Name: Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Yield: 1 (9-inch) layer cake or 1 (9- by 13-inch) sheet cake
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. (14g) unsalted butter, for greasing the pans; 2 cups (240g) unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 tsp. baking powder; ¾ tsp. baking soda; ¾ tsp. fine sea salt; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon; ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg; ¼ tsp. ground allspice; 2 cups (426g) light brown sugar; 4 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 cup (198g) vegetable oil, such as safflower or canola; 1 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled, and coarsely grated on the largest holes of a box grater or the fine grating blade of food processor (about 3 lightly packed cups total); ⅔ cup (74g) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped, plus more lightly toasted nuts for garnish; ⅔ cup (113g) dark or golden raisins; Two 8 oz. packages (453g) cream cheese, chilled; 11 Tbsp. (155g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; 1⅓ cup (151g) powdered sugar, sifted after measuring; 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract; Equipment: 2 (9-inch-round, 2-inch-deep) cake pans or 1 (9- by 13-inch) baking pan; parchment paper; stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; 1 to 2 wire cooling racks

A twolayer carrot cake being sliced and served.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley

Active Time
45 minutes
Total Time
2 hours

The very best carrot cakes are a delicious balancing act: moist and fragrant, full of flavor but not overly heavy or cloying. This version of the classic dessert offers precisely the right combination of sweet vegetal flavor, warm spice, and tender, light crumb. The key, as in many carrot cake recipes, is to use oil instead of butter. Oil is lighter than butter, so a cake made with oil will have a lighter crumb (an important consideration for a cake loaded with heavy shredded carrot), and it better highlights the cake’s already rich flavors.

For the minimalists among us, the base here is flavored with just grated carrots and a few classic spices. If you can't help but mix in a handful of your favorite nuts, plump dark or golden raisins—or both—you can follow our guidance below for add-ins. Want to go rogue? You could incorporate chocolate chips, sprinkle in some shredded coconut, or swap out the raisins for dried cherries or pineapple (if your fruit is especially dry, cover it with water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; drain the fruit immediately and pat dry before incorporating). We’ve reined in the sugar in the topping, making it less sweet than classic cream cheese frosting. The result is pleasingly tangy and won’t overwhelm the delicate cake layers.

For a simpler, quicker dessert, make this into a sheet cake using a 13x9" baking pan. The baking time will be the same, but frosting just the top of the cake will be much quicker than assembling and frosting both the layers and every side of the cake. You can also use this cake batter to make carrot cake cupcakes (cook them at 375°F for 18–20 minutes). Add as much frosting as you like on top, and sprinkle on some chopped nuts to decorate.

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) layer cake or 1 (9- by 13-inch) sheet cake

For the carrot cake:

1 Tbsp. (14g) unsalted butter, for greasing the pans

2 cups (240g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. fine sea salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground allspice

2 cups (426g) light brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (198g) vegetable oil, such as safflower or canola

1 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled, and coarsely grated on the largest holes of a box grater or the fine grating blade of food processor (about 3 lightly packed cups total)

Optional additions:

⅔ cup (74g) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped, plus more lightly toasted nuts for garnish

⅔ cup (113g) dark or golden raisins

For the cream cheese frosting:

Two 8 oz. packages (453g) cream cheese, chilled

11 Tbsp. (155g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1⅓ cup (151g) powdered sugar, sifted after measuring

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Equipment: 2 (9-inch-round, 2-inch-deep) cake pans or 1 (9- by 13-inch) baking pan; parchment paper; stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; 1 to 2 wire cooling racks

Make the cake:
Step 1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter the bottom and sides of 2 (9-inch-round, 2-inch-deep) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar on the lowest speed to break up any lumps. Add 1 egg and continue to mix on low until smooth and incorporated. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, and mix on low until smooth and incorporated. Shut off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Return the mixer to low then add the oil in a thin steady stream and continue to beat until fully incorporated.
Step 4
Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, using a large rubber spatula to fold the mixture together until just incorporated. Fold in the carrots, along with the nuts and raisins, if using.
Step 5
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until the layers are firm and risen and the tip of a paring knife inserted in the center of the cake emerges clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool for 5 minutes then invert the cake layers onto the rack and peel off the parchment paper. Use another rack or a large plate to invert the cake layers again then slide them back on to the rack so they are right side up. Let the cake layers cool completely.
Do ahead: The cakes can be baked ahead, cooled, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen up to 1 month.
Once the cake is completely cool, make the frosting:
Step 6
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat on medium until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Shut off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, and beat on medium, scraping down the bowl and paddle as necessary, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Frost the cake:
Step 7
Place 1 cake layer on a large plate and cover the top with about ⅓ of the frosting. Invert the second layer on top of the frosted bottom layer so that the flat side (the bottom) is on top. Spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top of the cake. If you used walnuts or pecans in the cake, sprinkle the frosting with a few tablespoons of lightly toasted chopped nuts. Keep at cool room temperature until serving time.
Do ahead: Carrot cake can be baked and frosted ahead and kept, in an airtight cake dome, at cool room temperature, for 2 to 3 days.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in September 2013. Head this way for more of our favorite birthday cakes →

Leave a Review

Reviews (64)

