This is the Best Carrot Cake Recipe around! A moist, lightly spiced carrot cake topped with classic cream cheese frosting. I added coconut and chopped walnuts for some extra crunch and to satisfy your sweet and salty cravings!
My Favorite Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
I try not to label things as “The Best” very often, so when I do – you know it’s got to be legit. I’ve been around the block a few times. That’s the carrot cake block, to be exact, and I’ve found the ultimate best carrot cake recipe. It’s the most moist, with the best spices, and the creamiest icing. Each bite takes you on a wild flavor ride.
So buckle in as I walk you through what I (and basically everyone I’ve ever met) think is truly the BEST carrot cake recipe.
What Does Carrot Cake Taste Like?
Well, not carrots. When I bite into carrot cake, the most recognizable flavors to me are the cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts. I’d liken the flavor to a spiced wafer. BUT, carrot cake is one of the most moist cakes you’ll ever try. So, spice wafer flavor, but definitely not texture.
Here’s a pro tip for ya: If you make your cake ahead of time, the spice flavors will intensify!
Carrot Cake Ingredients
For the cake, I like to keep my spice blend simple. You won’t find anything surprising or exotic here.
This is all you’ll need for the cake:
- eggs at room temperature ← important
- vegetable oil
- sugar
- flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- ground nutmeg
- shredded carrots
- chopped walnuts
How to Make Carrot Cake
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch pan with butter and then dust it with flour and set it aside.
Mix: In your electric mixer’s bowl add eggs, oil, and sugar; beat until completely smooth.
In a separate mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk everything together to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat it well, until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
Add-In: Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the carrots and walnuts.
Bake: Pour the batter into the previously prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top and rap the pan on your kitchen counter to even it out and eliminate any air bubbles.
Bake your carrot cake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
How to Make Your Carrot Cake Moist
There are a couple of key tricks to having the most moist cake around. Here are my top tips:
- Freshly grate your carrots (don’t use store-bought shredded carrots) fresh carrots will have more moisture and make your cake more moist.
- Use room temperature eggs. Room temp eggs will whip up with a greater volume and this will make your cake lighter and fluffier.
- Use oil instead of butter. Since this cake is full of spices, you won’t need butter to add flavor. Use oil as your fat instead because it will make your cake more moist than butter.
- Ice your cake a day before serving. The icing will seep into the cake and make it super moist!
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
To frost our top-notch carrot cake, I use a homemade cream cheese icing. The ingredients are pretty simple.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- lemon zest (add more if you like a stronger lemon taste)
- powdered sugar
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This classic cream cheese frosting is so simple to make and only takes a few minutes. Here’s how:
Combine: Combine the butter and cream cheese in your electric mixer’s bowl. Add vanilla and beat the mixture until it’s smooth.
Add: Add the lemon zest and sugar, one cup at a time. Continue to beat until everything is completely incorporated, fluffy, and smooth.
Ice: When the cake is completely cooled, cover it with your prepared frosting.
Tips for the Best Carrot Cake
I said it was the best carrot cake and I stand by my declaration. These tips will make sure your cake turns out the best, too. 🙌
- Let your cake cool completely before you frost it. Resist the urge to frost your cake too soon!
- For a super moist and flavor-rich cake, make and ice your carrot cake 1 full day before cutting into it.
Absolutely! In fact, if you make it ahead of time, the flavor actually gets even better! The spices intensify and the cream cheese icing gets absorbed into the dense cake for an even more tender texture. As if we ever even imagined that was possible?!
It’s best to store this cake in the refrigerator. Pop it into an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap. It will stay nicely in your fridge for about 5 to 7 days (and it will taste the best on day 2 or 3).
Carrot Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 cups shredded carrots
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts
For the Frosting
- 1 stick ( 1/2-cup OR 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 package (8-ounces) cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest , add more if you like a stronger lemon-taste
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- finely chopped walnuts, for garnish
- coconut shavings, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Grease a 15x10x1-inch pan with butter and then dust it with flour. Set aside. (You can also use an 18×13 baking sheet, but cake won’t be as tall)
- In your electric mixer’s bowl add eggs, oil, and sugar; beat until completely smooth.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg; whisk to combine.
- Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat well, until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
- Remove bowl from the mixer and stir in carrots and walnuts.
- Pour batter into previously prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top and rap the pan on your kitchen counter to even it out and eliminate any air bubbles.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- In the meantime, prepare the frosting.
- Combine butter and cream cheese in your electric mixer’s bowl; add vanilla and beat mixture until smooth.
- Add lemon zest and sugar, one cup at a time; continue to beat until completely incorporated, fluffy, and smooth.
- Remove cake from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
- When cake is completely cooled, cover it with prepared frosting.
- Sprinkle with walnuts and coconut shavings.
- Cut and serve.
- Store cake in refrigerator.
22 Comments
Kimberly
Mar 31, 2020 at 3:35 amThat looks fabulous – I think I could probably eat that entire sheet cake myself! 😉
Katerina Petrovska
Mar 31, 2020 at 2:42 pmThank you so much, Kimberly! 🙂
Carrie Robinson
Mar 31, 2020 at 11:53 amI just love carrot cake! And that cream cheese frosting looks amazing. 🙂
Katerina Petrovska
Mar 31, 2020 at 2:41 pmMe too! Carrot cake is my favorite dessert! THANK YOU! 🙂
Cathy
Mar 31, 2020 at 2:50 pmMy new favorite sheet cake!
Katerina Petrovska
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:47 pmThank YOU! I am very happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jen
Mar 31, 2020 at 2:52 pmDefinitely adding this as our Easter dessert! I know it’ll be a hit!
Katerina Petrovska
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:46 pmThat’s great! I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Suzy
Mar 31, 2020 at 4:25 pmThe best kind of cake! Love that it is a sheet cake, will definitely feed my crowd!
Katerina Petrovska
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:45 pmThank YOU, Suzy! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Allyson Zea
Mar 31, 2020 at 4:26 pmThis is my favorite way to make carrot cake!
Katerina Petrovska
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:45 pmThank YOU, Allyson! 🙂
Ashley Kennedy
Oct 18, 2021 at 7:29 amThis recipe is perfect! I dethroned my mother-in-law as “best carrot cake ever.”
HOWEVER, I made this in a 15x10x1 (I got the tape measure out because I thought I messed up!) sheet pan and had a giant mess. It over flowed everywhere in the oven. I am in high altitude (6,700ft) so maybe that is the problem, but wanted to save someone else the mess!
So delicious though, still 5 stars with the mess. Just using a bigger pan next time.
Katerina Petrovska
Oct 20, 2021 at 11:55 amI’m very happy you loved it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
Anne
Jan 28, 2022 at 9:07 pmI was not a fan. Cake rose nicely but was a weird tan color and tasted bland. I’m a good baker & understand the importance of measuring & following a recipe exactly when baking. Don’t normally have a problem but this I wouldn’t serve. 🤷🏻♀️
Katerina
Jan 30, 2022 at 8:03 amI’m sorry you didn’t like it. I absolutely love the taste and the easiness of this recipe. If you don’t mind, what color is your carrot cake, usually? And, how much sugar would you use in your carrot cake recipe so to avoid the bland taste?
Michelle
Mar 27, 2022 at 1:45 pmI can’t wait to taste this cake! It’s in the oven right now. I only used 3 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting and thought that was sweet enough. I also added more lemon zest to it and it seems like the right combination to me. Like I said, can’t wait for it to come out of the oven and cool….mmm hmm!
Katerina Petrovska
Mar 29, 2022 at 1:07 pmI hope you’ll love it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Erin P
Jul 27, 2022 at 7:09 pmI made this for a family reunion…..it was so delicious and everyone raved about it! We are GF so I just subed out regular flour for GF flour, same measurements and it was soooo good! This now becomes my favorite dessert to take to feed a crowd!
Katerina Petrovska
Jul 30, 2022 at 9:51 amThat’s wonderful! I’m very glad everyone loved it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Ariel
Nov 7, 2022 at 6:52 pmI have made this several times. Always add a little ginger and the last time I added about 1/4 to 1/3 C of buttermilk and it took it to the next level! With or without buttermilk delish!
Katerina Petrovska
Nov 8, 2022 at 12:51 pmI’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