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A picture of the sliced cake on a plate with pecans on the plate.
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Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

Indulge in a simple, delicious, and easy carrot cake recipe. It’s moist, flavorful, and ready in no time.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword carrot, carrot cake, cream cheese
Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 502kcal
Author Jillian Wade
Cost $11.14

Equipment

  • 9x13 baking pan
  • medium mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • box grater
  • standing mixing bowl
  • paddle attachment
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • toothpick
  • wire cooling rack
  • whisk attachment
  • offset spatula
  • spatula
  • cutting knife

Ingredients

CARROT CAKE:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound carrots peeled
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened but still cool
  • 5 Tablespoons butter softened but still cool
  • 1 Tablespoon sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

FOR SERVING:

  • chopped or halved pecans or walnuts optional
  • shredded coconut optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

PREP OVEN AND PAN:

  • Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Spray a 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

MAKE THE BATTER:

  • Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Set these dry ingredients aside.
  • Using the large holes of a box grater, shred carrots (you should end up with about 3 cups).
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs on medium-high until combined, about 45 seconds.
  • Reduce the speed to low, and slowly pour in the oil.
  • Then, increase the speed to high and mix until the mixture is light in color and well blended, about 60-90 seconds.
  • Turn the mixer off and fold in the carrots, dry ingredients, and coconut by hand until the batter is evenly mixed and no streaks of flour remain.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.

BAKE AND COOL CAKE:

  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
  • Place the cake on a wire rack and cool to room temperature for about 2 hours.

MAKE CARROT CAKE FROSTING:

  • Once the cake is cool, make the frosting. Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla to the stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment.
  • Mix on high until combined, about 60 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the powdered sugar and mix on high until nice and fluffy, about 1 minute.

FINISH THE CAKE:

  • Spread the frosting evenly over the cake using an offset spatula.
  • Sprinkle the cake with chopped nuts or shredded coconut (both optional).
  • Cut the carrot cake into 12 squares and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 502kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 6825IU | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2.1mg