We took this cake out about 20 minutes early - why do they suggest such a long baking time?! Even then it was drier than I prefer. The cake flavor was ok - nothing special. The frosting wasn’t sweet enough for me - just tasted like cream cheese. Mediocre recipe at best.
- MindyZed
- Stanwood, MI
- 8/23/2023
Requested cake as Birth Day gift. Went over BIGTIME!!!!❤️
- Louise
- Vancouver,BC
- 3/24/2023
I made this for my family and they absolutely loved it! i added a little bit of extra cinnamon and it was amazing. Perfect fluffiness of the fake while also being very flavorful. The cream cheese frosting was the perfect flavor. I added a bit less powdered sugar because i prefer a more tangy flavor. the frosting recipe perfectly complimented the cake. 10/10! AMAZING!
- caragib
- Tokyo, JA
- 1/25/2021
Yes! Yes! Yes! I think this recipe will end my search for perfect carrot cake. Baking time was definitely less, I pulled it out at 27 minutes and wish I'd gone a couple of minutes shorter. It was just a tiny bit dry, but I prefer that to overly oily carrot cake. The only changes I made were to use half canola oil and half walnut oil, and added walnuts (no raisins though). Frosting was outstanding and there was plenty. Will most definitely make this again.
- Anonymous
- La Crescenta, CA
- 8/1/2020
Forgot to add this-I toasted about 1 cup each of large shaved coconut and sliced almonds, it made for a very pretty cake!
- 1931geezr6439
- California
- 7/9/2020
THE BEST. I have made this 4-5 times, perfect. Do try to use whole nutmeg (use a microplane to grate it) along with whole allspice that you grind yourself. Spicy and not too sweet, moist and delicious!
- 1931geezr6439
- California
- 7/9/2020
Not a big baker but this turned out pretty good although slightly drier than I like. I read some of the reviews and was conservative with spices. Wish I’d done regular amount. The frosting, however, was amazing. Perfect. Will make again but use fresher carrots for moisture and bake slightly less time. Did 35 min.
- legalmediagirl
- Phoenix
- 4/13/2020
@Susanfrimond from Maryland, what recipe are you reviewing? There is no crushed pineapple in the recipe. Temp is 375 not 450. Avocado oil???? You were writing this on April's Fool, weren't you?
- leahtol
- MD
- 4/18/2019
I made this yesterday and learned not to add drained mandarin oranges to this recipe since I didn't have crushed drained pineapple. I used a bundt pan as one user did successfully. I used two tbls of softened butter to thoroughly grease the pan. I checked after 25 mins at 350 and then again after 10, another 10 and 5 mins as many reviews had me very concerned about 450 and time length in the oven. My cake turned out a bit too moist. After resting for 10 minutes I loosened the edges of the pan and flipped it to find about 20% of the cake stuck to the pan. Not pretty or presentable. In fairness, this is a new oven and I am not sure where the challenges came from? I found this cake too fluffy. I like a more dense carrot cake maybe I'll use butter rather than avocado oil in the future. Maybe butter and parchment paper in a square pan would be the best choice? I don't like to use vegetable oil as I do not trust the ingredients to be clean or healthy. Don't let this review prevent your cake from being the best you've ever made. Good luck!
- Anonymous
- Maryland
- 12/17/2018
Nota bene: this is only a review of the frosting. I was looking for a nice, tangy cream cheese frosting for a buttermilk cake. I don't like cream cheese frostings that are too sweet. I slightly modified this recipe: I used only 1 cup of powdered sugar and about 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla. It was delish! The cream cheese flavor was heavy, but that's how I like it. For future bakers, I would suggest starting off with 1 cup powdered sugar and adding more to fit your liking. The texture was very thick but still spreadable.
- quinnk
- San Diego, CA
- 6/25/2018
Made it once and have been getting requests for it ever since. Rave reviews. Was requested to make another one for a birthday party this weekend.
- Jimzey
- Beaufort NC and Norfolk VA
- 4/6/2018
Very nice cake without being too heavy or too sweet. Moisture content was good as was flavor. Made for a birthday party with several discerning palates. Nothing but positive comments.
- Anonymous
- California
- 10/4/2017
This was very good! I made in a 9x13 pan and only made half the frosting. Decreased oven temp to 350 and baked until a toothpick came out clean (start checking at 30 minutes). Cake was moist and frosting was really good not cloyingly sweet. Complimented the richness of the cake well. I also added the optional raisins and nuts (pecans). Would make again in a heartbeat!
- xmatch
- Charleston, WV
- 5/19/2017
Wow ... this recipe is definitely a keeper. The cake is flavorful and moist, but not greasy as some carrot cakes can be. And the frosting ... YUM! I used 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and 1/2 cup natural raw granulated sugar. Only other change I made was baking it for 30 minutes (perfect) and also adding the zest of one orange to the frosting, both suggested by other reviewers. I'm sure the frosting is delicious without the orange, but with it, you are adding another subtle flavor layer that really works well with the cake. There was more than enough frosting for a standard layer cake (2 round pans). Instead of using a food processor to grate the carrot, I grated it manually with a flat hand grater (medium grate) and I think that worked much better since it produced thin, choppy slivers.
- marls00
- Manalapan, NJ
- 4/17/2017
I made this for my dance teacher's birthday, she said she isn't buying any food from bakeries, I am her new personal baker!!!
- Anonymous
- 12/20/2016