The BEST Carrot Cake with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
If you have a tried and true recipe for carrot cake, I'm here to convince you that this one is better. This is the ultimate BEST Carrot Cake recipe that is moist, flavorful and topped with the fluffiest cream cheese frosting! I have tried so many and they taste of mostly one thing: oil. Not this one. This carrot cake is ultra moist and delicious with almost half the amount of oil compared to most. It is soft, tender and so flavorful with the perfect amount of spice and a soft fluffy texture that's not dense nor gummy. Scientifically speaking, more oil does not make cakes more moist (I go into this further in the post below), and carrot cake has plenty of moist-making ingredients since it has shredded carrots in it which are almost 90% water. So, I tried many versions - ones with butter, ones with oil and ones with a combination. I tried some with pineapple, some with coconut, and in the end I settled on this here oil-based recipe that highlights the simple flavors of carrots balanced by just the right blend of spice. If you're also looking to make cupcakes, check out my Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe too!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Easy to make - this cake is simple and quick to prepare. The most work is grating the carrots.
- Less oil - let's clear something up: oil does not make cakes moist. Moisture (in the form of liquid) makes things moist. Oil makes things soft and tender which gives the perception of moistness. So many carrot cake recipes have too much oil that it makes the texture gummy and pasty. My cake has just ⅔ cup of oil vs. more than 1 cup that you might find in most recipes.
- Moist carrot cake - this recipe makes a moist carrot cake with a soft texture and stays moist for days without drying out. Moisture comes in the form of finely shredded carrots, yogurt and my secret ingredient: maple syrup!
- Soft crumb texture - the crumb is tender and fluffy and it's even soft straight from the fridge.
- Flavorful spice cake - a fragrant blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice adds such a wonderful flavor.
- Fluffy cream cheese frosting - this frosting! It is incredible. Say goodbye to runny cream cheese frosting - this one is thick and fluffy and actually tastes of tangy cream cheese. It's not too sweet and you can even pipe it onto the cake.
Reader Review
"it was honestly the best carrot cake I've ever eaten (I've made the cake part twice in a week)"
- @dubeurreetdusucre
INGREDIENTS FOR CARROT CAKE
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works just fine in this carrot cake recipe for a moist and soft texture.
- Spices - a fragrant blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger is just right here! I've played with the blend of spices a lot and this is the combination I love the most for carrot cake. Feel free to leave out the allspice if you don't have it, and increase the cinnamon a bit instead.
- Oil - liquid oil will keep this cake soft even when it's refrigerated to preserve the cream cheese frosting. That's because oil is liquid even when cold whereas the saturated fats in butter are hard when cold. I prefer sunflower oil for its clean flavor, but you can use canola oil, refined avocado oil, light olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Granulated sugar - granulated sugar keeps this cake tender and moist.
- Brown sugar - brown sugar adds rich molasses undertones to complement the sweet spices in this cake. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Eggs - three large eggs will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.
- Yogurt - use full fat plain yogurt to add tanginess to balance the sweet carrots and the acidity will react with the baking soda.
- Grated carrots - you will need 2 cups of shredded carrots which is about 240g from 3 medium carrots. Make sure you grate them on the finer side of your box grater.
- Maple syrup - this is my secret ingredient that will make your cake stand out from all the rest. It adds rich robust sweetness in an almost tangy savory way so this cake is not too sweet. It also adds moisture which keeps this cake soft for days. If you really can't get maple syrup, I'd suggest golden syrup, brown rice syrup or agave syrup, but not honey since honey is much sweeter.
- Cream cheese - one block of cream cheese will make the frosting. Avoid using spreadable or whipped cream cheese which has a higher moisture content and will affect the consistency of the frosting.
- Lemon juice - this really enhances the tanginess of the cream cheese!
- Powdered sugar - it's also called icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. Make sure you sift it before making the frosting since those pesky lumps can sometimes never break down. Sifted icing sugar will give you a fluffier frosting.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Carrot cake is surprisingly easy to make that you really shouldn't feel the need to buy a box mix! The most labor intensive part is grating the carrots, but once that is out of the way, then all you need to do is mix it all up! I use my hand mixer for this recipe, but you can use a stand mixed or even make it by hand with just a whisk.
