The best carrot cake recipe with cream cheese frosting

Name: Carrot Cake Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 4 eggs (M); 250 ml sunflower oil; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 250 grams light brown caster sugar; 300 grams flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; Pinch of salt; 2 tsp cinnamon; 0.5 tsp nutmeg; 0.25 tsp ginger; 0.25 tsp cloves; 400 grams grated carrots; 125 grams walnuts (finely chopped); 1 serving cream cheese frosting (according to recipe); extra walnuts

Posted: March 14, 2025

The best carrot cake recipe with cream cheese frosting

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Want to make carrot cake? This easy recipe makes a creamy, fluffy and spiced carrot cake. The best carrot cake recipe I’ve ever had! So if you’re a carrot cake lover I would urge you to try this recipe!

The best carrot cake ever

Here it is at last: a recipe for carrot cake! And if I may be so bold, this really is the most delicious carrot cake ever. I had eaten a lot of carrot cakes and had a clear idea of what I wanted my version to be. The result was even more delicious than I had hoped, so you can understand how happy I am with this easy carrot cake recipe.

This carrot cake is airy, creamy, and has just enough spices. It’s perfect on its own, but when paired with the cream cheese frosting, it’s a real party. I made a layer cake out of it myself, but hesitated for a long time about whether to bake it in a bundt. I’m sure it would also look great with cream cheese frosting and walnuts on top.

Baking tip: Did you know that you can make carrot cake in an air fryer? I’ll share the recipe for that soon too.

What is a carrot cake?

A carrot cake is a cake in which grated fresh carrots are mixed into the batter. This not only gives the carrot cake a beautiful color, but also gives it a slightly sweet taste and a nice smoothness.

In addition, carrot cake always contains a special spice mixture consisting of at least cinnamon and ginger, but preferably also nutmeg and cloves.

Before the recipe came to Holland, it was already very popular in England and later in America. That is why we have so many words for this delicacy. Think worteltaart (in Dutch), carrot tart or carrot pie, depending on which country you live in.

Personally, I like to stick to the official English name carrot cake as most people would refer to it that way. Even most people in The Netherlands.

Carrot cake topping

One final element that a carrot cake is known for is the topping. A carrot cake topping is usually called a frosting, a cream cheese frosting to be exact. This is my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. This is a mixture of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.

It seems that this frosting is a modern addition, not found in old recipes. Whoever came up with it, I am very grateful, because the sweet and creamy addition of the frosting completes a spicy carrot cake!

Carrot Cake Recipe

In my opinion, a carrot cake should have a deliciously creamy base, but the layers should also be nice and fluffy and with moist crumbs. To get both that creaminess and lightness in this carrot cake, I played around with the ingredients. Below I will tell you a bit more about the role of the ingredients in this layer cake:

Eggs provide the binding, structure, and rising of the batter.
Sunflower oil has a neutral flavor and also gives the cake a creamy and smooth texture, even when cooled. You can substitute for another vegetable oil. You can substitute unsalted butter or melted coconut oil, but it will make the cake a bit firmer.
Vanilla extract is a subtle flavoring and can be substituted with other types of vanilla if desired. Or check how to make your own vanilla extract.
Light brown sugar adds extra flavor and contributes to the cake’s creamy texture.
All purpose flour is the base of the cake.
Baking agents, including baking powder and baking soda, also make the cake rise. Read more about why I combine these two baking ingredients.
Spices (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt) are the real flavor makers and, in the right proportions, provide the real carrot cake flavor.
Of course, carrot is a must and is traditionally added to make the cake sweeter. The moisture from the grated carrots also makes this a deliciously moist cake. I like to use a coarse grater or box grater to grate the carrots. You can also use a food processor if you prefer.
Walnuts taste great in a carrot cake, but if you don’t like them, you can just leave them out of the recipe.
Cream cheese frosting seems to be a fairly recent addition to the classic carrot cake recipe, but it makes it irresistibly delicious, if you ask me. Still, I can’t imagine the cake without the frosting.

As always make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you start baking your homemade carrot cake recipe.

What kind of carrots do you use?

I personally used baby carrots, but you can also use winter (big) carrots.

How finely or coarsely do I grate the carrots?

