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.

Slice of carrot cake on a white plate and dessert fork on the side.

Carrot Cake Recipe

And just like that: it’s the season of spring! How are you celebrating the magical new season?

I hope your answer involves fresh air, sunshine, and plenty of carrot cake! More specifically, my favorite carrot cake recipe. Which is melt-in-your-mouth moist, loaded with fresh carrot flavor, and slathered in rich cream cheese frosting. Omg, it’s so good and has even converted a few “carrot cake haters” into fans!

Are you ready to dig into this delicious carrot cake recipe with me?!

Whole carrot cake decorated with nuts on a dessert plate.

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 😉

Bowl with cake batter topped with shredded carrots.

Ingredients for Carrot Cake

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.
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.

Slice of carrot cake on a dessert plate with a dessert fork and carrots on the side.

Don’t Use Pre-Shredded Carrots

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.

A slice of carrot cake with a few bites taken out of it.

Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

This recipe calls for 5 cups of fresh 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