- STEP 1). First grate your carrots. Use the medium grate on your box grater - not the largest size. If the carrot shreds are too large then they will be stringy in the cake and this interferes with the nice moist crumb texture. Measure out 2 cups and place it in a large mixing bowl.
- STEP 2). Add the sugar and eggs. Add sugar and eggs and beat until evenly combined.
- STEP 3). Add the remaining wet ingredients. Add the oil, yogurt and maple syrup and mix well.
- STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- STEP 5). Add in the dry ingredients in two parts. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix again until just combined.
- STEP 6). Fold in walnuts. Add the walnuts and fold them in gently.
- STEP 7). Bake. Divide the batter evenly between your pans and bake until evenly golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- STEP 8). Frost the cake. Prepare the frosting as per the instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Spread about 1 cup of frosting over one layer. Place the other later on top and press it down gently. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the cake. I like to make this cake a "naked" style as it looks so nice with the rich amber cake sides showing through.
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE (watch the video below in the recipe card for a full tutorial)
Combine grated carrots, eggs and sugar and mix to combine.
Add oil, sour cream and maple syrup and mix to combine.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Add walnuts and fold them into carrot cake batter.
Pour carrot cake batter into lined, greased baking pans.
Bake and cool for 20 minutes before inverting onto rack.
Cover carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR BEST CARROT CAKE
- Shred the carrots on the finest side of the grater. The key to a soft and fluffy carrot cake is to have the carrots bake into the crumb. If you coarsely grate the carrots, then they will not bake as quickly and will stay as threads through the cake which can get stuck in your teeth. For maximum flavor and the best texture, you'll need to grate them finely.
- Mix carrots with sugar first. If you have time, combine the grated carrots with sugar first and let it sit for 10 minutes. This draws out some of the moisture and allows the sugar to dissolve which makes the cake extra moist. This step also helps to break down the carrots slightly so that you don't end up with fibrous bits in the baked cake.
- Skip the vanilla. I know what you're thinking, "What?!" That's right. You can save some cash and skip the vanilla extract for this recipe. With all the flavors from spices, carrots and maple syrup, you don't need vanilla. In fact, I think it interferes with the spice flavors.
- Measure flour accurately. Too much flour can make this cake feel more dry and create a coarser texture. For the best results, weigh your flour.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Sifting the flour will break up any lumps and make it easier for them to incorporate into the batter and minimize the amount of mixing required.
- Do no over-mix on the last step. Once the dry ingredients are just incorporated and the batter looks uniform, STOP mixing.
RECIPE FAQ
Firstly - use a fresh oil! Do not use anything that's been opened for a long time and when you store oil, it should be in a cool dark place. Light and heat accelerate oxidation reactions that can make the flavor turn rancid. For oil-based cakes, I almost always prefer sunflower oil because it has a very neutral and clean taste. This recipe will work with any liquid oil, including canola (rapeseed) oil, peanut oil or even olive oil.
My favorite blend of spices for carrot cake are cinnamon (in the highest quantity), allspice, nutmeg and ginger. It's such a wonderful fragrance and will make your house smell amazing! You can use clove if you like, but I find it is too overpowering for carrot cake. Clove belongs in gingerbread.
If you don't have yogurt, you can replace it with low fat sour cream or crème fraîche -- a type of fermented dairy product somewhere between yogurt and sour cream.
Once the centers are springy and a toothpick comes out clean the cakes are ready. They will get deeply golden brown.
It's not more fat! Moisture comes from liquid, not fat. So you can add more butter and more oil, but it will really just make the cake more dense and more tender by shortening the texture. Fat will not make a cake moist as only liquids can add moisture. This cake is moist because of the amount of liquid and my secret ingredient: maple syrup. If there is too much oil, then the cake will be dense and heavy and air bubbles will not be able to sustain themselves in the batter.
Too much flour and over-mixing makes cakes dry. For the best results, weigh your flour. Also be careful not to over-mix on the last step.
Oil does not actually make cakes moist. Oil makes the texture very soft and, in turn, gives the perception of "moistness". That's because oil is made up of mostly unsaturated fats that are liquid at room temperature. It keeps the crumb tender. Butter contains more saturated fats that are solid at room temperature, therefore the texture of a butter cake will be more crumbly and firm. Moisture comes from water, and oil does not contain water.
