Favorite Carrot Cake

Published: Apr 11, 2020 · Modified: May 10, 2024 by Kelly · This post may contain affiliate links · 42 Comments

Incredibly moist and so delicious! This is my favorite Carrot Cake recipe – a super moist and tender Carrot Cake bursting with flavor from pineapple and coconut, topped with the most heavenly cream cheese frosting.

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The BEST Carrot Cake Recipe

I’ve never tried a Carrot Cake recipe that comes even close to this one. This is truly the BEST carrot cake I have ever had. It’s incredibly moist and so full of flavor. Everyone who tries this carrot cake raves about it – even those who thought they didn’t like carrot cake!

While I love a simple carrot cake, this one is bursting with flavor. Pineapple and coconut add just the perfect hint of tropical flavor. A bit of cinnamon rounds out the flavor without overwhelming it.

Easy recipe

This super easy, homemade Carrot Cake recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. Mix it up by hand from scratch in one bowl – no mixer needed.

For the ultra-creamy cream cheese frosting I like to use a hand or stand mixer, but you could also use a whisk and little elbow grease.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This velvety smooth cream cheese frosting is heavenly. So creamy and lush! The combination of the moist, tender, so full of flavor cake with the ultra-smooth cream cheese icing makes carrot cake my all- time favorite.

Tip for the creamiest frosting – make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature otherwise you might get lumps in the frosting.

I also like to sift my confectioner’s sugar to remove any lumps.

Ingredients

Freshly Grated Carrots: The biggest tip for success for the absolutely best carrot cake is to freshly grate your own carrots at home. The pre-shredded ones you buy in the supermarket are hard, dry, and too thick. You definitely don’t want hard chunks of carrot in your cake.

When you grate your own carrots, you’ll be surprised at how much moisture is in them – this is what makes the cake so moist and tender.

Either grate them by hand with a box or handheld grater (I use the smaller holes), or use the shredding attachment on a food processor.

Pineapple: Crushed pineapple gives an amazing flavor boost. I love the tropical flavor and extra moisture the pineapple adds to the cake. Use crushed pineapple in pineapple juice. I drain it slightly so I don’t get a lot of juice.

Sugar: I’ve used granulated sugar here because I like the simplicity of flavors that shine through. I also like the lighter color of the cake when using white sugar.

You can substitute brown sugar for 1 - 1 ½ cups of the granulated sugar. It adds even more moisture and a deeper flavor.

Oil: any flavorless vegetable oil. I use canola. I generally like to use butter in cakes for its texture and flavor. But with all the flavors in this cake, its flavor isn’t necessary. Oil also gives the cake a lighter texture.

Applesauce: To cut back on the fat content and to add moisture without being oily, I use applesauce in addition to the oil. You can also just use all applesauce instead of oil.

Coconut: Sweetened Flaked Coconut adds to the hint of tropical flavor and goes so perfectly with the pineapple.

Optional add-ins

Raisins – Many people love raisins in their carrot cake. I don’t put them in because my family doesn’t like them. If you’d like to add raisins add ½ cup of golden or regular raisins to the batter with the carrots.

Pecans or walnuts – You can mix a cup of mixed nuts in the batter with the carrots. I prefer to decorate the cake with them on the outside to really experience the contrast of moist tender cake, rich creamy frosting, and crunchy nuts on the outside. You do you!

Substitutions

This no fail cake is very forgiving and substitutions can be made based on what you have at home.

No applesauce? No problem. You can just use all oil instead of a combo of oil and applesauce for a total of 1 ¼ cups oil.
Buttermilk (or ½ cup milk mixed with 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar) can be substituted for the ½ cup of applesauce.
You can use all applesauce instead of a combo of oil and applesauce.

How to make Carrot Cake from scratch

Make the batter:

Whisk together the eggs, oil, applesauce, and sugar.
Gently stir in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon).
Gently fold in the carrots, coconut, and pineapple (and nuts and raisins if you are using.)

