Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
A moist, spiced carrot cake with toasted walnuts and tangy cream cheese frosting, made with oil and freshly grated carrots so it stays soft for days.
19% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 35 min
- Cooking
- 32 min
- Resting
- 2 hr
- Serves
- 12
- Calories
- 780
- Protein
- 8 g
- Per serving
- $1.21
Why this recipe works
Carrot cake is a forgiving first layer cake: the batter is stirred by hand, it's hard to overmix, and the cream cheese frosting hides an uneven layer.
Toast the walnuts first. It takes 8 minutes and makes them taste twice as nutty.
- Oil keeps the crumb moist and tender even when the cake is stored in the fridge, where butter cakes turn firm.
- Freshly grated carrots melt into the batter and release moisture; bagged pre-shredded carrots are drier and stay in tough strands.
- Brown sugar adds moisture and a caramel note that suits the warm spices.
Ingredients
For the cake
For the frosting
You will need
- Two 9-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Box grater
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Stand or hand mixer
- Offset spatula
- Wire rack
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Prepare
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet until fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes, then cool.
Mix the batter
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the sugars, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in the carrots and walnuts.
Bake
Divide the batter between the pans. Bake until the centers spring back when pressed and a toothpick comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool
Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely, about 1½ hours.
Make the frosting
Beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt, beat on low until combined, then on medium until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop there; overbeating thins the frosting.
Frost and chill
Set one layer on a plate, spread with about a third of the frosting, top with the second layer and cover the top and sides with the rest. Chill for 30 minutes so the frosting sets before slicing.
Techniques in this recipe
Crowded: steams and turns grey Spaced out: browns and crisps Don't crowd the pan
Give food space in the pan or on the sheet pan so moisture can escape. Crowded food steams and turns grey; spaced-out food browns and crisps.
Read the full guide
Cook's notes
- Use full-fat brick cream cheese, not the spreadable tub kind, which makes a loose, runny frosting.
- Soften the cream cheese and butter to the same room temperature; if one is colder, the frosting turns lumpy.
- Keep the frosted cake in the fridge for up to 5 days and let slices sit out for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition per serving
780 calories
$1.21 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 4% of calories | 8 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 44% of calories | 87 g |
| Fat | 52% of calories | 46 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | |
| Sodium | 480 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
What is the secret to a moist carrot cake?
Oil instead of butter, freshly grated carrots and brown sugar, and taking it out as soon as a toothpick comes out clean. Overbaking is the main cause of a dry carrot cake.
Do you need to peel carrots for carrot cake?
No. Scrubbing them well is enough; peeling only makes the flecks slightly brighter.
Can I add pineapple or raisins to carrot cake?
Yes. Fold in up to 1 cup of well-drained crushed pineapple or raisins with the carrots. Pineapple adds moisture, so start checking the layers at 30 minutes.
