This Ultimate Carrot Cake has the perfect amount of spice, is super moist, and has a smooth cream cheese frosting with just the right amount of tang. With chopped walnuts (optional), shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, and shredded coconut (optional), it is the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. It also happens to be extremely easy to make and super versatile.
Although the history of carrot cake isn’t exactly clear, it is believed to have originated from ‘carrot pudding’ made by Europeans in the Middle Ages. Because sweeteners were expensive, carrots were used as a sugar substitute.
Should I shred carrots myself?
Yes! Even though you can purchase carrots already shredded, I strongly suggest shredding your own for the best results. Store bought shredded carrots tend to be dry and do not contain the added moisture it lends doing it yourself. You can either grate the carrots by hand or shred them in a matter of seconds with a food processor using the slicing/shredding blade. I always use my food processor!
Substitutions
This recipe is very versatile. The following are ingredients that can either be substituted or left out completely if desired.
Walnuts
I prefer walnuts in my carrot cake but these can easily be replaced with pecans. In order to finely chop them, I use my food processor. If you use this method, watch carefully as to not reduce them to a paste. Another method is to place the walnuts in a bowl and use a pastry cutter to gently press them into fine pieces. You may also choose to leave them out completely.
Shredded Coconut and Golden Raisins
Both of these ingredients are optional. I prefer to use golden raisins instead of dark raisins due to their lighter, fruitier flavor but dark will work just fine too!
Crushed Pineapple
We use crushed pineapple (with the juice) in this recipe but you could substitute 3/4 cup applesauce if you do not have pineapple on hand.
Can I make this in advance?
Absolutely! Honestly, I prefer this cake the day after it’s made. As the cake rests overnight in the refrigerator (frosted and covered), the flavors have a chance to meld together and moisture is more evenly distributed. This is true for a lot of cakes!
Tips
- Measure correctly – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking. Because baking measurements need to be exact, using a scale helps to measure as precisely as possible. It quite honestly was a complete game changer for me when I first started using one! I would be lost without it now.
- Room temperature is important! When certain ingredients (eggs, cream cheese, butter, etc.) are listed as room temperature, there are scientific reasons behind this. At room temperature, these ingredients blend together better and result in a smoother batter. Ultimately, you will end up with a better final product!
- Level cakes – Whenever baking cakes in round pans, I use these cake strips to achieve a perfectly flat top instead of a domed top. This eliminates the need to trim the cake prior to decorating. They are very easy to use…simply soak them in water when you begin assembling your recipe. By the time you are ready to bake the cake, wring them out and place around cake pans. Perfectly level cakes…huzzah!
- Over-mixing – Take care to not over-mix the cake batter once the eggs have been added. When batter is mixed too much, it results in the gluten being activated. If this occurs, the cake may be dense and chewy.
- Checking too early – Try to not open the oven door too often while baking as this could cause issues with the cake rising. The sudden influx of cool air could actually stop the rising process and cause the cake to collapse.
- Other pans – This recipe can be made in other pans as well. For a 13×9, grease pan with baking spray (with flour) and bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If you are preparing cupcakes, line with paper cups, fill two-thirds full, and bake for 19-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For a bundt cake, grease pan with baking spray (with flour) and begin checking cake around the 50 minute mark. It is a good idea to use longer wooden skewers to test in place of toothpicks.
Decorating the Ultimate Carrot Cake
To decorate this cake, I used a few different colors and piping bags with just the tips cut off to create very small openings for finer precision. To be honest, I did not know exactly how I was going to decorate it when I began. I usually have one idea and then let the design develop as I go. For this specific design, I was inspired by a decoration sitting on my table in the foyer of my house. Below are the general steps I used to create the design.
Frost Cake
Begin by frosting the cake with the white cream cheese frosting. I kept the sides of the cake rustic with just a thin coat.
Add Chopped Walnuts
Carefully add chopped walnuts to the top outer edge and base of the cake.
