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The Busy Baker

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Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a simple and delicious, homemade carrot cake recipe that anyone can make and everyone will love!  

 

titled image (and shown): Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

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homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting topped with chopped walnuts
When I was a kid you couldn’t pay me to eat carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I know, I must have been crazy…but I remember thinking it was ridiculous to put vegetables in a cake and that it must taste horrible. You might be thinking I was one of those vegetable-hating kids, but that’s not the case. I loved carrots, but I was a purist when it came to food. I’d eat almost any vegetable, but if they were somehow touching on my plate then we had a problem. Carrots in a cake was just too much for me.

I can’t exactly remember the day I got over my irrational food-combination issues, but homemade carrot cake is one of the reasons I’m glad I did. Who would have thought that those sweet little root vegetables could make a cake taste this great??  

 

slice of classic homemade carrot cake on a plate with the rest of the carrot cake on a stand behind it.

Simple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Now because I’m a purist, the ingredients in this recipe for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting are simple and basic. There are no nuts or pineapple in the batter; just carrots, buttermilk, and all kinds of good old fashioned sugar and spice. You are going to love it! Once it’s chilled, the frosting will set enough that you’ll be able to cut into it cleanly with a warm knife. Just take a look at that deliciousness! The texture of the carrot cake is absolutely moist and tender and the cream cheese frosting is perfectly light and fluffy.  

 

slice of 2-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

How to Make the BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Use fresh carrots and grate them yourself. Stay away from pre-grated carrots from the grocery store as they contain a lower level of moisture than freshly grated carrots.
  2. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. Mixing the wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients together and then combining them will give your cake the perfect texture since all the ingredients will be evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  3. Grease your pans well, and line it with parchment paper. Grease your pan generously for easy removal. A circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan will make removing the cake SO easy!
  4. Bake immediately after mixing. The leavening agents are activated as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together so for a fluffy and tender cake, bake it as soon as you can!
  5. Let it cool before slicing or frosting. Cakes continue to bake on the inside after you remove them from the oven, so be sure to let the cake cool in its pan for about 15 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely before frosting or slicing.

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dessert plate holding a slice of homemade carrot cake

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homemade carrot cake topped with nuts
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite cake recipe? I’d love to know!

 

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Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel

homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

2-Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is simple and delicious. This homemade carrot cake recipe that anyone can make and everyone will love!
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, carrot cake, carrots, classic desserts, cream cheese frosting
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 727kcal
Author: Chrissie Baker

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup butter at room temperature
  • 12 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tbsp milk optional, depending on frosting consistency

For garnish:

  • 1/2 cup sweetened toasted coconut
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing them well and lining the bottom with a circular piece of parchment paper. It's also a good idea to grease on top of the parchment paper and flour the cake pans as well.
  • Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a large bowl and whisk them together until combined.
  • Add the shredded carrots to the dry ingredients and whisk them in until they're evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients.
  • To a separate bowl, add the eggs, canola oil and buttermilk and whisk them together well.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine them with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cake layers comes out clean.
  • Remove the cakes from their pans and cool them upside down on cooling racks until they cool completely.

For the frosting:

  • Add the room temperature cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip the cream cheese on medium high speed until it's creamy and smooth.
  • Add the softened butter and the vanilla extract to the cream cheese and continue to whip on medium speed until they're well combined (you might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl at this point).
  • Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on medium-low speed until it's completely blended and thick. If at this point the frosting is too thick to spread, beat in a tablespoon or two of milk to loosen it up a little bit (add the milk a couple teaspoons at a time just to be sure you don't add too much!).
  • Once the frosting has reached the right consistency and the cake has cooled completely, frost the cake with a knife or an offset spatula, making sure there's a generous layer of frosting between the layers before frosting the sides and the top.

Notes

You can frost the cake any way you like, with a rustic swirl pattern or with smooth upward strokes, like I did this time. Once it's frosted, top it with the toasted coconut and chopped walnuts and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two before slicing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 727kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 532mg | Potassium: 314mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 97g | Vitamin A: 4284IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 2mg
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Comments

    • Martha says

      What did I do wrong? My oven has a built temp gauge inside of oven, so I know the temp is right. It took 50 mins. And I’m still not sure its fully baked. I’m making a back up cake now. In your prep time it said bake 30 mins. Are you sure?

      Reply

  5. Lucy says

    I love carrot cake. I usually make one every spring, for my birthday. This recipe is perfect. The coconut and toasted walnuts take it over the top!

    Reply

  7. Kathy says

    Made this was delicious. Used less sugar in frosting then called for and was plenty sweet. Also added walnuts and rum soaked raisins to batter.

