When it comes to carrot cake recipes, I’ve tried so many looking for the best. I And this family friends recipe is the absolute best one I have ever tasted. It’s simple and easy to make, and oh-so-tasty! This is the perfect thing to serve this Easter, spring, or just any day you’re craving carrot cake!
This post is all about the best carrot cake recipe!
Jump to RecipeWhy this Carrot Cake recipe?
This carrot cake recipe is originally from a family friend who made it for one of our dinner parties. It quickly became a favorite of our family, especially my dad. He would sit and eat spoonfuls of the cream cheese frosting.
There are many different variations when it comes to carrot cake recipes. But this one I have found to be the perfect balance of moist, a good crumb and sweet but not too sweet. And the rich cream cheese frosting brings it all together perfectly.
The Ingredients
The carrots – As I’m sure you can assume, carrots are the star of the show in this recipe! You want to make sure that you have a good grate on the carrots. If you want to do that by hand, great! But I also highly recommend using the grating attachment in a food processor like this one!
The fats – The thing that makes this cake so very moist and delicious is a good amount of eggs and oil! For the cooking oil, canola or vegetable are the easiest and most affordable, but another neutral oil like avocado will also work if you want something a bit healthier! Make sure you use something that won’t overpower any of the flavors.
The nuts – The main crunch in this carrot cake recipe comes from the chopped pecans. To me, they are the perfect addition to this recipe. But I know that some people prefer walnuts, which could also be a great option depending on preference.
The frosting – For the cream cheese frosting, the main thing to remember is to have the cream cheese and butter be at room temp when you mix it so they can incorporate smoothly!
Tips:
-Remember not to over-mix the cake batter!
-Keep in mind that cream cheese frosting does need to be kept refrigerated! So the finished cake will need to be stored in the fridge or frozen if you want to save leftovers!
Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer of Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cooking oil like vegetable, canola, avocado
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups flour all purpose
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the sugar and oil together in a bowl.
- Add in the eggs and beat well.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Fold in the chopped nuts and carrots.
- Pour the batter into a greased an floured pan. Use either a 9×13 for a sheet cake or two 8 inch round cake pans for a layer cake.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Check the center of the cakes with a toothpick until they come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before attempting to remove them from the pans.
- Once completely cooled, top with the cream cheese frosting (recipe below).
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 tbsp salted butter softened
- 2 lbs powdered sugar
- 4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth, then add in the vanilla.
- Once it is all combined, add it to your cooled cake.
Enjoy!
This post is all about the most delicious carrot cake recipe!
If you are looking for more delicious recipes, head over to the Food section of the blog!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But on Raleigh’s Day Off I always only recommend products I love.
[…] the best carrot cake recipe ever […]