Name: Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (281g); 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 4 large eggs; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 3/4 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 lb, 5 to 6 medium carrots); 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional); 1/2 cup raisins or currants (optional); 8 oz full-fat block cream cheese, at room temperature; 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp salt

My box grater has a dent in the handle from the time I dropped it on the tile floor, and it still comes out for every carrot cake I make. My grandmother made this cake every Easter when I was growing up in the Midwest, and I’ve been making it the same way ever since.

This is the one I bake for birthdays, for potlucks, for the neighbor who just had a baby. Two tall layers, a thick swipe of cream cheese frosting between them, and a crumb so moist it’s still good on day four.

The secret isn’t a fancy ingredient. It’s two things: finely grated carrots on the small holes of the grater, not the big ones, and enough oil to keep the whole thing soft at room temperature.

I’ve made it with coarse shreds before, thinking it wouldn’t matter. It matters.

Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 40 minutes · Total: about 2 hours 30 minutes (with cooling) · Serves: 16

What makes carrot cake stay moist?

A great carrot cake stays moist because it uses oil instead of butter. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so the crumb stays tender on day two and day three, where a butter cake would already feel dry.

Finely grated carrots, not coarse shreds, melt into the batter and release their moisture evenly through the crumb as it bakes.

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Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake

The oil-based batter keeps the cake genuinely moist for up to five days in the fridge
One bowl for the batter, no mixer required until the frosting
The spice blend is warm without being sharp, and it plays well with the tangy cream cheese frosting
Unfrosted layers freeze beautifully for up to three months, so you can bake ahead

Ingredients for Carrot Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (281g)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 lb, 5 to 6 medium carrots)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins or currants (optional)
8 oz full-fat block cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

How to Make Carrot Cake

Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, and grease the parchment.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Baking soda in clumps leaves bitter gray spots in the finished cake, so don’t rush this step.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until the mixture looks slightly thickened and pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
Combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Don’t overmix.
Fold in the carrots. Add the finely grated carrots and stir until evenly distributed through the batter. Fold in the nuts and raisins now if you’re using them. The batter will be thick and a little heavy-looking. That’s right.
Divide and bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes. Both King Arthur Baking and Once Upon a Chef land on this same window for two 9-inch rounds. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, and the top springs back when you press it lightly. If your finger leaves a dent, give it five more minutes.
Cool in the pans. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn them out and let them cool completely on the rack before frosting. This takes at least an hour. A warm cake will cause the frosting to slip and pool at the base. Once that happens you cannot recover it, so don’t rush this step.
Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until completely smooth and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time, beating on low after each addition. Add the vanilla and salt, then increase to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and holds a soft peak, about 1 more minute. Any lumps left in the mix before the sugar goes in will stay in the finished frosting, so take the full two minutes here.
Frost the cake. Place one cooled layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread about 3/4 cup of frosting over the top in an even layer. Set the second layer on top and press gently. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides until the cake is fully covered and the frosting looks smooth and thick.
Chill before slicing. Refrigerate the frosted cake for at least 30 minutes before cutting so the frosting sets and the slices come out clean.

Tips

Buy whole carrots and grate them yourself on the small holes of a box grater. Bagged pre-shredded carrots are too dry and cut too thick. Once Upon a Chef calls for finely grated carrots for the same reason: coarse shreds stay crunchy through the whole bake and you’ll feel every one.
Leave the grated carrots as they are and do not drain them. The batter is calibrated around the water they naturally carry, and removing it will leave the finished cake drier than it should be.
A frosting that refuses to firm up usually traces back to the cream cheese aisle. Buy the full-fat brick, because the water content in whipped and reduced-fat tubs thins the whole batch.
If your frosting looks a little loose, chill it for 20 minutes before spreading rather than adding more sugar. Past about 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar, the frosting turns gritty and too sweet to enjoy.
The frosted cake keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. Pull slices out 30 minutes before serving so the spices wake back up and the crumb softens. To bake ahead, wrap the unfrosted layers tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months, then frost after they thaw on the counter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this as a 9×13-inch sheet cake? Yes. Pour all the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, using the same tester and spring-back cues. Frost it right in the pan once it’s completely cool.

Why did my frosting turn out runny? The most common reason is that the cream cheese or butter was too warm when you started. Both should be at room temperature but still cool to the touch, not soft and greasy. If it’s already runny, chill the whole bowl for 20 minutes and beat again.

Can I leave out the nuts and raisins? Absolutely. The cake is written with them as optional for exactly that reason. The batter ratios don’t change either way.

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