    Reply

  8. Mua says

    Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!😊 My dad has been asking me to make a carrot cake for quite some time now. It’s his favourite and the last time I’d baked one for him was almost 10 years ago! Your recipe was perfect and dad loved it as did the rest of my family! So easy to bake and super moist! Absolutely loved it!😊👌

    Reply

  9. Nazley Permall says

    Hello 🙂

    Ive been searching the net over a good couple of months for a great carrot cake recipe, found this a few days ago and decided right away to make it since it didn’t need alot of ingredients and the instructions made it so simple

    My husband, sisters, mom and aunt loves this!!

    I was asked repeatedly if I bought it!

    cant wait to try your other recipes

    Reply

  10. Amanda says

    5 stars
    I chose this recipe for its ingredients and simplicity, as i was looking for something that didn’t overdo things due to it being a 1yr old’s birthday cake, and wanted them to enjoy it as much as the adults.
    It took longer to bake, about double the time, as i recently moved and didn’t have multiple cake tins – a standard expectation. As i was putting it together, i thought it may have been a little oil-heavy, but it ensured that the cake stayed perfectly moist – not overdone at all. I have generally had bad experiences with carrot cakes, and I wanted to thank you on the success of this genuinely delicious classic cake. Even the non-veggie eater, and non-sweet eaters in the family loved it! Not to mention 1yr old had a fantastic time discovering its flavours 🙂
    The only thing i did differently was to replace the sugars in the frosting with a large dose of honey, which turned out lovely, and omited the trimmings (only for choking worries). I love cottage cheese baked in carrot, and the cream cheese frosting was the perfect compliment to such a cake.
    Thank you so much!

    Reply

  11. Em says

    5 stars
    Hello, I have a quick question. I live in Canada, and canadian 1 cup equals to 250g. Is your 1 cup 150g? Or 250g.
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Chrissie says

      1 cup is the American measurement – it doesn’t translate to an exact measurement in grams because it depends on the ingredient (ex: one cup of flour is approximately 120 grams and 1 cup of sugar is approximately 200 grams).

      Reply

  12. Jessica says

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I was a little nervous after adding the carrot to the dry ingredients cause it all clumped together but it turned out delicious in the end! Will def be making this again!

    Reply

    • Chrissie says

      Yes, you can use whole milk, but please add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to substitute for the acid in the buttermilk. Or the cake won’t rise properly 🙂

      Reply

    • Chrissie says

      Yes, you can. I would keep the same bake time but use the toothpick test to ensure the cake is done before removing it from the oven.

      Reply

  15. Caroline says

    5 stars
    This was my first time making a carrot cake and this recipe is amazing! The cake was so delicious. I will definitely be making this again

    Reply

  16. Sara says

    Hi! Made this last week and it was amazing. Want to make it again this weekend but as cupcakes, will it work if I do everything the same but in 24 cupcakes? Maybe lessen the time, 25mins at 350? Thanks!

    Reply

  17. Jennifer says

    5 stars
    This is a hit! I get requests a year after making this cake. I mix walnuts and pecans inside the cake batter and outside. I swear the buttermilk makes a huge difference. When you want a tasty carrot cake this is it!

    Reply

  18. Lindsay says

    I found this recipe in 2018 and have made it for my and my son’s shared birthday every year since. It’s easy and SO delicious that I’m sometimes tempted to make two so that everyone can enjoy more of it.

    Reply

  19. Nicola R says

    Hello Chrissie, this looks amazing and I’d love to try it, but us Brits weigh everything out, so I still don’t really get the cups measurements! How do you measure a cup of butter, soften and squash it into a measuring cup? You normally provide metric measurements as well – is there possibly a version of this with weighed out ingredients? That would be amazing, thank you so much!

    Reply

  20. Marimal B says

    Can you add rum to the cake and I don’t mean rum raisins I’m talking about the cake itself

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      I have never tried it myself so I couldn’t tell you, but if you do try, please let us know! You might have to adjust the baking time. Happy baking ☺️

      Reply

  22. Amber says

    What did I do? My icing isn’t getting thicker? The cake is delicious but the icing is a bit thicker than water

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      Make sure you’re using full fat cream cheese. The light variety contains too much water and using it results in a liquid frosting

      Reply

  23. Julie says

    4 stars
    Tried this recipe and the cake turned out amazing, however the cream cheese frosting turned out quite runny. I followed the recipe so I’m not sure what I did wrong? I didn’t even add the milk that the recipe mentions if the frosting is too thick.

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      Make sure you’re using full fat cream cheese, the light variety tends to contain more water that melts the sugar and gives you a frosting that will never have a stable texture.

      Reply

  24. Katherine says

    5 stars
    This cake is AMAZING – so flavourful, moist and delicious. Ever since discovering this recipe I make it every year for my husbands birthday. I have printed off the recipe and put it in a binder- I will never need another carrot cake recipe, this can’t be beat! Thank you!!

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. And Happy Birthday to your husband!

      Reply

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