This cake is wonderful because they stay moist, so you can make it a day in advance and still be a star.
This recipe for cream cheese frosting makes the perfect amount to coat the cake as I have in the photos. If you want a thick layer on the sides, you can easily double it or make 1.5x the recipe.
One of the most important things to note when baking with oils is to use the freshest oil possible. You can easily ruin a recipe if your oil is rancid, and you will be so upset that you wasted all the other ingredients! Store oil in a cool, dry and dark place away from sunlight. Do not store your oil under the sink because it can get hot under there after long periods of running hot water. It's best to buy oil that is packaged in dark green bottles as opposed to clear glass or plastic which do not provide much of a barrier to light. Light and heat can trigger oxidation reactions, and it's these reactions that cause the fat molecules in oil to taste rancid. Rancidity can be detected by a soapy taste.
EXPERT TIPS FOR THE BEST CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
So many times I hear from home bakers that their cream cheese frosting is runny. This one is NOT! This frosting is so thick, fluffy and luscious!
- Avoid using too much liquid since cream cheese is almost 60% water anyway! Also it is important to use the right ratio of butter to cream cheese. That ratio is about 1:2. One part butter to 2 parts cream cheese.
- Hold back on the sugar. Too much sugar will not only make it taste way too sweet, but it will make it more runny since sugar binds water and turns into a syrup.
STORING AND FREEZING
Due to the cream cheese in the frosting which has a high moisture content, this cake needs to be refrigerated. The good news is that since the cake layers are made with oil (not butter), they will remain soft even when cold. Cover the cake well and store in an airtight container in the fridge. For the best experience, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Yes, you can wrap the individual cake layers in plastic wrap and then again in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
HOW TO FROST AND CRUMB COAT A CAKE
For a simple finish on the cake, first make sure your baked cake layers are completely cooled or even cold. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to first catch and trap the crumbs. This is called a "crumb coat". Then chill the cake for about 15 minutes so this layer of frosting stays in place.
Then dollop the balance of the frosting right on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to push and spread the frosting down from the center, out to the edges and then finally down the sides of the cake to coat. Have restraint when it comes to spreading -- the more you spread, the more air you will press out of the frosting. So, stick to swift swoops and swooshes for a natural effect.
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The BEST Carrot Cake with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon each ground allspice, nutmeg and ginger
- 2 cups (240g) finely grated carrots (from about 3 medium carrots)
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (160ml) sunflower oil
- ½ cup (120ml) plain full fat yogurt
- ⅓ cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (50g) coarsely chopped walnuts
- ½ cup (70g) soaked and drained raisins (optional)
1 x Recipe for BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper and lightly grease the sides. I actually don't grease the sides of my pans because I like the cake to climb up for taller layers, but that's up to you if you're worried about sticking.
- Mix carrots with sugar first. If you have time, combine the grated carrots with sugar first before adding the eggs and let it sit for 10 minutes. This draws out some of the moisture and allows the sugar to dissolve which makes the cake extra moist. This step also helps to break down the carrots slightly so that you don't end up with fibrous bits in the baked cake.
- If don't have time to let the carrots sit with the sugar, then combine grated carrots, both sugars and eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric handheld mixer on medium speed until combined. Add oil, yogurt and maple syrup and beat until evenly blended.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Do not over-mix. Add walnuts and raisins (if you choose to use them) and fold them in until evenly distributed.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 28-32 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Prepare the frosting according to this recipe. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of frosting to make the little carrot decorations if you wish.
- Place one layer of cake onto a serving plate. Use an offset spatula to spread about 1 cup of frosting over top leaving about ½-inch border. Place the second layer on top and press it down gently to stick to the bottom layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the whole cake. Chill for 15 minutes. Dollop the remaining frosting on top of the cake and spread it out from the top working your way out to the edges and then down the sides again if you wish, or use the offset spatula to make swooshes on top (I like the naked style to show the sides of the cake through the frosting).
- Decorate. To make little carrots, reserve about 3 tablespoons of frosting. Place 2 tablespoon into a small bowl and add a little orange food coloring. Place 1 tablespoon into another small bowl and stir in a little green food coloring. Use a zip-top plastic bag to pipe little carrots on top (watch the recipe video above for a demo). Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans and enjoy!
