BEST Easy Carrot Cake

Zoha Malik

by Zoha Malik

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Rated 5.00 out of 5

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This is the BEST Carrot Cake you will ever have: ultra soft and moist, loaded with the perfect amount of carrots, nuts and coconut, and covered in the most delectable brown butter cream cheese frosting. And the best part? It is incredibly easy and fuss-free to make.

carrot cake on a cake stand decorated with brown butter cream cheese frosting, little buttercream carrots and chopped walnuts
slice of carrot cake on a small plate with another in the background. the cake has 3 moist, loaded layers and is frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting

Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.

WHY IS THIS THE BEST CARROT CAKE?

There are so many great carrot cake recipes on the internet, so what makes this one special? Here is my case:

  • This carrot cake is proud to be a carrot cake. It is not trying to hide what it is. It is LOADED with carrots, and shows them off. It is made for carrot cake lovers
  • It has lots of other goodness in it. Gone are the days from our childhood when we shied away from nuts or texture in cakes. This carrot cake has walnuts, shredded coconut, and pineapple – all in perfect quantities
  • It is SO incredibly moist and soft. Just because it’s loaded, doesn’t mean we should have to sacrifice on these critical textural requirements
  • It is slathered in a delicious brown butter cream cheese frosting. This cake has the perfect ratio of cake to frosting, and the frosting is not too sweet. Browning the butter gives the frosting a nutty flavor which complements the carrot cake perfectly
  • It is EASY to make! The cake itself is all mixed by hand in a simple dry / wet ingredient method. In fact, the hardest step is probably shredding the carrots, which should tell you something
close up of a carrot cake on a cake stand with a few slices removed. cake has 3 layers of moist, loaded carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting

WHICH SPICES SHOULD YOU ADD TO CARROT CAKE?

There are many different combinations of spices you can add to carrot cake. Ultimately, this totally depends on your own preference and comfort level with spices, but here are the ones I like adding the most:

  • Cinnamon: This is the backbone of carrot cake, providing warmth and sweetness, and not optional (in my opinion). It is also added in the most generous quantity (2 tsp)
  • Nutmeg: Nutmeg adds a nutty, slightly sweet warmth which complements cinnamon very nicely, so I always add a small quantity (a little goes a long way!)
  • Cardamom: Cardamom adds floral, citrusy notes to the cake, and balancing the warmth from cinnamon and nutmeg

Here are other spices you can use in place of, or in addition to, the nutmeg and cardamom:

  • Ginger for a zesty kick to balance the sweetness
  • Cloves for a deep, aromatic quality (it is very potent so use a small quantity)
  • Allspice to complement all other spices with its rich, warm flavor

TIPS TO PERFECT THIS CARROT CAKE

This is quite a simple, straight-forward recipe, but there are some things you should do to make sure you get the most delectable cake possible:

  • Weigh out the ingredients with a scale instead of using measuring cups, especially the flour. It’s common to stuff too much flour into a measuring cup, which will make the cake dry. If you must use a measuring cup, fluff up the flour and transfer it into the cup one spoon at a time, and don’t pack it tightly
  • Use freshly grated carrots. This is the most important ingredient in this cake, and you DO NOT want to use pre-shredded carrots! They are incredibly dry and do not contain the amount of moisture or flavor found in fresh carrots
  • Toast the walnuts. This takes only 7 minutes and can be done while the oven is pre-heating, but makes the biggest difference in flavor
  • Never overmix the cake batter. Always whisk slowly and only until the ingredients are combined and you don’t see lumps of flour remaining
  • Don’t overbake the cakes. Check with a toothpick around the 25 minute mark, you want it to have light, moist crumbs on it (the toothpick should NOT be fully clean)
  • Let the cakes fully cool down before you handle and frost them. They are quite soft and delicate. I like to keep them in the fridge for 1 hour before I work with them
carrot cake on a cake stand with a spatula pulling out a slice. the cake is covered in brown butter cream cheese frosting and decorated with mini frosting carrots and walnuts. The cake looks very moist and loaded
slice of carrot cake on a small plate with a fork taking out a bite. the cake has 3 moist, loaded layers and is frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting

TIPS TO MAKE THE PERFECT BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

A brown butter cream cheese frosting is the perfect frosting for carrot cakes made with brown butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar. It has the fresh tangy flavor from cream cheese, is perfectly sweet, and has a nutty caramel-y flavor from the brown butter.

Here are some tips to get this frosting just right:

  • Use high quality, full fat cream cheese
  • Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature
  • Use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, instead of the balloon whisk attachment, for a smooth texture
  • Keep scraping the bowl
  • Sift in the powdered sugar
  • Do not over-whisk. Mix only until fluffy and creamy
  • Refrigerate until it is the right consistency!

PROCESS WITH PHOTOS

The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let’s go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.

