This Easy Carrot Cake Sheet Cake recipe comes together easily and bakes into a beautiful, delicious carrot cake! Topped with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake is one everyone asks for the recipe!
Are you are carrot cake lover?
I have to admit that I haven’t been a fan of it until about a year or so ago.
Until then, I’d always thought of the carrot cake I’d had as a child where I had to quickly chase it with something to drink. From that point forward, I’d politely refuse it. But then, Bart let me know that carrot cake was one of his favorite cakes and I knew I had to make one that we both enjoyed!
And friends, this is it. Well, actually, the big layered, gorgeous version was first, but this one quickly followed.
I can’t say enough about how easy and delicious this sheet carrot cake is to make. It is perfect for when you need carrot cake for a crowd are transporting one to a potluck or get together or just don’t want to hassle with making a layered version.
While I think this cake is absolutely perfect for Easter, it really is a favorite anytime!
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake
Seriously, the most time-consuming part of the whole cake making process is grating the carrots and those are done in a flash. I use my favorite box grater, but you can absolutely grate them up in no time with your food processor as well.
The smells of cinnamon and ginger are just mesmerizing as this cake is baking, but the real winner is how it tastes!
The combination of flavors just melds together perfectly in this recipe!
And it has such a tender crumb to it!
I love to top it with my favorite, fluffy cream cheese frosting and then a sprinkling of toasted pecans.
Here’s my Carrot Cake Sheet Cake recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Easy Carrot Cake Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil, or vegetable oil or canola oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 3 cups grated carrots, (about 6 medium carrots)
- 1½ cups roasted pecans, divided
- Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350º F. Coat one baking sheet (18×13) with butter or shortening and lightly dust with flour to prevent the cake from sticking while baking. Alternately, coat well with baking spray.
- Mix together butter, coconut oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Mix in vanilla extract until well incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition before adding the next. Add egg yolk making sure well combined.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until well incorporated. Add buttermilk, beating until just combined before stirring in remaining flour mixture.
- Fold in carrots, 1 cup of pecans and spread into the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until cakes spring back when gently touched in the center and the edges begin to turn loose from the sides of the pan, about 30 – 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the sheet pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
- Frost cake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with toasted pecans.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
LOL!!! Who can only eat a 2″x2″ piece of this awesome cake? Not anyone I served it to! So yummy & moist!
Thanks, Jane. It is hard sometimes to just eat one piece of this cake. xo
Just finished making this…quick question. I am hesitant to frost while it is so warm. Is there a reason why it should be done after only 5 mins of cooling. The frosting is so fluffy. Seems to me that it will just melt and lose that nice consistency.
he sheet cake should be cool enough after about 5 minutes to frost but you can wait til you think it is cool enough, Gail. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Delish! Wouldn’t change a thing. Will definitely make this again.
Have you done a cupcake version of this recipe?
I’ve not baked cupcakes from this yet, but I think they’d be delicious! I would bake at the same temperature of 350º for 15 – 20 minutes, Hannah. You could use this recipe or my Best Carrot Cake Recipe that makes a layer cake if you want a larger quantity of cupcakes.
Is it possible that you can sub half canned milk half water for the milk in this recipe??
I just love it
Hi was thinking as I’m not keen on nuts would it be okay to leave them out ?
Anja, you could omit the nuts if you wish. However, the texture and volume of the cake will be affected as well as the baking time. You will have thinner layers.
Mine baked in 20 mins… I did everything exactly to the recipe any idea why?
I have no idea why it baked that fast, Ava, other than your oven may be heating higher than 350ºF or you used a larger sheet pan than the 18×13-inch pan I used.