I just tried this recipe. OMG! It's so delicious! Even as I type this in my room upstairs, I can hear my 7 yo downstairs saying, "It's so so yummy!"
Thanks 👍🏽
LOL love this so much! Thank you!
Delicious cake! I'm from Australia & I often find American cup measurements are different. Maybe Canadian & Australian are the same as it turned out perfect. I'd love for you to create a Chai cake recipe. Chai lattes are very popular now. Thanks!
Hi Erica, thanks so much. That's a great idea - I will work on a Chai cake for the Fall. Thank you 🙂
I’d like to second this idea. *Need* a chai spiced cake
I hear you! I'll work on it for the Fall!
Hi thanks for the recipe. Love all your recipes! How do I store the frosting? Should it go in the fridge?
Hi TR, thank you! Yes, it needs to be stored in the fridge.
This carrot cake sounds like a game-changer! If you think you’ve found the perfect carrot cake recipe, this one might just surpass it. The promise of moist, flavorful cake paired with the fluffiest cream cheese frosting is incredibly tempting. I’m excited to try this and see if it really lives up to the hype—it sounds like a new favorite in the making!
Great recipe,easy to follow. Moist and delicious. Frosting was on point. Not on piece left. My new go to carrot cake recipe.
Thank you so much Jason!
I baked two of these carrot cakes for some friends thinking there would be lots of cake left over but both were eaten in minutes!
I will definitely be using this recipe frequently!
Delicious! Great instructions, mixed cake batter by hand and the frosting is so soft and fluffy! Another winning recipe by Christina! Excellent Easter dessert.
Thanks so much Claudia!
I love your chocolate cake recipe and frosting and I want to make this cake for Easter but I have family members with nut allergies. Will it still be the best without the addition of walnuts?
Hi Linda, yes the nuts are optional. Happy Easter!
Best carrot cake for sure. I really like the frosting too because it is not too heavy and really nice and tangy.
We love this recipe at my house so much that it replaced my mom’s recipe that we had been using for years. It’s so soft and very flavourful and not at all heavy.
I tested this recipe out because I want to make it for Easter and it is perfection! It is so soft and fluffy not like so many recipes I've tried that are dense and oily. Thank you for creating a perfect recipe.
Very delicious cake !
Highly recommend 👌
Thanks Marlene!
Hey! Can maple syrup be replaced?
Hi Nik, you can try with golden syrup or 2/3 the amount of honey diluted with water.
Hello!
So excited to eat this cake.
How would you store it if any leftover? Is the counter ok or does it need to be put in the fridge?
Thank you!
Hi Abi! Just store it in the fridge and it will be great.
Looking forward to trying it. Do you have some ideas on ways to reduce the sugar?
You’re right - it is the best carrot cake ever!! We loved it, the cake isn’t too dense, the fruit and nuts add great texture, 8” is the perfect size too. I thought there would be far too much frosting but it was perfect, a nice covering all over. Not too sweet either. Such an excellent cake! I love trying your recipes and rarely use any other site for cakes, bars or cookies these days ????
Thank you so much Rachel!! I'm so glad you love this recipe as much as I do! And, I love your emojis 🙂
Can I make cupcakes out of this recipe
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A delicious carrot cake recipe. Christine will never fail you
Sorry, Christina! Autocorrect
Moist,flavourful and delicious Carrot cake and the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever tried. My new go to from now on!!
Thanks so so much Gabby!
Mil gracias Cristina, no me canso de preparar esta deliciosa torta, siempre cambio el yogur natural por griego, y queda igual de sabrosa.
Hi Diana, yes you can use plain regular yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt for this recipe.
I only have two 9 inch cake pans, would that work for the amount of batter this recipe makes?
Hi Angela, the cake layer will be quite thin. I'd suggest a 9x13 inch pan.
hello. I love your recipes. thanks for sharing.
I wanted to ask you how I can substitute the maple syrup. In my country it is not easy to get. thanks for your answer.
Delicious! I followed the recipe as written but baked it instead in a Bundt pan, for about 45 minutes. I thinned out the cream cheese frosting with milk and used it as a drizzle over the cake. Great results! The cake was so moist and tasty, will make this again and again!