5 cups of freshly grated carrots makes this homemade carrot cake recipe super moist crumb – and plenty of carrot flavor! Frost the cake with favorite cream cheese frosting and a handful of chopped nuts! If you like my carrot cake cupcakes, you’ll love this carrot cake recipe.

Freshly Grated Carrots = The BEST Carrot Cake Recipe

Say hello to the carrot cake that has converted HUNDREDS of “carrot cake haters” into diehard fans! My secret… 5 cups of freshly grated carrots! Plus, plenty of warm and cozy spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. And… perhaps shockingly, no crushed pineapple or raisins.

Instead, we use applesauce and brown sugar, which enhance the flavor and texture. Oh, and perhaps the biggest selling point to a carrot cake hater? A thick layer of my favorite cream cheese frosting covers every inch of this cake. Such a divine dessert – and perfect for Easter and spring celebrations!

My family obsesses over this cake and requests it even more often than my famous chocolate cake! Need I say more?! Let’s dive into this carrot cake recipe step by step!

A Year Of Recipe Testing

Wanna know something crazy? This carrot cake was a year in the making! Actually, a little over a year. I started testing the recipe right before last Easter, and have been tweaking it like a maniac ever since.

I can’t tell you how many carrots were grated in the name of recipe perfection, but I can tell you it was worth it. This carrot cake is “the one”, and I can’t wait for you to try it! Just be warned: you will eat more than one slice. It’s inevitable 😉

The Carrot Cake Recipe

• Eggs: You’ll use 6 large eggs for this carrot cake recipe. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the cake batter.
• Sugars: You’ll use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar to sweeten the cake recipe. You’ll use confectioners’ sugar to sweeten the cream cheese frosting.
• Oil: You can use canola oil or vegetable oil for a neutral tasting oil. Or use melted coconut oil for a subtle coconut flavor.
• Applesauce: Unsweetened apple sauce works best. Some people have reported good results subbing the applesauce with crushed pineapple, but I haven’t tested this.
• Sour Cream: In a pinch, sub full-fat plain Greek yogurt. I don’t suggest subbing milk for the sour cream.
• Vanilla Extract: Adds rich flavor while enhancing the other flavors in this cake recipe. I always strongly suggest using real vanilla.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground nutmeg
• All-Purpose Flour: I don’t suggest using any other variety of flour in this carrot cake recipe! But some readers have reported decent results using a 1-for-1 gluten free flour sub.
• Baking Powder: Helps the cake batter rise in the oven, so ensure the baking powder is fresh.
• Baking Soda: Helps the cake batter spread in the oven, so ensure the baking soda is fresh.
• Salt: Helps balance sweetness and enhances the other flavors in this cake recipe.
• Carrots: Perhaps the most important ingredient in carrot cake? Avoid pre-shredded carrots and opt-in for fresh carrots.
• Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese will work best. I suggest using brick-style cream cheese and make sure it’s at room temperature before use.
• Butter: The secret to my favorite cream cheese frosting! Ensures the cream cheese flavor isn’t too dominate and helps make the frosting extra creamy.
• Nuts: While I don’t add nuts to the cake batter or dry ingredients. I do like to garnish my frosted carrot cake with crushed nuts. I usually use 1 and 1/2 cups for good coverage. But you can use less, around a 1/2 cup.

No Pre-Shredded Carrots // Freshly Grated Carrots Only

• Grating fresh carrots is time consuming, but an essential step for making the best carrot cake recipe.
• Pre-shredded carrots offer convenience but lack the moisture and flavor fresh carrots offer.
• Fresh carrots will provide the moistest carrot cake, as well as the best carrot flavor.
• To grate fresh carrots, you’ll need a box grater. I suggest grating the carrots on the coarser end of the box grater.
• Finely grating your carrots can make the cake batter heavy and the baked cake gluey.

How to Make Carrot Cake

1. Make the Batter: Make sure you don’t over mix once you’ve combined the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. This will cause a dry and/or gluey cake.
2. Divide the Batter: You’ll need 3 9-inch cake pans to divide the batter evenly. If you don’t have enough cake pans, you’ll need to bake them one at a time. Allowing enough time for the cake to cool and the pan to cool before reusing.
3. Cool: Make sure the cakes cool completely before frosting! I can assure you it’s never worth it to rush and risk frosting a warm cake. The frosting will slide of the cake layers and your cake will collapse.
4. Frost: Once the cake layers are cool, make my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. Assemble the layers on a cake plate or cake stand, spreading a thick layer of frosting between each layer.
5. Serve: You can serve right away or leave out at room temperature for a few hours. I like to place any leftover cake in the fridge, which will keep for 5 days.

