Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Best carrot cake recipe with fresh carrots, crushed pineapple, and tangy cream cheese frosting. A moist one-bowl cake handed down from my sister-in-law.
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This best carrot cake recipe is a moist two-layer cake loaded with freshly grated carrots, crushed pineapple, and warm cinnamon, finished with a thick, tangy cream cheese frosting. What makes it different is the method: oil instead of butter and drained pineapple in the batter keep the crumb tender for days, and the whole thing stirs together in one bowl with no mixer needed. You only need about 25 minutes of hands-on time, and the oven and cooling racks do the rest. My sister-in-law handed this recipe down to me years ago, and it has been my birthday cake request ever since, along with the dessert I bring to every spring brunch and Easter table.
If you love a good spiced cake, you will also want to try my Butternut Squash Cake or the Pumpkin Spice Sherry Bundt Cake, and chocolate lovers should head straight for the Chocolate Port Wine Cake. Planning a bigger celebration? My Yellow Ombre Cake is a real showstopper, and if you can’t get enough of these flavors, Carrot Cake Granola puts them right in your breakfast bowl. You can find even more layer cakes in my Cakes and Cupcakes collection.
In This Post
Why You’ll Love this Carrot Cake
This is the carrot cake people ask for by name. Each bite is soft, sweet, and gently spiced, with little flecks of carrot and pockets of pineapple that keep it moist without making it heavy. The cream cheese frosting balances all that warmth with just enough tang, and adding walnuts or golden raisins is completely up to you.
It is also one of the easiest layer cakes you will ever make. There is no creaming butter, no separating eggs, and no special technique, just one bowl, a whisk, and two 8-inch pans. The ingredients are budget-friendly pantry staples, and because oil-based cakes stay tender longer than butter cakes, it tastes just as good on day three as it does the day you frost it.
Heather’s Expert Tips for the Best Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Drawing from 20 years of recipe development and my time co-founding a spice company, here’s what makes this recipe worth making exactly as written.
- Grate your own carrots: Bagged pre-shredded carrots are thick and dry and never fully soften in the oven. Use the small holes of a box grater or the fine grating disk on your food processor so the carrots melt into the crumb.
- Drain the pineapple well: Press the crushed pineapple in a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a spoon before adding it. Extra juice is the most common reason carrot cake layers bake up gummy in the center.
- Use fresh cinnamon: As the co-founder of Spiceology, I can tell you that ground spices lose their aroma faster than most people realize, so a jar that has been open for more than a year won’t do this cake justice. With 2 teaspoons of cinnamon carrying all the spice, a fresh jar makes a noticeable difference.
- Cool the layers completely: Give the cakes the full 2 hours on a wire rack before frosting. Even slightly warm layers will melt cream cheese frosting and cause the top layer to slide.
- Soften and sift for smooth frosting: Let the butter and cream cheese sit out until truly soft, and sift the confectioners sugar so you don’t end up with lumps. Add milk only a teaspoon at a time, and only if the frosting is too stiff to spread.
Equipment Needed
- Two 8-inch round cake pans
- Box grater or food processor with a grating disk
- Fine-mesh sieve (for draining the pineapple)
- Large mixing bowl and whisk
- Stand mixer or hand mixer (for the frosting)
- Wire cooling racks
- Offset spatula
- Cake stand or serving plate
Ingredients in Carrot Cake
- Grated Carrots – fresh carrots grated on the box grater on in a food processor fitted with the small grating attachment
- Crushed Pineapple – canned crushed pineapple created a moist crumb
- Flour & Leavening – all purpose flour and baking powder
- Eggs – 4 large eggs
- Sugar – granulated white sugar
- Oil – vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Spices – ground cinnamon and kosher salt
- Vanilla Extract – because vanilla is necessary for delicious bakes
- Cream Cheese – room temperature cream cheese
- Unsalted Butter – room temperature butter
- Powdered Sugar – sifted or you can whisk it in a large bowl to break up any lumps before adding to the cream cheese mixture
Find the printable recipe card with exact measurements and instructions below.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the nuts: Use chopped pecans in place of the walnuts. Toast them in a dry skillet for a few minutes first for even deeper flavor.
- Change up the spice: Replace the cinnamon with 2 teaspoons of my Homemade Chai Spice Mix for notes of cardamom, ginger, and clove.