Don’t grate the carrots too coarsely (like julienne), but certainly not so finely that they come out as a mush. You want small, thin strands of carrot. That’s what tastes best in the cake. I like to use a coarse grater to grate the carrots.

If you do have julienne cut carrots, make sure to chop them into smal pieces before adding the carrot to the batter.

Can I bake the carrot cake in a bundt pan?

You certainly can, but I haven’t done it myself (yet!). I read in the comments that someone has already baked this carrot cake recipe in this Nordic Ware cake pan with a baking time of 60 minutes.

What kind of pan do you use?

This cake has three layers and I prefer to bake them in the oven at the same time. I use three of these 9-inch cake pans around the house. By greasing and dusting them with flour, the cakes come out perfectly after baking.

I only have one 20 cm (9 inch) pan, can I still make this recipe?

Yes, you can. The only thing you need to be aware of is the effect of the baking soda on the dough, as the baking soda is activated when it comes into contact with the light brown caster sugar or baking powder. Therefore, divide the carrot cake batter into three bowls (just weigh it out) and add the baking soda just before you pour it into the prepared pans and put it in the oven.

Can I bake the cake in a springform pan?

If you do it in 3 separate layers, yes. But not if you want to bake all of the batter in one big cake. I do not recommend it for this recipe.

You bake the cake in 3 separate layers because you get a better result than if you bake it as 1 big cake and cut it later.

Do you want to bake it in a larger springform pan and serve it as a single layer cake? Use a 24 cm (9.5 inch) or 26 cm (10 inch) pan. The bake time will need to be longer, so it’s best to experiment. Use a skewer or a cake tester in the center of the cake to check if the cake is done (it should come out clean) before you remove it from the oven.

Can I make carrot cake cupcakes with this recipe?

Haven’t done that myself, but it’s definitely possible. The best thing about this carrot cake recipe is that it is pretty flexible. Cupcakes usually take 18-20 minutes to bake.

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Carrot Cake Recipe

This carrot cake is airy, creamy, just enough spices, and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. It may be the most delicious carrot cake ever!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Decorating20

Total Time1

Servings: servings

Ingredients

Metric | US Customary

Carrot Cake

4 eggs M
250 ml sunflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
250 grams light brown caster sugar
300 grams flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp nutmeg
0.25 tsp ginger
0.25 tsp cloves
400 grams grated carrots
125 grams walnuts finely chopped

Carrot Cake Topping

1 serving cream cheese frosting according to recipe
extra walnuts

Equipment

20cm/9 inch round baking pan

Instructions

Start by grating the carrots, then set aside.
In a large bowl (you can use a stand mixer if you want), whisk together the eggs, sunflower oil and vanilla extract. Then stir in the sugar. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices can be added at the same time and stirred into the batter.
Once these dry ingredients are incorporated, add the grated carrot and walnuts and stir them evenly into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Bake the cake in 3 separate layers, you will get a better result than if you bake it as 1 big cake and cut it later. If you have 3 20cm/9 inch pans, you can divide the batter evenly between them, otherwise use bowls so that the layers are the same size (see tips above the recipe).
Grease the pan(s), dust with flour and place a baking sheet on the bottom so that the pan(s) come out easily. Pour the batter into the pan(s).
Bake at 180°C/350˚F (conventional oven) for 15-18 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool briefly in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. When cooled, wrap the cake layers in foil if you are not going to finish the cake right away. You can make the cakes a day or 2 ahead.

Carrot Cake Topping

When the cakes are completely cooled, make the cream cheese frosting according to the recipe. Then start building the cake.
Place the first slice of cake on a plate or cake stand and spread a layer of frosting on top, I personally like thin layers of frosting. Place the second slice of cake on top and frost it in the same way. Finish with the third and final slice of cake, making sure the flat bottom is now the top.
Before frosting the cake, first fill all the cracks on the side with frosting and apply a thin layer to the top. Then use a palette knife to spread the frosting all around the cake. Clean your plate or tray all around with a slightly damp paper towel.
Place the remaining frosting (without crumbs!) in a pastry bag with a round piping tip. Make a circle of frosting swirls on the top of the cake. Decorate the swirls with the extra walnuts.

Tips

You can also make little fondant/marzipan carrots to decorate the cake. They go perfectly with this cake.

How to store

Covered, the cake will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Remove from the refrigerator half an hour before serving.

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