A super moist spice cake filled with shredded carrots and toasted pecans; carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes around. The perfect accompaniment to carrot cake is its cream cheese frosting, providing added tang and sweetness, and is even better when coated with extra toasted pecans.
Carrot cake is an interesting cake because it straddles two different seasons, both spring and fall. Flavored with warming fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, it’s perfect for a cool fall day. But carrot cake is also very popular in the spring, especially for Easter. I wonder if the association is from generations of people associating carrots with Bugs Bunny, and then rabbits with the Easter Bunny. Hmm… maybe I’m over thinking it. Carrots also typically have two harvest seasons: late spring and fall, which could also explain things.
This recipe is based on a family recipe, which I of course had to tweak and modernize, cause that’s how I roll. The recipe was pretty spot on, but I swapped out the 100% white sugar for a mixture of white and brown, cut down on the amount of oil, and swapped the pineapple for apple sauce and walnuts for pecans. I even made candied pecans for this recipe, which is totally optional, but an amazing addition and taste incredible on their own.
Ingredients for My Best Carrot Cake
Carrot cake is one of those desserts that doesn’t have ingredients that are set in stone, and while this is my favorite version, feel free to tweak it to your own liking as well. I’ll mention some variations and which items are optional… except the carrots, that’s not optional. How are you going to call it carrot cake without carrots?!?
Pecans – A standard 10oz bag of pecan halves should be 2 ½ cups worth. I highly suggest toasting them before adding to the cake, but you don’t have to. I also made candied pecans for mine, which adds amazing flavor, but is optional and can be done 1-3 days ahead of time. You could also omit nuts altogether, or swap pecans for walnuts, which is popular also.
Carrots – I used about 2 ½ cups of shredded carrots, which can vary from 4-6 carrots depending on their size. Do not use the pre-cut “matchstick” style carrots, you need to shred them yourself. The matchstick carrots are a little too large for cake, and they’re dry to prevent sticking together. You want that freshly shredded moisture because it adds to the cake.
Flour – All-purpose flour works fine here as the cake’s structure.
Leaveners – Use both baking powder and baking soda here. Carrot cake is pretty moist and heavy, so they don’t rise as much as other cakes.
Spices – The spices can vary a lot between recipes, and some versions only add cinnamon and a bit of salt. I like to use salt with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Other options to swap in are cloves or cardamom. My suggestion is definitely using cinnamon, probably nutmeg, ginger is optional, and optionally choose only one between allspice, clove, or cardamom.
Sugar – As mentioned, the original recipe was 2 cups of white sugar, but I feel swapping some out for light or dark brown sugar adds both flavor and moisture to the recipe. You’ll also want powdered sugar for the frosting.
Eggs – Use 4 large eggs at room temperature for this.
Oil – Unlike other cakes, carrot cake uses a neutral tasting oil as the fat, instead of butter. Butter adds great flavor to cakes, but carrot cake adds its flavor from carrots and spices. Oil helps keep the cake moist for days as well, whereas butter would make it a tighter crumb and drier. I suggest vegetable or canola oil here.
Applesauce – While oil is used to keep the cake moist, too much oil can make the cake have a greasy mouthfeel. To add more moisture without adding more liquid, applesauce is a great hack. Other options include crushed pineapple, sour cream, yogurt, etc. I like applesauce because it’s a very neutral flavor that you don’t really taste in the finished cake.
Vanilla – A little vanilla extract balances all the flavors in both the cake and the frosting.
Cream Cheese – Use two blocks of room temperature, full-fat cream cheese for the frosting. Do not use cream cheese spread.
Butter – Use oil for the cake, and room temperature butter for the frosting.
How to Make Carrot Cake
The nice thing about carrot cake is that it’s easy to make and there’s no need for a stand mixer or even a hand mixer. Other than roasting and chopping the pecans and shredding the carrots, you only need two mixing bowls and a whisk and/or spatula to make the whole thing.
Start by roasting the pecans or making candied pecans. Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Bake the pecan halves for 6-10 minutes, until you can smell them, that’s when they’re ready. Set aside to cool and then chop them or place in a zipper lock bag and crush slightly with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
Peel the carrots and shred them on a box grater or with a shredding disc on a food processer. You can use the larger or smaller shredding holes; I prefer the smaller ones for a finer cut. Shred until you have about 2 ½ cups and set aside.
Turn the oven up to 350°F / 180°C. Prepare three 8” cake pans with parchment rounds and spray the parchment and sides with baking spray or butter and flour and set aside. You can make your own parchment rounds by placing your pan on parchment paper and tracing the bottom with a pen or pencil and cutting just inside the line.
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Whisk together and set aside.
In another, large mixing bowl add both sugars and all 4 eggs. Whisk together until fully mixed and the sugar has mostly dissolved. Add in the oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Next, add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and whisk or stir together with a spatula until mostly combined. Now add the shredded carrots and 1 cup of the chopped pecans (reserve the rest for decorating) and fold in until well mixed with the batter.
Pour the cake batter evenly into each of the cake pans, either trying to eyeball it or use a scale to be more accurate (recommended), and place into the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
Once cooked, remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the cake pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn out and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled before building and frosting the cake.
While the cake is cooking, start making the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in another mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and cream together at medium speed for another 2 minutes. Now add a pinch of salt and the confectioner’s sugar and mix at very low speed at first until the sugar has been mixed in, then raise the speed to medium and beat another 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth.
