Carrot Cake! With a hint of cinnamon, soft crunch from nuts, ultra moist crumb and piled high with the fluffiest ever cream cheese frosting, this has the perfect texture and flavour. Easy and foolproof, absolutely to-die for!
Carrot Cake
This Carrot Cake is from a reader, the lovely Dorothy of Tennessee in the States, a long-time reader of RecipeTin Eats. She promised it was dead easy, foolproof, ultra moist with a heavenly flavour.
One bite was all it took for me to ditch the recipe I’d been using all my life up until that moment. This was The One. Hands down the best Carrot Cake I have ever had in my life!
I love it so much, in fact, that I’ve also just published a cupcake version too!
Why you’ll love this Carrot Cake recipe
The cake itself is not too sweet, with less sugar than most recipes;
The cake is moist, but not doughy or “mud-cake” like;
The subtle crunch from pecans and coconut in the cake. The textural contrast with the crumb is really terrific; and
There is plenty of frosting!!
What you need for Carrot Cake
Here’s what you need for this Carrot Cake. The “secret ingredients” in this are:
Crushed pineapple (canned) – this adds to the moistness of the crumb, as well as sweetness and flavour. We’re going to use all of the pineapple and some of the juice; and
Coconut and walnuts (or pecans) – they add a subtle soft crunch which provides great textural contrast in this cake that has a very soft crumb.
No butter! Did you know – oil makes cakes moist and butter adds flavour. In this recipe, we don’t need butter because there’s all sorts of flavour from the other ingredients so we just use oil.
How to make Carrot Cake
Just use a standard box grater to grate the carrot. Then it’s as simple as mixing the Dry ingredients, mixing the Wet, then mixing them together.
I’ve made a 2 layer cake here but you could also make one rectangle single layer cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake
There’s just no question – fluffy cream cheese frosting is the BEST frosting for Carrot Cake! Here’s what you need:
Cream cheese – use BLOCK, not the spreadable cream cheese in tubs (too soft);
Softened butter – softened but not super soft / borderline melting;
Icing sugar aka powdered sugar – 🇦🇺use soft icing sugar, NOT pure icing sugar (which is used for things like royal icing ie sets hard); and
Vanilla.
How to make cream cheese frosting
There’s no secret trick to making fluffy cream cheese frosting. Just beat, beat, beat until fluffy! It will take a good 3 to 5 minutes to make the frosting super fluffy.
TIP for even layers (without trimming)
No cake comes out of the oven with a perfectly level surface.
But rather than bothering to cut the top to make it level, just flip the cake upside down before frosting.
You’ll still get a slight dome in the middle with this cake but it’s less pronounced than if you frosted it without turning it upside down.
And so I present to you, Dorothy’s Carrot Cake, with 2 layers, though it’s marvellous as a single layer sheet pan rectangle cake – goes further and there’s a thicker layer of frosting on the surface.
Thank you Dorothy, for sharing your wonderful recipe with us!!! I’m so honoured! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Carrot Cake (Easy and ultra moist!)
Ingredients
- 440g / 20 oz can crushed pineapple , drained but RESERVE juice (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) reserved canned pineapple juice (from canned pineapple above)
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) milk , at room temperature (full or low fat)
- 1 tsp white vinegar (or lemon juice or other clear vinegar, (Note 2)
- 3 eggs (55g/2oz each)
- 1 1/2 cups (265g) brown sugar (loosely packed)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil (or canola)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (300g) flour , plain / all purpose
- 2 tsp baking soda (aka bi carb soda, Note 3) (NOT BAKING POWDER)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
Stir Ins
- 2 cups grated carrot , about 2 carrots, peeled (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup coconut , shredded or desiccated (plain / unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans , roughly chopped
Frosting
- 180g / 6oz cream cheese , at room temperature (Note 5)
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (480g) icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted if clumpy (Note 6)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types). Grease and line two 20-22.5 cm/8 – 9" round pans OR a 9 x 13" / 22 x 33cm pan with baking/parchment paper. (Note 7)
- Drain crushed pineapple well, reserving the juice. Measure out 1/4 cup of pineapple juice.
- Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vinegar, eggs, sugar, oil and the 1/4 cup pinepple juice from Step 2.
- Stir in carrot, crushed pineapple, coconut and pecans into the Wet ingredients bowl.
- Pour Wet into Dry ingredients, stir until flour is incorporated.
- Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake round cakes for 35 minutes, rectangle cake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden on top.
- Rest for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. Frost once completely cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Then beat in the icing sugar in 2 batches until it is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy – about 3 minutes on speed 7 stand mixer.
- Flip one cake upside down on serving platter (for flat surface). Spread with 1/3 frosting. Place 2nd cake upside down on frosting. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
Storage
- If cooler than 25°C/77°C and not humid, ok to keep cake in airtight container not in fridge. If very humid OR warmer than 25°C/77°C, store in fridge (Note 8).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published April 2016. Updated with new photos, and new recipe video added!
“Let them eat cake!” 10 classic cake recipes
Life of Dozer
Project Manager Dozer on duty for the video shoot! Quality Assurance is his speciality 😂
And here he is from when I originally published this Carrot Cake – no surprises, Dozer lurking under the shoot table! I’m not going to lie to you. He scored a big hunk of carrot cake. His bottom can afford it. Mine can’t.
