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This easy Carrot Cake Sheet Cake feeds a crowd with minimal effort and is absolutely delicious! It's a moist, warmly spiced cake topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting.
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake that's a party show-stopper.
My love for Carrot Cake is no secret –It's the cake I chose for my birthday every year growing up! This carrot cake baked in a sheet pan is perfect for Spring gatherings, Easter dessert, and honestly any time! The pineapple in the batter is my secret weapon to keep the cake incredibly moist and add just the right amount of natural sweetness. And that whipped cream cheese frosting? It's lighter than traditional cream cheese frosting but every bit as delicious. I can promise you I will be making this sheet pan carrot cake several times this year!
Don't miss my other easy sheet pan and bar desserts, like Texas Sheet Cake, Pumpkin Slab Pie, White Texas Sheet Cake, or Sugar Cookie Bars!
How to make Sheet Pan Carrot Cake:
Grate Carrots: With a box grater, grate the carrots and then use paper towels to squeeze out the excess moisture.
Make Cake Batter: Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pineapple, oil, milk, vanilla, and granulated sugar. Mix the carrots into the wet ingredients then gently fold in the dry ingredients, just until combined.
Bake: Pour batter into a greased baking sheet and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
Frost: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until smooth then add powdered sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks then gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. Carefully spread on top of the entire cake. Slice the cake into 24 squares by cutting 6 pieces on the long edge and 4 on the short edge.
Decorate (optional): I reserve a little bit of frosting to color some orange and some green. Put the colors in separate ziploc baggies and cut off just the very small corner so you have a small piping tip. Work row by row and pipe a zig-zag motion for the carrot starting large at the top to small at the bottom. Follow with the green bag and pipe three lines at the top for the stem. Decorate with chopped pecans around the edge of the pan, if desired. Enjoy!
Sheet Pan Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup crushed pineapple, , not drained
- 1/2 cup oil, (vegetable, canola or avocado oil)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large carrots, , washed and peeled
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, , room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, , softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- orange and green food coloring, , for carrot design if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray or oil and set aside.
- Shred carrots on large holes of box grater. Gather the shredded carrot into paper towels and squeeze over the sink, to remove excess moisture. Set aside.4 large carrots
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl combine the flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate large mixing bowl combine the eggs, crushed pineapple, oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar and stir well to combine. Stir in carrots then fold in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.3 large eggs, 2/3 cup crushed pineapple, ½ cup oil, ½ cup milk, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 cups granulated sugar
- Bake: Pour batter into greased sheet pan and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool cake completely before frosting.
- Make Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks. Spoon the whipped cream into the frosting and gently fold in to combine. Frost cake and refrigerate until ready to serve.½ cup butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Decorate: Slice sheet cake into squares (I do 6×4 for 24 square servings). Color some of the frosting orange and green and use frosting bags and small frosting tips or a ziploc bag with the very corner cut to make a carrot design on top of each square, if desired.orange and green food coloring
Notes
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Hi, if I make this the night before do I need to store it in the fridge?
Hi Natalie! Yes, definitely store it in the fridge overnight. This one needs to chill so it can set up, and it’s best served cold anyway.
When you say crushed pineapple that is not drained, how do you know how much of the liquid to get out of the can since it’s not a whole can? It seems like the amount of liquid would make a difference. I want to make this for Easter. Thank you! (love your recipes!)
Great question! Just scoop 2/3 cup straight out of the can. pineapple and juice together. No need to drain it or measure the liquid separately, just dip your measuring cup right in and level it off. Whatever juice comes along with the fruit is exactly what you want! Hope you love it for Easter!
This cake looks delicious. However, since the cake itself has a lot of sugar, could you suggest a simpler, healthier frosting I might use instead of the cream cheese frosting?
Thank you so much! It really is delicious. For a lighter option, you could do a simple glaze with powdered sugar and a little milk or orange juice — just enough to drizzle over the top. It won’t be as rich but still gives it that finishing touch. You could also just do a thinner layer of the cream cheese frosting
Can the iced cake be prepared ahead of time and frozen?
Yes, you can freeze it, but it’s best to freeze the cake unfrosted and add the cream cheese frosting after thawing for the best texture.
This cake is a new staple for Easter Sunday! 10/10!
What size sheet pan did you use?
half sheet. If you click the item in the recipe, it will bring you to the exact pan we use!
Thank you. I didn’t know about clicking on the item. You taught an old lady a new trick.