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The best Carrot Cake recipe is extra moist from buttermilk and crushed pineapple and has a hefty coating of dreamy cream cheese frosting. This is my birthday cake of choice every single year!
This Carrot Cake is my birthday cake every year.
But I'm pretty spoiled because along with this amazing carrot cake, I also got some German Chocolate Cake on my birthday because it's my twin sister's favorite and our amazing mom would make mini versions of both!
You know I am picky about my cake recipes and not all Carrot Cake recipes are created equal! This recipe has a light and fluffy texture with tons of flavor. You can add nuts and raisins, or NOT, if that's not your thing. But don't skip the buttermilk and crushed pineapple, which make it extra moist.
This recipe makes a three layer cake, but see the recipe notes for making a 9×13 inch carrot cake, carrot cake sheet cake, or a two layer cake.
How to make Carrot Cake:
Make Cake Batter: Combine eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and pineapple in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold carrots, pecans, and raisins until evenly distributed.
Bake: Pour batter into parchment lined cake pans and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25-40 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.
Assemble and Frost: Position a cake round on a serving plate and spoons layer of cream cheese frosting on top. Repeat with other cake layers, spreading frosting on the top and sides, until it's covered. Add some chopped pecans, using the palm of your hand to press them on, if desired. Let this homemade carrot cake chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The whole cake tastes great made a day in advance. The frosting will keep in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.
To Freeze: Wrap cooled cake rounds in plastic wrap then place in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. The frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months as well. Remove frosting from fridge 1-2 hours in advance, to come to room temp. I like to frost the cake rounds while they're frozen.
More Cake Recipes:
- Hummingbird Cake
- Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling
- Yellow Cake
- Hershey's Chocolate Cake
- Biscoff Cake
- Cannoli Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Dark Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Filling
Carrot Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, (300g)
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, (147g), firmly packed
- 1 cup oil, (198g), vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, (114g)
- 4 large eggs, , room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, * (128g)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, (281g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups carrots, , finely grated, about 3-4 large carrots (248g)
- 1 cup chopped pecans, , optional (114g)
- 1 cup golden raisins, , optional (149g)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, (454g), softened
- 3/4 cup butter, (170g), softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar, (480-600g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180°C). Prepare three 8 inch cake pans* by lightly coating with cooking spray then lining with parchment paper.
- Wet ingredients: Beat the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and pineapple together in a large bowl.
- Dry ingredients: In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg.
- Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients then mix until incorporated. Fold in the carrots, pecans and raisins just until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into prepared pans. Bake on center rack until a toothpick inserted into comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until the frosting reaches the consistency you want. Beat for serval minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Assemble: Place the bottom layer on a cardboard round or serving plate. Spoon about ½ cup cream cheese frosting onto bottom cake layer, spreading evenly over the surface and out to the edge of the cake. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Spread frosting around the sides of the cake, adding more as needed, until it's covered. Use the palm of your hand to cup chopped pecans around the edge of the cake, if desired.
- Chill cake for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Base cake recipe originally adapted from The Essential Baker.
I first shared this recipe May 2013. Updated March 2021 and March 2025.
Best recipe! Yummy! Moist and very rich! Served it for Easter dinner. Was a hit!
Can shredded coconut be added to this cake. If so how much.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. It was very clear and easy to follow. The video was the icing on the cake, pun intended. Took 3 tries to perfect it, but it was well worthwhile. The cake was a hit both at home and at work. Now I am everyone’s favourite home baker. Thank you.
We made the carrot cake .
It is very good & moist
We also made the Coconut cake with pineapple filling
This cake was very good. We shared with friends & they loved it
I’ve made this cake twice now. Both times it was superb. I left out the raisins and replaced pecans with walnuts. I found it t be super moist. I also want to thank you for organizing the recipe in a logical way. I love how the list reflects the mixing order. Thank you for a wonderful cake!
I just made this with my daughter and the whole family raved how good the cake tasted. It was super moist, light and tasty.
Honestly, it’s better than the ones I had from so called the best voted carrot cake in NYC.
Thanks for the recipe.
This is the best ever cake recipe.
OMG SUPER DELICIOUS !!!1 I HAD MADE OTHERS CARROT CAKES RECIPES BEFORE BUT, NOT LIKE THIS ONE. THIS THE BEST
Super good! Best carrot cake I’ve ever had. I added 1 1/2 cups of chopped apples because we had a ton we need to use up. So so good. Such a good recipe.
My family went crazy over this carrot cake and so did I. They kept saying with every bite, “wow this is your best ever”. I had to agree!! Wow!!! I am allergic to ginger so I added an 1/8 teaspoon more of cinnamon and nutmeg. Awesome!! I have made a lot of carrot cakes because I was a baker with my own business. My family swore this one was the “very best”. Thank you for sharing.
What a great compliment! Thank you Linda!
My cake was a big hit! I hadn’t baked a carrot cake in years, and got overwhelmed trying to find a good recipe, since there are a billion “best” carrot cakes on the Internet. This recipe made a very moist, flavorful cake. The only thing I would do differently with this recipe is use 3 cake pans instead of 2. Baking took about twice as long as recommended, and then the cakes came out a bit burned on the sides, even though I put foil on top when I realized they still needed more time in the oven after the timer went off. But, then again, there almost wasn’t enough frosting for 2 layers, so I would have had to make more frosting if I had used 3 pans…. Speaking of frosting, I didn’t use all the powdered sugar that was recommended, and the frosting was a bit thin. I should have put it in the fridge before spreading on the cake. In any case ,thank you for making this recipe available, I’ll use it again!
I often wonder WHY people change a recipe – and then comment when it doesn’t turn out right?
I like to follow them perfectly, and they always turn out right!