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This Easy Carrot Cake recipe is a simple classic, baked in a 9×13 inch pan with a delicious whipped cream cheese frosting.
Looking for more cake recipes? Check out this Coconut Cake, Hershey's Chocolate Cake, Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes, or Berry Cake.
Why I love this recipe:
- Simple – This is a basic homemade carrot cake recipe made without raisins or nuts, and baked in a 9×13 inch pan. If you're looking for a special occasion carrot cake, check out this Carrot Cake.
- The Frosting – I love to fold in freshly whipped cream into the thick cream cheese frosting, to make the frosting extra light and fluffy.
- Crowd Pleaser – There is plenty of cake to feed a group, and this recipe is loved by every age!
How to Make Easy Carrot Cake:
Shred Carrots: Grate carrots on large holes of a box grater. Gather the shredded carrot into paper towels and squeeze over the sink to remove excess moisture.
Whisk Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Mix Batter: In a separate bowl, mix eggs, crushed pineapple, oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar and stir well to combine. Fold in carrots. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Bake: Pour batter into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool cake completely before frosting.
Frost Cake: Beat cream cheese and butter together then add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks then gently fold into frosting. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the carrot cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with chopped pecans on top, if desired.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: This easy carrot cake recipe can be made a few hours ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready to serve.
To Freeze: This simple carrot cake can be frozen after baking, before frosting. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then tinfoil and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator before serving. To freeze carrot cake with frosting, use regular cream cheese frosting (without whipped cream in it).
Recipe Variations:
- Three-Layer Carrot Cake with raisins and nuts.
- Cupcakes: Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill ¾ full with batter. Bake cupcakes for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.
- Pineapple Substitute: The crushed pineapple adds a lot of moistness and sweet flavor to the cake, but you could use applesauce as a substitute.
Easy Carrot Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup oil, (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large carrots, , washed and peeled
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter, , room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, , softened
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan 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.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- In a separate large mixing bowl combine the eggs, crushed pineapple, oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar and stir well to combine. Stir in carrots.
- Stir in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool cake completely before frosting.
- For the 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe April 2017. Updated March 2023.
I just baked your Banana Bread Brownies recipe, fresh out of the oven and they smell & look amazing! Can’t wait to try them. I also made your whipped cream cheese frosting & only used 1 1/3 c powdered sugar & this recipe is equally amazing and simple. I plan to use this frosting recipe as a side for the brownies for those who wish to frost their portion. The frosting is very light and fluffy and just sweet enough. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes from scratch . . . the best way to go in my opinion.
My kids don’t really like all the extras in carrot cake, if I leave out the pineapple with it mess up the texture of the cake?
I’d replace it with applesauce (although you really wont be able to notice the pineapple in the texture at all, other than it making the cake moist.).
Want to give this recipe a try since you got such great reviews. Any suggestions on how to incorporate nuts into the recipe?
Add a cup or so right into the batter before baking, or sprinkle on the frosting when serving.
I baked it today. It was excellent. Thank you for the recipe.
Wow! This cake was so moist and flavorful; it’s one of the best carrot cakes I have ever had. I did not have cream, but the frosting still came out perfectly light and sweet. I did scale back the sugar a bit because I used pineapple juice as the water component. I was worried it might tweak with the texture a bit, but the cake has the perfect texure. It’s about 1 1/2 inches tall in my 9 x 13 pan. Thanks, Lauren; my family loves your recipes!
Made this for my Sons birthday he loved it!
My husband said it was phenomenal. The frosting is one of the best I have ever had and the heavy cream made it so light and fluffy. Thanks for a great recipe.
question Will this recipe work for cupcakes or will they be too dry
Yes, you can definitely make cupcakes, they will just cook much faster.
Check them around 15 minutes. Be sure to fill cupcakes tins 3/4 full.
Can this cake batter be baked in two 9″ round cake pans.
Hi Elaine, yes that should work just fine!
Espero que cuando la haga, sea tan húmeda que cuando la comí por primera vez, no he encontrado una receta que sea muy húmeda. Gracias
it was very good, bu too sweet for my taste.