Bake the cake:

Pour the batter into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick baking spray.
Bake in a preheated 350° F oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

Make the cream cheese frosting:

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese together with the softened butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then turn to medium- high and beat for 3 minutes until super smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if it’s too loose or a little milk if it’s too thick.

Be sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before mixing so the frosting doesn’t have any lumps. I also like to sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps.

Frost the cake:

When the cake is completely cooled, frost the cake using a spoon or a spatula.

Can you make this a layer cake

Yes, you can definitely make this into a layer cake. Use 3 8-inch or 2 9-inch round cake pans. Use nonstick spray and line them with rounds of parchment paper. Bake at 350° F for about 25-30 minutes in the 8-inch pans or 35-40 minutes in the 9-inch pans.

The amount of frosting is enough for a layer cake if you use light layers or naked sides. If you want good thick layers of frosting you can increase the frosting by 50%. As you can see in the photos, it makes a very thick layer on a 9 by 13-inch cake.

Healthier Carrot Cake recipe

This Carrot Cake recipe is packed with carrots, applesauce, pineapple, and coconut. It uses oil and applesauce, but you can definitely use all apple sauce for a lighter cake.

How to decorate

The beautiful swirls of cream cheese frosting on this cake are decoration enough. But if you’d like to go for a more festive look, try these super cute edible fondant carrots.

I used Wilton fondant that I picked up at Walmart (or find it here).

Color the fondant with orange and green coloring by kneading the coloring into the fondant. (I mixed red and yellow to get orange.)

You can use the decorations immediately or let dry on a surface that has been lightly sprinkled with cornstarch.

How to make Carrot Cake cupcakes

This recipe can also be made as cupcakes.

Place liners in muffin pan and fill two-thirds full with batter.
Bake at 350° F for 18 to 22 minutes.
Let carrot cupcakes cool before frosting.

Because the cake is so moist, it can stick to paper liners. Use parchment paper liners or spray your paper liners with nonstick baking spray.

Can Carrot Cake be made in advance?

You can definitely make this Carrot Cake ahead of time. In fact, it’s even better the next day. Make and frost cake one day in advance. Store the cake in a closed container in the refrigerator. I like to bring it to room temperature a bit before serving, but it’s also fantastic cold.

Recipe

Carrot Cake

Kelly

This is my favorite Carrot Cake recipe – a super moist and tender Carrot Cake bursting with flavor from pineapple and coconut, topped with the most heavenly cream cheese frosting.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 596 kcal

Ingredients

For the Carrot Cake:

3 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil 150g
½ cup applesauce 255g
2 cups granulated sugar 397g
2 cups all-purpose flour 283g
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups lightly packed finely, freshly grated carrots 227g
1 cup Dole crushed pineapple (lightly drained) 227g
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut 75g
1 cup pecans optional
½ cup raisins optional

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese 227g, softened
½ cup unsalted butter 113g, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream* optional
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar ( 360g or more if needed to thicken)
Pinch of salt

Optional decoration:

fondant carrots

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Make the batter:

Whisk together the eggs, oil, applesauce, and sugar.
Gently stir in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon).
Gently fold in the carrots, coconut, and pineapple (and nuts and raisins if using)

Bake the cake:

Pour the batter into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick baking spray.
Bake in a preheated 350° F oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

Make the cream cheese frosting:

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese together with the softened butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then turn to medium- high and beat for 3 minutes until super smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if it’s too loose or a little milk if it’s too thick.
Be sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before mixing so the frosting doesn’t have any lumps. I also like to sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps.

Frost the cake:

When the cake is completely cooled, frost the cake using a spoon or a spatula.
Store the cake, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

If you have sour cream on hand, add in a tablespoon. It adds sheen and flavor to the frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 596kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 5gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 285mgPotassium: 236mgFiber: 3gSugar: 55gVitamin A: 3310IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 2mg

Keyword carrot cake, coconut, cream cheese frosting

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Enjoy, friends!

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