve tried this carrot cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!