Secrets to The Perfect Carrot Cake

• This recipe calls for 5 cups of freshly grated carrots! I know, that’s a lot… but trust me here. The large quantity of carrots is what really makes this cake magic. They add flavor, moisture, and sweetness.
• You may add up to one cup of chopped nuts or raisins. Adding more nuts can cause a dry cake, as nuts do absorb moisture.
• Use 100% natural unsweetened applesauce. This ingredient is called for to add moisture, not sweetness.
• This recipe calls for canola oil, but you may use an equal amount of vegetable oil or melted coconut oil in its place.
• I do not recommend substituting oil with melted butter. Although oil has great flavor, it won’t give this cake recipe the moisture needed.
• For best results, make sure your eggs and sour cream have come to room temperature before you begin baking.
• When you measure your flour, be sure you’re not packing it into the measuring cup. Packed flour will yield a dense and dry cake.
• The carrot cake layers should all be baked in the middle of the middle rack of your oven. If there’s not enough room in your oven to bake them all in an even row at once, bake them in two batches.
• Be sure to allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 20 minutes! They need this time to firm up.
• For the frosting, you’ll want to make sure your butter and cream cheese are VERY soft before creaming it.

This carrot cake is EXTREMELY moist and will thrive in the fridge for up to 4 days! In fact, I think it tastes even better after a day or two. So feel free to make it ahead of time!

Tips for Freezing Carrot Cake

• For the best results, I suggest freezing carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. 
• I also suggest freezing the cake layers before you slice or assemble them. 
• You can then thaw the cake layers overnight in the fridge. 
• Once you thaw the cake layers, decorate them with frosting and nuts, if using, before serving.

How to Freeze Carrot Cake

• Bake carrot cake recipe as directed. Cool completely on a wire rack. This will take around and hour and a half.
• Tightly wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap. Ensure that you cover every area of the cake. 
• Then wrap each cake layer with aluminum foil. This will ensure no freezer burn forms on the cake. 
• Finally, place the cake layers in freezer safe bags or a freezer-safe container. 
• You can store cakes this way in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Tools for Carrot Cake

• 9-Inch Cake Pans (You can bake this cake in a 9×13-inch pan if you don’t have 3 cake pans)
• Box Grater (Use the coarse end for nice thick shreds of carrot)
• Parchment Paper Rounds (Or cut our circles of parchment paper so they fit the pans)
• Cooling Racks (Help the cakes evenly cool on top and bottom)
• Electric Mixer (You can’t make my favorite cream cheese frosting without one)

Creative Carrot Cake Recipes

• Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Carrot Cake Blondies
• Inside-Out Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot Cake with The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting

Ashley Manila

This homemade carrot cake has a super moist crumb and plenty of flavor! Frost the cake with my favorite cream cheese frosting and add chopped nuts for a classic dessert everyone will love. If you like my carrot cake cupcakes, you'll love this carrot cake recipe.

4.74 from 15 votes

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Inactive Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 9″ Layer Cake

Ingredients

 

For the Carrot Cake:

• 6 large eggs room temperature
• 2 cups (398g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (213g) light brown sugar packed
• 1 and 1/2 cups (340ml) canola oil
• 1 and 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup (171g) sour cream
• 1 tablespoon (14ml) vanilla extract
• 3 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 and 3/4 cups (450g) all-purpose flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups coarsely grated carrots

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 16 ounces (454g) full-fat cream cheese room temperature
• 8 ounces (227g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon (14ml) vanilla pure extract
• 5 and 1/2 cups (641g) confectioners' sugar sifted, more only if needed

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Cut out three 9-inch round segments of parchment paper to line your cake pans with. Spray each pan generously – sides and bottom – with nonstick cooking spray, then place the parchment paper cut out in the bottom of the pans and spray again. It’s important to make sure every bit of pan and paper are sprayed so your cakes don’t get stuck. Set pans aside.
• In a large bowl combine the eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, oil, applesauce, sour cream, vanilla, and spices; beat well to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture; stir until just combined. Batter will be on the thicker side but resist the urge to over mix! Add in the carrots and using a rubber spatula gently fold together until incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake cakes for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and set, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make your frosting!

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until completely smooth; about 2 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added beat on high-speed for 1-2 minutes.
• Once the cakes have completely cooled, place one round on a cake stand or large plate; spread the top and sides evenly with frosting. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosted one and press down very lightly to seal them together. Repeat with the final cake layer, then continue frosting the cake, using a thin spatula, offset spatula, or whatever you have that works best, until the top and sides of the cake are evenly frosted.
• Decorate with additional nuts, if desired, then slice and serve! Store this cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Keyword carrot cake, Easter, Easter desserts, cake recipes

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