- Add vanilla to the batter: The vanilla in this recipe lives in the frosting, but stirring 1 to 2 teaspoons into the cake batter adds a rounder, bakery-style flavor.
- Skip the pineapple: Use an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce if you have a pineapple allergy or just don’t keep it on hand.
- Make cupcakes or a sheet cake: Fill lined muffin cups two-thirds full and start checking at 18 minutes, or pour the batter into a greased 9×13 pan and start checking at 35 minutes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Only one bowl needs to be used to make this easy recipe. You can also use a stand mixer or hand mixer if you’d like.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease cake pans with butter.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
- For storing – wrap in plastic wrap or use a cake dome and store at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.
- How to freeze – wrap room temperature cake layers (not frosted) tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before topping with cream cheese frosting.
What to Serve with Carrot Cake
- Easy Mushroom Quiche for a spring brunch spread with carrot cake as the sweet finish.
- Overnight Eggnog French Toast when you are hosting a holiday morning crowd.
- Deviled Eggs 3 Ways as an easy make-ahead starter for Easter.
- Asian Apricot Spiral Ham for a holiday dinner that ends with a big slice of cake.
- Easy Pumpkin Spice Latte for a fall afternoon coffee and cake break.
Frequently Asked Questions
Too much liquid or underbaking is almost always the cause. Drain the pineapple thoroughly, measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it, and bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
You can, but the cake won’t be as moist or tender. Bagged carrots are cut thick and dry out in the package, so finely grating fresh carrots is worth the extra few minutes.
Yes, once it’s frosted. Cream cheese frosting should be kept cold, so store the cake in the refrigerator and pull it out about 30 minutes before serving.
Yes, and it is a great make-ahead dessert. Bake the layers up to a day ahead and wrap them once cool, or freeze them for up to 3 months, then frost the day you plan to serve.
Yes. The layers will be a little thinner, so start checking for doneness around 28 to 30 minutes instead of 35.
One batch generously covers the middle and top with a thin coat on the sides. If you like a thick layer of frosting all the way around, make one and a half or a double batch.
Yes. Fill lined muffin cups about two-thirds full and bake at 350ºF for 18 to 22 minutes for standard muffins, or 25 to 30 minutes for jumbo muffins, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. One batch makes about 2 dozen standard or 10 to 12 jumbo muffins. Let them cool completely, then frost the tops or pipe the cream cheese frosting into the centers for a filled muffin.
If you like this recipe, try:
- Chocolate Port Wine Sheet Cake
- Pineapple Champagne Mango Upside Down Cake
- Pumpkin Chocolate Tiramisu
- Cacao Cream Tart
- Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Recommended Tools
- 8 inch Cake Pan - (2)
- Mixing bowls and measuring spoons
- Cake Stand
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 8 ½ oz canned crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 cups grated carrots, about 2 or 3 large
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
- ½ cup golden raisins, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb confectioners sugar, sifted
- milk, as needed to thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 8″ round cake pans, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the white granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and stir well to combine.
- Add crushed pineapple, shredded carrots, chopped walnuts and/or raisins and stir well.
- Divide into prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove and cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Run a small knife around the edges and invert onto cooling racks and cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
- Beat in confectioners sugar until well incorporated and smooth. Add milk if the frosting is too thick.
- Frost the cake and serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a star rating and review . I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others too!
Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
Took the recipe and doubled it. I made giant muffins and then pump the cream cheese frosting into the center. Family and friends went wild over them. Making 4 dozen for Christmas gifts. I have a family member who is allergic to pineapple so I substitute cinnamon apple sauce.
They are the best ever.
Best carrot cake ever!
Best comment ever!! ◡̈ Seriously – thanks for putting your trust in my recipes. That means the world to me. ~heather
Instead of cake we make huge muffins then inject the frosting into the center. Also we use pecans instead of walnuts. Huge success.
what a great idea! My daughter has been asking me to make this cake, but I like the giant muffin idea better – everyone gets a “cake” that way. Thanks for commenting. ~heather
Hi! I think the vanilla was left off the ingredient list for the cake. How much do you add? Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Hi Amira – the vanilla is used in the frosting/icing step. But you can definitely add a teaspoon or 2 to the cake if you’d like. ◡̈ ~heather
Love the texture of the pineapple in this I didn’t add any raisins either but the whole thing was splendid
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Bentley! ~heather
So tender and delicious.