Best carrot cake ever! I modified to add some extra spice and a mashed banana instead of pineapple pieces because I only had fresh pineapple juice – turned out so fluffy!
This cake is wonderful – moist, delicious but not too sweet! I went with a lighter frosting to make it a little healthier 🙂
Well technically it is a vegetable so very healthy right Denise??!! N x
Love your carrot cake recipe
Thank you
I have made this cake multiple times now and its been a hit everytime! Fantastic recipe 🙂 Thank you
Cleo x
Hi! Is your name really Cleo? I dont hear a lot of people with my name..im 49. Sorry if it sounds weird but genuinely don’t hear my name unless it’s peoples pets!
I know a few Cleo’s, Cleo!! N x
Hi Nagi,
I made this carrot cake and it was Amazing! So moist and delicious!
I baked mine in one rectangle dish for 50mins and it came out Perfect!
My only adjustments were on the cream cheese frosting.
*I used the whole block of cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter and only 1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar.
It was still so sweet and so Delicious!
Thankyou Nagi, I usually don’t tweak your recipes but I wanted to reduce the sugar content.
Thankyou for Another great Recipe!
Cathy x
Can this be made without pineapple but sub golden raisins. My friend loves carrot cake but without pineapple or nuts just raisins and wants for her birthday. Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated thanks
Hi Nagi, Big Fan from the UK! Every single recipe has been a big hit i am very grateful for your lovely website!
A problem with an ingredient i cannot find block cream cheese anywhere! Can i do something to counteract the soft cheese?
Xoxo
This is my problem too – no sign of an answer though
is there a way to make carrot cake cheesecake? I feel like the combo would be amazing but I have no idea how to make it. can you help?
Philadelphia block of cheese
Yes… we don’t have it
Yes so annoying no block cream cheese in the UK! I have researched cream cheese here with the highest fat content as a sub. Still softer then frosting using block cheese but it does the trick. I always use Tesco own brand full fat cream cheese. I will one day try to add cornstarch to see if that helps firm it up a bit more.
Also always use powdered sugar in cream cheese frosting in the UK. You can also try using 1/2 butter and half cream cheese?
Thank you Dorothy of Tennessee in the States❤️
Nagi how would you do this recipe gluten free?
I always make this recipe gluten free and the only change is a gluten free flour! Works perfectly every time. The vinegar and baking soda help it rise nicely even when its gluten free
Thank you for this carrot cake recipe!
I had some mushy bananas so I swapped out 2 eggs for two bananas and then it made a hummingbird cake.
Fantastic! we didn’t need icing! we ate it as is!
The best carrot cake EVER. My family adores it. Great and easy recipe.
Hello!
I really want to try the recipe but i only have 1 round pan. And since it says not to cook it all in one round pan then cut in half, would it be ok to cook half of the batter and let the other half sit in the fridge until the first half cake is ready?
Hi
I accidentally only put in 1 cup of sugar instead of 1 1/2 cup
Do you think it will still be ok? I’m hoping with icing it will be sweet enough!
Hi Shanae – it will probably be fine and that icing is pretty sweet. N x
Hi Nagi, I’m making this cake for my brothers wedding in three weeks, it’s going to be a three tiered cake, do you have any helpful hints?
I need to cook in two different batches as my oven is too small, can I make all the batter at once and let it sit while the first lot is cooking? Or do I have to make two separate batches?
Hi Shanae – with cake batter it is always safer to make two batches so you don’t run the risk of it starting to rise before you get it in the oven. N x
Is it possible to make this cake gluten-free? If so, what substitute would you recommend? I am definitely making this for Thanksgiving. It looks so yummy!
Just replace with gluten free flour!
My grandson is 13. He followed the recipe to make this carrot cake very successfully. I was wondering if I don’t like cheese what can I change to for the topping. Would you please let me know. Thanks
Cream cheese is traditional with carrot cake but vanilla would work too – try this one: https://fast-enhancement.today/fluffy-vanilla-frosting/%3C/a%3E N x
Was skeptical about the pineapple but thought Nagi has never let me down…. Incredible cake!❤️
Hi Nagi, I would like to make more cup cakes than the 12 in the cup cake recipe. Could I just use this recipe?
Hi Marea, if you click the servings in the cupcake recipe you can scale up to the number you require and all the ingredients will adjust for you. N x
Hi Nagi! I adore all your recipes so much. I’m just wondering what it will be like if I leave out the pineapple, and cook the cake in smaller loaf type tins (about six of them) – thinking to reduce cooking time and maybe add something else for moisture but not sure what.
Would love any advice, thanks so much!
Pineapple keeps this cake deliciously moist Coco – a definitely must for this one! N x
Hi Nagi, I made this cake two days ago. It was divine and moist. I have an issue though with the bake (in fact, I have this issue with most bakes using fruits). The centre is slightly under done and I don’t know how to get it completely baked without sacrificing overbaking the edges. Any tips? I’ve tried covering it with foil but the sides still get cooked a little further than the centre. TIA.
Make it in two ring pans. I did this, maybe cooked it then a little too long.
Very late reply Su ! Have you tried baking strips ? Damp paper towel or similar around outside of tin. Plenty of info online.
Thanks Kate Stokes for the tip using baking strips. Googled and found them! Great idea. Thanks again.
Brilliant! Made this for my son’s birthday after he requested carrot cake. It was a winner!
Thanks so much Kylie, I hope he had a great day! 🎂 N x