While the cakes are cooling, place the frosting in the refrigerator and let chill for 20-30 minutes. This will allow it to set up and it will be easier to pipe if you go that route.
Once the cakes have cooled, place one on a cake round, cake turntable, or large plate (I highly recommend turntables, they make decorating 10x easier). If the cakes have a domed top, thinly slice some of the top off to make them level. Pipe or scoop enough frosting onto the top of the first layer so that you can fully cover it all the way to the edges and smooth it out evenly. Place the 2nd layer on top of the frosting and repeat. Add the final cake layer and repeat, this time covering the top and going down the sides as well. Use as much or as little of the frosting as you wish to completely cover the cake.
Add any decorations you wish, including the reserved, chopped pecans to the outside of the cake. Cup your hand and add the pecans, then press them into the side of the cake as high as you prefer or add them to the top. Once frosted and decorated, refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Carrot Cake Variations
Applesauce Substitutes – Instead of applesauce, the next most popular inclusion is typically crushed pineapple. Use the same amount, ¾ cup, with just a bit of the liquid. The original recipe I based this off used pineapple, but I prefer applesauce for its neutral flavor compared to pineapple.
You could also swap these out for sour cream, plain, full-fat yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt also.
Nuts – I prefer pecans in my carrot cake, but walnuts are another popular option. Feel free to leave them out altogether if you prefer a nut-free cake. You could even switch things up and use hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, or even macadamia nuts. I don’t recommend peanuts, however.
Sizes – This recipe is for a 3-layer carrot cake in 8” round cake pans; however, you can switch it up a little. You could use two 9” round (deep) cake pans for a two-layer cake and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Use a 9x13 pan and make one large carrot cake, baked for 45-55 minutes, and only make ½ the cream cheese recipe. For cupcakes, fill about ⅔ full and bake for 20-22 minutes. I would, however, use a cupcake specific carrot cake recipe for that.
Mix-Ins – I prefer my carrot cakes somewhat plain, with the flavor coming from the carrots, spices, and roasted or candied pecans. However, you can add other mix-ins such as raisins or shredded coconut, both of which are popular in Southern carrot cake recipes.
You could also add diced and dried pineapple chunks in addition to the applesauce or crushed pineapple. Or go completely different and mix in chocolate or caramel chips.
Spices – As mentioned earlier, the spices can vary a lot between carrot cake recipes, and some versions only add cinnamon. I like to use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Other options to swap in are cloves or cardamom. My suggestion is definitely using cinnamon, probably nutmeg, ginger is optional, and optionally choose only one between allspice, clove, or cardamom.
📋 Recipe
My Best Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake:
- 2 cups pecans, chopped and divided
- 2 ½ cups shredded carrots, about 4-6 carrots
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces block-style full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
Directions
- Start by roasting the 2 cups of pecans or making candied pecans. Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Bake the pecan halves for 6-10 minutes, until you can smell them, that’s when they’re ready. Set aside to cool and then chop them or place in a zipper lock bag and crush slightly with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
- Peel the carrots and shred them on a box grater or with a shredding disc on a food processer. You can use the larger or smaller shredding holes; I prefer the smaller ones for a finer cut. Shred until you have about 2 ½ cups and set aside.
- Turn the oven up to 350°F / 180°C. Prepare three 8” cake pans with parchment rounds and spray the parchment and sides with baking spray or butter and flour and set aside. You can make your own parchment rounds by placing your pan on parchment paper and tracing the bottom with a pen or pencil and cutting just inside the line.
- In a mixing bowl, add 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon table salt, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice. Whisk together and set aside.
- In another, large mixing bowl add ½ cup granulated white sugar, 1 ½ cups brown sugar, and all 4 eggs. Whisk together until fully mixed and the sugar has mostly dissolved. Add in 1 cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup applesauce, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Next, add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and whisk or stir together with a spatula until mostly combined. Now add the shredded carrots and 1 cup of the chopped pecans (reserve the rest for decorating) and fold in until well mixed with the batter.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into each of the cake pans, either trying to eyeball it or use a scale to be more accurate (recommended), and place into the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the cake pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn out and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled before building and frosting the cake.
- While the cake is cooking, start making the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in another mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat ¾ cup unsalted butter until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 16oz cream cheese and cream together at medium speed for another 2 minutes. Now add a pinch of salt and 6 cups confectioner’s sugar and mix at very low speed at first until the sugar has been mixed in, then raise the speed to medium and beat another 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth.
- While the cakes are cooling, place the frosting in the refrigerator and let chill for 20-30 minutes. This will allow it to set up and it will be easier to pipe if you go that route.
- Once the cakes have cooled, place one on a cake round, cake turntable, or large plate (I highly recommend turntables, they make decorating 10x easier). If the cakes have a domed top, thinly slice some of the top off to make them level. Pipe or scoop enough frosting onto the top of the first layer so that you can fully cover it all the way to the edges and smooth it out evenly. Place the 2nd layer on top of the frosting and repeat. Add the final cake layer and repeat, this time covering the top and going down the sides as well. Use as much or as little of the frosting as you wish to completely cover the cake.
- Add any decorations you wish, including the reserved, chopped pecans to the outside of the cake. Cup your hand and add the pecans, then press them into the side of the cake as high as you prefer or add them to the top. Once frosted and decorated, refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Equipment Used
Notes
Your Notes
Nutrition
Comments
No Comments