Easy Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

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If you are looking for a simple recipe that’s both easy to bake and downright delicious, then look no further than this easy carrot cake recipe. 

With its warm spices and lightly spiced touch, it bakes up beautifully, and is topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting. 

It’s sure to be your new favorite recipe. Want some?

Reasons to Love This Recipe

• Perfect Dessert – Everybody loves carrot cake! Special occasions, or just with a morning coffee – it’s perfect anytime.
• Beginner Friendly – Due to all the carrots, you’re basically guaranteed a moist cake every time. No disappointments!
• Simple – Whisk it all together by hand. You don’t need an electric mixer for this recipe.
• Efficient – With a small food processor, preparing the carrots and pecans takes hardly any time.

Ingredients

You’ll find all the key ingredients to make this classic Carrot Cake recipe in your local grocery store:

Carrot Cake

• Carrots: Naturally sweet and moist, they are the star ingredient. Buy already-grated carrots or do it yourself. 
• All-purpose flour: The foundation of the cake. 
• Eggs: Act as a binding agent.
• Vegetable oil: Imparts enough moisture to the cake, giving it a moist crumb.
• Vanilla extract: Improves the overall flavor, complementing the cake’s natural sweetness.
• Baking powder: Leavening agent that helps the cake rise.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger – all warm spices.
• Pecans: Add a delightful crunch to the cake. Easily chopped with a food processor and are best when lightly toasted – see the tip section below

• Butter: The foundation of our creamy frosting. For best results, use soft, unsalted butter.
• cream cheese: Tanginess and creaminess – the ideal base for the best cream cheese frosting.

How to Make Carrot Cake

Follow these simple instructions to make this easy Carrot Cake. See the recipe card below if you need more help.

Carrot Cake Batter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
4. Fold the carrots and pecans into your mixing bowl. 
5. Pour the wet batter into your prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Let your cake cool in the pan for about 8 to 10 minutes, then remove. Let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Combine the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth in a medium bowl. Use a mixer to beat everything until the frosting is smooth and creamy – a stand mixer helps.
2. Once the cake is cool, spread the frosting on top of the cake. Then, garnish with your toasted pecans.

Expert Carrot Cake Tips

Follow these expert tips, and your Carrot Cake will be perfect every time.

• Time Saver: Buy your carrots already shredded, then just rinse them off, and you’re good to go!
• Toasted Pecans: Lightly toast the pecans for a rich, nutty flavor. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Spice Things Up: Use cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to spice it up! Some recipes call for cloves, too, but I find the flavor just too strong – but that’s just me.
• Fluffy Secrets: Spoon your flour into a measuring cup, and use exact measurements. This makes sure that air stays in the flour, which makes a nice light cake.
• Multi-task: Whip up that yummy cream cheese frosting while your carrot cake bakes.
• Food Processor: Unsure about the perfect food processor? We can help with our food processor guide.
• Prepare that Pan: I use butter to grease my cake pans. PAM baking spray also works wonders.

How to Serve

To be honest, this carrot cake with cream with cream cheese frosting is right up there on the sweetness scale – so I never really pair it with anything. You really only need a small piece.  

How to Store

Keeping your Carrot Cake fresh is a breeze if you follow these steps:

1. Keep your cake in an airtight container or wrap well with plastic wrap. It’ll last on the shelf for up to three days, and a bit longer if you keep it in the fridge. 
2. Sitting the cake on a little parchment paper will help further preserve its deliciousness.

FAQs

Here are some of the questions people have asked me:

What size of pan should I use to bake my cake?

You’ll find the ingredients here are just right to fit a 13×9 baking pan. 

So, let’s get baking!

How do you make the best cake from scratch?

Preparation is key – I recommend getting all of the ingredients out first, and measuring them. You also need to follow the recipe exactly, and measure those ingredients carefully – measuring cups make this easy. 

Bake with me – just like I do in the video! It really helps.

Is the recipe better with oil or butter?

I think you could use either, but my preference is oil. Use a good quality vegetable oil, one that’s fresh. I think it helps to keep your delicious carrot cake moist.

What’s the best way to shred carrots?

We use a small food processor – they are so versatile! But if you don’t have one, a box grater works fine too, just a little messier.

You might also like…

Craving more recipes like this? 

Next time, why don’t you try carrot cake cupcakes? You might find these reusable muffin cups handy.

Looking for more cake recipes? We have a collection of the best cake recipes here.

Check out these particular favorites:

• Unsweetened Applesauce Cake
• Old-fashioned Date Squares
• No-Bake Apple Pie Lasagna
• Lemon Cake Mix Brownies

Final Thoughts

This is the best carrot cake recipe, and I know it will become your favorite, too! Just the smell of it baking will make you want to eat it right away! But let it cool, so that you can layer on that amazing cream cheese frosting, ok?

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the Pie Lady Bakes community! We’re all about sharing easy-to-make vintage recipes that remind us of the ones our moms and grandmas used to make.

If you haven’t already, you can sign up for my weekly email newsletter using this link. It’s absolutely free, and you’ll never miss out on any of my new recipes.

See you soon!

Judy

★★★★★ 

If you’ve made this delicious Carrot Cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating!

★★★★★ 

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