Classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Does eating carrots in carrot cake count as a vegetable? It should… This super moist carrot cake is full of warm spices, covered in a luscious cream cheese frosting, giving you the sweet perfection you’re looking for in a dessert. Add some toasted coconut on top and this cake is next level. Did I mention it only takes one bowl? Super easy clean up.
Carrot cake is one of those cakes that is so customizable. You have your base carrot cake, which is basically a spice cake with shredded carrots added in, and your yummy cream cheese frosting. Beyond that, you can add nuts or not, you can decorate with cute little frosting carrots, you can put nuts on top of the cake, or toasted coconut, or sprinkles, or or… You get my drift. You can have a rough coat of frosting or you can make it smoother. Its great for a fancy gathering or just a night at home. If you enjoy this cake, you may also like my One Bowl Apple Spice Cupcakes, which is very similar to this recipe as it is a spice cake as well. Well, cupcakes, but you get the idea.
Ingredients
- Flour Unbleached, all-purpose flour works best in this cake.
- Sugar White and brown sugar mix provides the perfect amount of flavor and sweetness.
- Eggs Room temperature eggs work best for this recipe.
- Butter Softened butter, salted or unsalted. If you use salted, just leave the added salt out of the recipe.
- Oil With it’s neutral flavor, vegetable oil is best in this recipe.
- Yogurt Adds to the moisture in this cake.
- Crushed pineapple Such a great addition to this cake. It really ups the moisture content, making for a super moist cake.
- Carrots Don’t used pre-shredded carrots, they’re too dry. Use the whole bulk carrots and shred it yourself.
- Leaveners Baking soda and powder
- Spices cinnamon, cloves, all-spice, nutmeg.
- Salt
- Shredded coconut optional but so good! I toasted the coconut for that extra bit of flavor.
- Chopped pecans While pecans are traditionally used in carrot cake, I did not use them in this recipe. They were out of them at the store. I used hazelnuts. They were really good in this recipe, and I love pecans. If you’re allergic to nuts, or not a fan of them, just leave them out. The cake will still taste amazing.
How to Make Carrot Cake
This carrot cake uses the reverse creaming method. Reverse creaming means the butter is cut into the dry mixture rather than creaming the butter and sugar together and then adding the dry ingredients. Why do the reverse creaming method? Here’s a great article from King Arthur on reverse creaming, but basically, it creates a more tender cake, it’s faster and it makes a more even texture. Plus, it allows us to use just one bowl-the best part! Who doesn’t like less clean up?
To make the cake, first, we’ll add all the dry ingredients together. Then, we’ll add in the softened butter and mix until the butter breaks down into small pieces. Then we add in the wet ingredients. I like to add the eggs in first, two at a time. Then fold in the carrots, nuts, and raisins. The nuts and raisins are optional. Pour the batter evenly into two 9 inch round pans. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Toast some coconut flakes on the stove while the cakes are baking. Remove from the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes before turning out onto a baking rack to finish cooling. Be sure to let the cakes cool down completely before frosting. Sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes on top.
What Makes This Cake So Moist?
Fresh carrots. Shred the carrots yourself. The pre-shredded carrots don’t have enough moisture in them for this recipe. You’ll want to use whole carrots, not baby carrots. The best way to shred the carrots is to use a box shredder like you would to shred cheese, or you can use a food processor. I like the food processor as it’s easier on the hands. You want to be sure you shred the carrots into small pieces.
Oil, butter, and yogurt. Fats lend softness and moisture to baked goods. Butter adds flavor, but for the oil, we want a flavorless one such as Canola or vegetable oil. I like to use non-GMO vegetable or Canola oil. Fun fact: Canola stands for Canadian oil low acid and is made from the rapeseed. Plain Greek yogurt is best for this recipe.
Crushed pineapple. You would think that the cake would take on a pineapple flavor, but it doesn’t. It just adds some great moisture to the cake. You can also use the same amount of applesauce if that’s all you have.
Brown sugar. Due to the molasses in brown sugar, when you use it in baked goods, it helps to add moisture. Brown sugar is ever so slightly less sweet than white sugar, which is why I added both to this recipe.
Tips for Success
#1 Line the baking pans with parchment circles or spray with non-stick cooking spray. If you can’t find parchment circles, you can cut your own by tracing the pan on a piece of parchment paper and cutting it out. A little tedious but it works. I like using the cooking spray.
#2 For easier frosting, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour. It’s much easier to frost a cold cake than a room temperature one.
#3 Be sure you are using freshly grated carrots! I can’t stress this enough.
#4 When frosting the cake, be sure to apply the crumb coat first. The crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting applied to the cake first to get all the crumbs stuck in it. This way, the final layer will be beautiful and crumb free.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Can we talk about the best part of this cake? The cream cheese frosting! It’s so good! To make the best, most luscious cream cheese frosting, absolutely must have softened cream cheese and softened butter. If they are not completely soft, your frosting will be lumpy. It will still be good, but it will be lumpy. To make this frosting, you need:
- Softened cream cheese be sure to use the full fat, brick style cream cheese. Low-fat and whipped cream cheese have too much moisture and not enough fat. Save the moisture for the cake, we want all the fat in the frosting!
