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Carrot Cake screams spring! This ultra moist & tender cake is easy to make and full of flavor. Frost it in a silky cream cheese frosting and decorate with chopped nuts. The cake (and the cake decorating!) are easy enough for any level of baker.
Why you’ll love this Carrot Cake:
This classic Easter dessert has 3 moist & tender layers of cozy spiced carrot cake, a silky cream cheese frosting that’s not too sweet, and the whole cake is easy enough for anyone to make!
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full carrot cake recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
- Sour cream – Use full fat sour cream at room temperature.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
- Butter – I prefer salted, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s your preference.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions:
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite dairy-free milk to make the cake dairy-free. Use your favorite trusted brand of dairy-free cream cheese and butter to make the frosting dairy-free.
- Sour cream – Use full fat plain yogurt in a pinch (be sure to use regular yogurt, not greek yogurt).
- Nuts – Feel free to use walnuts or pecans, or omit the nuts entirely.
- Pineapple – Looking to use pineapple in your cake? Try my incredible Pineapple Carrot Cake!
How to Make This Carrot Cake:
Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. Add rounds of parchment paper and a dusting of flour.
Step 2: Make the Batter. Add the eggs to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer, then beat in the oil and sugars. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, and vanilla.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk, then fold in the grated carrot and nuts.
Step 3: Bake. Divide the batter between your three 9-inch pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center pulls out moist crumbs.
Step 4: Make the Frosting. In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter with powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, salt, and cream cheese.
How to Frost a Naked Cake:
Place one cooled cake layer on your cake plate placed on a cake turntable. Frost with an even layer of frosting, then add the next layer and repeat this. Then, make a generous crumb coat on the outside, and frost the top with swirls of frosting.
Serving + Storing:
Place the frosted cake in the fridge for 10-30 minutes so the frosting can firm up a bit. Slice and enjoy!
Store leftover cake in an airtight container or cake carrier in the fridge for 3-4 days. Press plastic wrap over the cut portion of the cake to add extra insurance against it drying out (although it does stay moist for days!).
Expert Tips:
- Grating the Carrots – Be sure to grate your own carrots, rather than using the pre-grated you find in a bag at the store. They aren’t as moist and can dry out the cake.
- Food Processor – Use the blade on your food processor to grate the carrots quickly.
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized
FAQs:
Yes, you can! The full recipe will yield 38-42 cupcakes, so you may want to cut the recipe in half.
Prepare the recipe as directed, and divide the batter between two muffin pans lined with cupcake liners. Bake the pans, either one at a time or side by side, for 14-19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for a few minutes, then pop them out and finish cooling on a wire rack.
A halved version of this recipe makes 1 9×9 square cake layer – follow the recipe for my Mini Carrot Cake where I’ve already done the math for you!
More Easter Desserts:
- Easter Egg Blondies
- Perfect Classic Cheesecake with Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Easter Egg Seven Layer Bars
- Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
The Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed, 380 grams
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 150 grams
- 1 cup vegetable oil, 224 mL
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp full fat sour cream, at room temperature , 80 grams
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 and 2/3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 366 grams
- 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 and 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature , I use 2% – 320 mL
- 3 cups finely grated carrots – see note, About 6 large carrots – 300 grams. Weigh this out for the best accuracy as size varies!
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped, I love using pecans instead! Nuts can be omitted if needed. 100 grams
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 tbsp heavy cream, or milk
- 6 cups powdered sugar, Start with 5 cups and add more until desired sweetness is reached
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cinamon
- 18 oz full fat cream cheese, cold, Use the block style
For Decorating
- extra walnuts or pecans, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease three 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans with shortening (use a paper towel and make sure to get into all the crevices well). Add parchment rounds , making sure to grease over them with shortening as well. Then, dust the pans with flour, tapping it around so the shortening is coated entirely. Tap out the excess flour. This will ensure your cake pops out perfectly after baking!
- Make the Cake Batter: Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium high speed. Add sugars and beat on medium high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, 1 minute. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and begin folding in with a silicone spatula until halfway incorporated, then pour in the milk, grated carrots, and chopped nuts. Continue gently folding together just until the last streaks of flour disappear into the batter. If there are a few lumps, that's fine.
- Bake: Divide the batter between your three 9-inch pans, and bake for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Let cakes cool in pans on cooling racks for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and invert cakes onto cooling racks to cool completely. Note: If using 8-inch pans, the bake time will be a few minutes longer.
- Make the Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter. Add the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing between each addition until well combined. Add heavy cream as needed to help it come together. Beat in the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Beat in the cream cheese last. (This prevents a weepy frosting.)
- Assemble Cake: Place one cake layer down on your cake stand placed on a cake turntable, and frost with 1 and 1/4 cups of frosting, spreading it as evenly as possible. Place the second cake layer on top, and pop in the fridge for 1015 minutes so the layers won't slide around. Frost on top of the second layer in the same manner. Place the third layer upside down on top (this makes a perfectly flat top!) Smooth any frosting sticking out between layers over the outside of the cake, and add a bit more as a crumb coat. Chill for 20 minutes or until set. Then, use the remaining frosting to cover the top of the cake and dot the crumb coated sides of the cake in random places, all the way around. Use a cake smoother/scraper to smooth the frosting by holding it against the side of the cake, and slowly turning the cake and pulling the cake smoother towards you while turning the cake the opposite direction. Continue until desired "naked cake" effect is reached. Create swirls on the top of the cake with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle chopped nuts around the base and on top of the cake as desired. Chill the frosted cake for at least 20-30 minutes (or more if your frosting got very warm/weepy) to ensure everything is set before slicing.
- Serve + Store: Slice the cake and enjoy! If it was chilled longer than 1 hour, let it come to room temperature for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. Store the leftover cake in an airtight container or cake carrier in the fridge for 3-4 days. Press plastic wrap over the cut portion of the cake to add extra insurance against it drying out (although it does stay moist for days!). Individual slices can also be double plastic wrapped and kept in a tupperware, or frozen in this way for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen slices in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
- Make Ahead Tips: The frosting and cake layers can be made a day in advance. Cake Layers: Make cake layers and let cool completely. Place each on a plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store at room temp for up to 24 hours before frosting & serving.Frosting: Cover frosting tightly and keep in fridge – let it sit out a little bit before frosting the cake so it's not solid as a rock. Re-mix it with the electric mixer to get it back to a spreadable consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
All of the recipes she has made of absolutely delicious. She’s extremely talented and I highly recommend!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Naciea! I appreciate your comment more than you know. Happy baking!