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The Best Carrot Cake

Love easy dessert recipes? I do! If you're looking for the perfect cake then you need to make The Best Carrot Cake recipe. Quick to whip up and oh so tasty
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 795kcal

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • 8 ounces crushed pineapple not drained
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, pineapple, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until there are no dry patches of flour, do not overmix.
  • Add the carrots and ½ cup of the pecans and fold them in.
  • Pour into the baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 35-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It will be slightly browned along the edges and a dark golden brown color. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
  • To make the frosting in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar and stir it in until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.
  • Add the vanilla and cinnamon, stir to combine. Turn up the speed to medium and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Once the cake is cooled, frost with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting and top with the remaining pecans.

Notes

  1. We add pineapple and walnuts to this cake, it gives it a little more flavor and texture, you can leave out the walnuts but you'll need the liquid from the pineapple for this cake.
  2. If you like raisins you can add raisins to this, I recommend adding about 1/2 cup regular or golden raisins. 
  3. You can make a layer cake from this instead of a 9"x13", just place in 2 8" or 9" cake pans instead, cooking time will need to be adjusted.
  4. This cake can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
  5. Traditionally carrot cake uses cream cheese frosting, you can make regular buttercream if you'd like, but highly recommend a cream cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 795kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 78g | Vitamin A: 4857IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg