Easy Carrot Cake Recipe (2024)

This carrot cake recipe is easy to make, perfectly spiced, super moist, and topped with the creamiest cream cheese frosting. It's the perfect make-ahead cake, a crowd-pleaser, and perfectly suitable for novice home bakers as well. By the way, have you tried my carrot sandwich cookies or carrot muffins?

Ingredients notes and substitutions

• Pecans - you can substitute them for walnuts or skip entirely.
• Flour - use plain all-purpose flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, substitute gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour. I recommend using a gluten-free blend that contains xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour works great. Substitute 1:1.
• Spices - this recipe contains cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You can substitute these spices for 3 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
• Oil - use vegetable or canola oil. You can also use strong-flavored oil such as olive or coconut but keep in mind that it will alter the taste of the cake. If you want to cut down on oil, substitute ½ cup (145g) of apple sauce in place for ½ cup (120ml) of oil.
• Sugar - to recreate the deep flavor and amazingly moist texture of this carrot cake recipe, I suggest using brown and white sugar, as stated. I used dark brown sugar but light brown sugar works as well. If you go just for brown or white sugar, the texture and taste will be slightly different.
• Cream cheese - either brick-style or spreadable cream cheese work for the carrot cake frosting. If using brick-style, make sure it's at room temperature and softened. Otherwise, you will end up with lumps in your frosting. Spreadable cream cheese can be used straight out of the fridge.

Photo instructions

Prepare the pecans for the cake and the topping by spreading the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and set aside. Watch closely because they burn quickly.

Continue with the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to combine. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla to combine.

Then add the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. The picture below shows how the consistency of the cake batter is. It is a smooth and thick-liquid batter.

Add grated carrots and half of the toasted pecans and fold into the batter. Set aside.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang around the sides. Spray a bit of non-stick spray underneath the paper that it sticks to the pan.

Then fill the cake batter into the pan, spread evenly, and bake. Let cool.

After the cake has cooled, prepare the cream cheese frosting for the cake. Therefore, in a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix the butter on medium-high speed until soft and creamy, for about 2 minutes.

Then add the cream cheese and mix until soft, combined, and no lumps remain, for about 2 minutes. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.

Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake and sprinkle with the remaining toasted pecans.

Storage and freezing instructions

Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight.

On the hunt for more easy cake recipes? Try the following recipes as well:

• Apple Cake
• Raspberry cake
• Pistachio cake
• Banoffee cake
• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Texas Sheet Cake
• Air Fryer Carrot Cake

Recipe