Carrots
To make the carrots on the top and sides, I used regular orange gel coloring in two batches. One had only one or two drops of orange creating a pastel color. The other I made regular orange. On the sides, the carrots are pastel. For the top, the two carrots on the outside of the bunch have a pastel base. Then, I used regular orange to pipe stripes horizontally. I reversed the pattern for the top middle carrot, doing a regular orange base and pastel stripes.
Carrot Stems
Similar to the carrot bodies, I used two shades of green to create the stems. One batch was pastel green and the other was called green grass. I piped delicate pastel green stems first on the sides and top. Then, I used the green grass color to highlight once the pastel was set.
Garden Cart
The garden cart was an idea that came to me after all my icing colors had been mixed. Therefore, I made do with what I had. For the body, I added blue and black food coloring to my leftover pastel orange. I started drawing with the rectangular portion, adding the wheel and details after. For the body, I used vertical and horizontal stripes to create a wicker type look. The highlighted accent color was created using the leftover regular orange and a tiny bit of the garden cart body color I just made. Then, I just placed dots in the open areas of the cart and along the wheels/handles.
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
- Food Processor – to shred carrots and finely chop walnuts
- Pastry Cutter – to finely chop walnuts by hand
- Hand grater – to shred carrots
- Stand Mixer – to mix batter
- Cake Pans – to bake cake
- Cake Strips – to achieve level cakes
- Cooling Racks – to cool cake and dishwasher friendly!!
- Cake Turntable and Spatulas – excellent for decorating cakes
- Wilton Decorating Kit – piping tips, bags, couplers, and more for decorating cakes
- Master Decorating Kit – ultimate cake decorating tip set
- Cake Scraper Set – use these to scrape icing and create fun, easy designs on your cakes
- Cake Boards – sturdy, cardboard cake boards used to pick up your cake
If you liked this recipe, try our
Ultimate Carrot Cake
This Ultimate Carrot Cake has the perfect amount of spice, is super moist, and has a smooth cream cheese frosting. It is simply the best!
Ingredients
- CAKE:
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (198 g) shredded carrots
- 2 cups (226 g) finely chopped walnuts, divided
- ½ cup (43 g) shredded coconut, optional
- ½ cup (75 g) golden raisins, optional
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 16 oz (2 blocks) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 8 cups (960 g) confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 9” cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line the pans with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper. Alternatively, spray cake pans with Pam Baking Spray (with flour). Soak cake strips in water if using them. If making cupcakes, line cupcake tins with paper liners. (Makes approximately 36 cupcakes depending on size.)
- Step 2 CAKE: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together pineapple, eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla until combined. Add in flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold in carrots, 1 cup (113 g) chopped walnuts, coconut, and raisins with spatula.
- Step 3 BAKE: Wring out cake strips and fit onto cake pans (if applicable). Next, pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes for 9” pans or 19-22 minutes for cupcakes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Then, remove cakes from pans and let cool on cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- Step 4 FROSTING: Beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer until smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Add in confectioners’ sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat on low until sugar is incorporated (about 1 minute) and then increase speed to medium and mix until fully combined. If frosting is too thick, add a little milk until you reach desired consistency. If too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar. You should be able to spread frosting but it should not be runny. This makes enough to cover a three-layer 9-inch cake.
- Step 5 ASSEMBLY: Place first layer of cake on stand or plate. Add an even layer of frosting (not too much), then place second cake layer next, another frosting layer, and final layer of cake. Frost top and sides. Add remaining 1 cup (113 g) of chopped walnuts to the sides or top of cake and pipe any other décor you may like. (If piping, refrigerate frosting for 15-20 minutes so that it will hold its shape. See article above for detailed decorating instructions.)
- Step 6 MAKE AHEAD AND STORAGE: This cake tastes even better the day after if you’d like to prepare it in advance. Cover and refrigerate cake for up to 5 days. To keep cake that has been cut fresh, stick a piece of wax paper on the exposed section prior to covering and storing.
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