This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Carrot Cake makes for a flavorful and delicious dessert! Made with grated carrots and other mix-ins, this is my favorite carrot cake recipe of all time!
I have never really been a fan of carrot cake. Chocolate cake? You betcha! Fluffy white cake? Yes, please. But carrot cake hasn’t been a favorite. I think it goes back to my childhood of trying a bite of it at a potluck or reunion and then desperately needing a glass of tea or something to help wash it down. Since then whenever it was offered, I shied away from it. Well, that is until I learned that it was one of my husband’s favorite cakes.
How in the world we could have been married for so many years before I knew this piece of information, I’ll never know. But, there it was. And all I knew was, I had to make it for him.
So, knowing that my Grandmother Verdie had a recipe in her treasure trove of recipes, I dug through until I found it. I knew hers would be delicious for anyone that enjoyed carrot cake, but I wanted to tweak it just a bit.
The result?
Well, now I’m a carrot cake convert and Bart says this is his favorite carrot cake that he’s ever eaten. I think I’m back in his good graces.
Here’s my Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil vegetable oil, or canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups about 6 medium grated carrots
- 1 1/2 cups roasted pecans divided
- Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350º F. Coat two 8-inch cake pans with butter or shortening and lightly dust with flour to prevent 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 divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
- 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 pans on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Turn out of pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Frost cake with cream cheese frosting.
Notes
2 – Additional mix-ins may be included or used in place of the 1 cup of pecans. I would recommend coconut, raisins, walnuts, or even pineapple. The total amount of mix-ins should not exceed 1 cup.
3 – I only used half of the cream cheese frosting recipe for the cake photographed and did not spread frosting on the sides of the cake.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Excellent idea, I think I am going to make one large one for my sons birthday.
It looks so yummy. I hope he will be supprised it.
Happy birthday to your son! I hope he has a great one!
Thank you.
HAHa…I’ve already made this twice this week.
Carrot cake is my favorite! I’ve been wondering when you were going to make one. Can’t wait to try it out.
🙂 I hope you enjoy it, Al.
Yay!!! This is my husband’s favorite cake too ! I am going to be baking this up soon . I love how it’s frosted . Yummy!
Thanks so much, Shannon! I hope you love it! xo
So excited to see this delicious-looking carrot cake, Robyn! Those great ingredients make me want to go make one right now! Can’t wait to try it – know it will be so good! Thanks!
Thanks, Leigh! Wish I could share a slice with ya. 🙂 xo
This cake looks so scrumptious, love adding pineapple. Pinned. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Mary! I hope you enjoy it. xo
Love carrot cake and will try this one, but is the vanilla 1 1/2 teaspoons or Tablespoons? Love your recipes and have shared them with my girls.
Carol
I dont have access to lily flour. Doesnt cake flour have the soda or baking power in it already? Can i just sift regular flour more to make it finer?
Karen
I have tried carrot cakes before but this seems a bit different… will definitely try it soon.
Which oil you prefeare most ? Does cocunt oil makes a difference in taste ? I mean it gives cocnut taste which goes very well with carrot in my openion .
I love the flavors together, but if not, you can also use refined coconut oil which does not have a strong coconut flavor. I prefer the coconut oil in this cake recipe, but the others work great as well.
I invite you to share this yumminess at my Thursday link party ( you can link up until Sat. midnight) Hugs!
Thanks.I d.love it.and made big size for.my family.
What is the vanilla measurement – tablespoon or teaspoon?
Hi- could I use coconut or tapioca flour for this? Thanks!
Hi Jessica,
I’ve not used either coconut flour or tapioca flour for this cake and can’t answer with personal experience. If you convert it to coconut flour or even tapioca flour, I’m sure others would love to know your changes if you wouldn’t mind sharing! Thanks so much! xo
Robyn,
I’m in the midst of making this cake, and I just realized that there isn’t a measurement for the vanilla. Help!
Shannon
I am so sorry about that, Shannon. It is teaspoons. I’ve updated the recipe to include that measurement. Thanks so much for catching that and letting me know! I hope you love the cake! xo
Robyn,
I made this cake and was told it was delicious. (I don’t actually eat carrot cake)
I had a small problem with the cake being dense on the bottom. Is there any way to fix that?
Barbara
I just made it. It’s marvelous!! I loved it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
If I want to use this for carrot cupcakes, is there any alterations I need to make?
Hi I am planning on making your carrot cake for my nephew’s 6th birthday. I was just curious if I Wanted to divide it up into three cake pans do you think it would still come out just as delicious as the two layer version? Also, do I need to modify my cooking time/temp?
I made this carrot cake this past week and followed the recipe very closely and have to it was magnificent. My wife has now given baking as I’ve made this and the chocolate cakes and both a huge success, I’m just not allowed to make them every week???
I just love that you’ve made these cakes and now are the baker of the house! So happy you enjoyed this and the chocolate cakes – thanks so much for sharing with me! 🙂
Hi Robyn
Had a go at this one last night after last week’s chocolate cake success.
And… it’s another winner, thanks so much 🙂
I substituted the pecans for peeled sunflower seeds which I dry-toasted quickly in a very hot frying pan. Pecans and walnuts – and ALL nuts really – are crazy expensive here in Finland, for some reason. I know they’re about 1/4 of the price in Poland..
So there are your three interesting facts for today.
😀
Matt
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this one too, Matt! This is another one of our favorites too!
I am glad to know about the sunflower seeds!
Thanks so much! 🙂
This recipe is amazing, the cake is fluffy and moist, simply perfect. First, you made me a fan with the chocolate cake but with this I’m hooked! You made me into a baker! Thanks so much❤️
Aww, thanks so much Vanessa! xo
Could you use any other type of flour besides lily white?
I just prefer to use White Lily, Jacqueline, in all my baking. As I state in my Notes, if you don’t have it, I recommend using cake flour in this recipe.
Could I make ahead the cake and freeze it? Would it be as moist? I’d ice it the day of, but hoping to cut down on work day of.
You can make the cake ahead and freeze it, Kristen. It will still be just as moist as the day you make it. Allow the cakes to cool completely, wrap them well in plastic wrap and place each layer into a gallon zip top freezer bag. Freeze the cake layers for up to one month.
To frost the cake, simply remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator with wrapping intact. Then, frost the cake once it has completely thawed.
Hello! I made your chocolate cake a few months back and it was absoluetely delicious!! Im really excited about making your carrot cake but was wondering if I could replace the nuts in the cake with raisins ? thank you !
You can replace the pecans with raisins if you prefer, Valeria.
What temperature and/or time adjustment would you recommend for using a cupcake pan?
Thanks,
Allison
I would bake at same temperature and bake about 18 minutes, Allison.
If I use 9” cake pans instead, do I need to adjust the time?
The cakes may bake faster in the 9-inch pans, AJ. I would start checking the cake at about 20-25 minutes to make sure they don’t over bake.
I have always been a fan of carrot cake but never had a recipe to bake it myself. took a leap and made it first try for a family celebration and it was a hit with everyone. I’m on a fodmap diet so used fodmap flour and no one could tell so double win! Thanks for the brilliant recipes, have tried a couple now and they are always easy and delicious.
Thanks so much, Amy. I’m so glad you were able to use substitutions to make this cake so you could enjoy it, too.