- Softened butter butter adds structure in frosting due to the high fat content. Unsalted is best, however, if you only have salted, just omit the salt from the recipe.
- Powdered sugar powdered sugar works best for frosting, granulated sugar would make it too grainy.
- Heavy cream or milk either one helps make a smooth and creamy frosting.
- A pinch of salt helps bring the flavors of the frosting, if you use salted butter, you can omit the salt.
You can also try my Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting for this cake.
FAQ’s
Carrot cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because it has cream cheese frosting, it must be stored in the fridge. You may want to invest in a cake carrier as this will cover the whole cake. If you’re making the cake ahead of time, I suggest just making the cakes and not assembling it until you are ready to use it.
Yes, this cake is perfect for making ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap then store in plastic bags in the fridge. If you won’t be making the cake the next day, freeze the cake layers for up to 3 months. Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and store in freezer-safe containers in the freezer. You can make the frosting ahead of time as well. If making the cake the next day, just store the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge. Be sure to take it out of the fridge about 15-20 minutes before you’ll be using it.
You can also freeze this frosting. Just store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it out in the fridge overnight, and take it out of the fridge about 15-20 minutes before you will use it. You may want to give it a quick mix with a hand held mixer before using.
More Recipes To Try
If you like this one bowl dessert, I have a few others you might want to try. My Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies are so delicious and easy to make. And my Easy One Bowl Brownies are so fudgy and chocolatey. If you want something brownie like without the chocolate, try my Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies. You also have to try my Pastelitos de Guayaba con Queso. They are little pockets of sweet joy I know you will love!
Super Moist One Bowl Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins, optional
- 1/2 cup crushed pecans or hazelnuts, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces brick cream cheese, full fat, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Either grease 2 nine inch cake pans with non-stick spray, or line with parchment paper rounds. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Using either a box shredder or a food processor, shred the carrots. If using a box shredder, the carrots should look like shredded cheese when you're done. If using the food processor, process the carrots into small pieces so you don't have big chunks of carrot in your cake.
- Using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, add the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. (2 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon all-spice, 1/4 teaspoon salt)
- Add the 1/2 cup of softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix until the butter breaks apart into small pieces, about a minute.
- Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing them in fully in between each addition.
- Add the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. (1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Fold in the 2 cups of shredded carrots, 1/2 cup of raisins, and 1/2 cup of nuts.
- Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven when they are done and let rest for 10 minutes before turning them out onto baking racks to cool completely. I like to wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and set them in the fridge for at least an hour. This makes frosting them easier.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the cakes are cooking, I like to make the frosting. First start with creaming the 8 ounces of cream cheese till it's smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the 1/2 cup of softened butter and cream together with the cream cheese.
- Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar until incorporated with the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the two tablespoons of milk/heavy cream. Add the 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Continue to mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you have added in all 4 cups.
- Place frosting in the fridge in a covered container until ready to use.
Assembling the Cake
- Once cakes have completely cooled down, it is time to frost them. Start by using a serrated knife to cut the tops off so they are level. (Don't throw the tops away, save them to snack on). You can also use a cake leveler to do this.
- Place one cake on a cake board and, if you have a turn table, place the cake on this. (The turn table makes it much easier to frost the cake). Add a layer of frosting on the first cake, about half a cup. Turn the other cake upside down and place on the first cake. We want to have the flat bottom of the second cake as our top layer, giving us a nice, even surface.
- Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. This is known as the 'crumb coat', and it catches all of the crumbs so when we apply our outer layer, it looks nice and clean and crumb-free.
- Once you have applied your crumb coat, place cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the frosting firm up, making it easier to apply the second coat.
- After 30 minutes, remove the cake from the fridge. Place back on the turn table and apply the second layer of frosting, using either an off-set spatula or a bench scraper. The nice thing about this cake is that you can make it look smooth or you can make it look rustic depending on how you frost it. To get the design I used for this cake, drag a fork through the frosting as you turn the turn table. Go all the way up and around the top of the cake.
- If desired, you can toast a bit of coconut in butter and add it to the top of the cake. I LOVE toasted coconut!
Notes
- Store carrot cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- This cake can easily be made ahead of time. Wrap fully cooled cakes in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. They can be left on the counter, but I like my cakes cold for frosting. If you’re not going to make the cakes the next day, I recommend freezing them. Place in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Likewise, the frosting can be made ahead of time as well. Store in the fridge in an airtight container overnight. You can also freeze the frosting. Just place in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- You can use pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts, or no nuts at all.
- If you don’t have crushed pineapple, you can substitute with 1/2 cup of applesauce.
- Make sure you use bricks of full-fat cream cheese, not low-fat or spreadable cream cheese.
- Do not use pre-shredded carrots, they are too dry. Shred whole carrots yourself using either a box shredder or a food processor.
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