Sift together all the dry ingredients, and whisk them until combined:

flour, sugar and spices in a glass bowl
dry ingredients for carrot cake whisked together in a glass bowl

Separately, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth:

eggs, oil and vanilla in a glass bowl
eggs, oil and vanilla in a glass bowl whisked together until smooth

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and whisk gently until combined:

wet ingredients poured onto dry ingredients in a glass bowl
thick carrot cake batter in a glass bowl with a whisk inside

Add the carrots, pineapple, walnuts and coconut, and gently fold until the batter comes together:

shredded coconut, carrots, pineapple and walnuts added to cake batter in a glass bowl
carrot cake batter in a glass bowl with carrots, walnuts, coconut and pineapple

Divide between 3 8″ cake pans, and bake:

3 cake pans with carrot cake batter in them
3 cake pans with baked carrot cakes inside

Make the brown butter cream cheese frosting, and frost and layer the cakes once cooled down:

carrot cake layer on a cake stand with brown butter cream cheese frosting scooped on top
cream cheese frosting spread on top of a carrot cake layer on a cake stand

Decorate the cake however you like, serve and enjoy!

carrot cake on a cake stand decorated with brown butter cream cheese frosting, little buttercream carrots and chopped walnuts. close up picture from an angle
carrot cake on a cake stand with a spatula pulling out a slice. the cake is covered in brown butter cream cheese frosting and decorated with mini frosting carrots and walnuts. The cake looks very moist and loaded. close up picture from the side

IDEAS TO DECORATE CARROT CAKE

There are many ways to decorate carrot cake, and all are great! The beauty of cream cheese frosting is that it looks good even when it is not fully smoothed out like a buttercream. So you can simply slather it on and be good to go.

But if you want to go that extra step with decoration, here are some ideas in increasing order of difficulty:

  • Add chopped walnuts and carrot swirls, either on the sides or on top. For the carrot swirls, simply use a peeler on carrots and then twirl them
  • Add shredded coconut on top of the frosting to add more coconut flavor
  • Make swirls on the frosting on top of the cake. Heat up a spoon under hot water and press it down onto the frosting while rotating the cake on a turntable
  • Pipe little carrots onto the cake. This is a common decoration technique I have seen many food bloggers use before, such as Cozy Kitchen and Butternut Bakery. Take a few tablespoons of the remaining frosting and mix in orange food color, and another few tablespoons and mix in green food color. I love these gel food colors from Ann Clark. Then use a piping bags with tiny snips in them to pipe on mini carrots
  • Decorate with candied carrot peels. This is the most involved decoration technique as it does take some time and patience. Here is a tutorial

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use pre-shredded carrots in this recipe?

No, I highly recommend using freshly grated carrots in your carrot cake. They make a huge difference.

Can I skip the shredded coconut if I don’t like it?

Yes, you may skip the coconut if you don’t like it, but the texture will not be the exact same.

Can I skip the walnuts if I don’t like nuts?

Yes, you may skip the walnuts if you don’t like them, but the texture will not be the exact same.

Can I skip the crushed pineapple?

The pineapple is important not just for flavor but also because it reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise. If you cannot add pineapple, I recommend adding 2/3 cups of crushed oranges, or 1/3 cup of buttermilk instead.

Can I skip browning the butter for the frosting?

While browning the butter adds a lot of flavor to the frosting, you can definitely skip it to save time and make a plain cream cheese frosting. Just make sure to use room temperature butter instead.

Can I turn this recipe into a sheet cake?

Yes, you can use a 9×13″ pan to make a sheet cake. It will be thicker than the cake layers so increase the baking time accordingly.

How can I scale this recipe to half?

If you want to make a cake which is half the size of this one, you can use half of all quantities and bake in 3 6″ cake pans instead of 8″ cake pans.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare this carrot cake ahead of time. Cover it with cling wrap after frosting (let the frosting firm up in the fridge first) and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

How to store carrot cake?

Keep the cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Print
carrot cake on a cake stand with a spatula pulling out a slice. the cake is covered in brown butter cream cheese frosting and decorated with mini frosting carrots and walnuts. The cake looks very moist and loaded. close up picture from the side

Best Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 stars from 20 reviews

The BEST soft and moist carrot cake loaded with nutty goodness and covered in a delectable brown butter cream cheese frosting

Yield:12-14 servings

Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (290g)
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250g)
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar (133g)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1 1/3 cup vegetable oil (300g)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups freshly grated carrots (360g)
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted for 7 min at 350F (80g)
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (40g)
  • 2/3 cup crushed pineapple from can with juices (180g)

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (226g)
  • 2 8 oz packs cream cheese, room temperature (16 oz or 453g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (360g)

Instructions

Carrot Cake:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional, no fan) and line 3 8″ cake pans with parchment paper and spray
  2. Grate the carrots if you haven’t already. Place the chopped walnuts in the oven for 7 minutes in a baking sheet to toast them if you haven’t already
  3. Add the flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom to a large bowl. Whisk together all the ingredients until combined and no lumps remain
  4. In a separate bowl, add the oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until very smooth
  5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, and use a hand whisk to mix everything together. This will be quite a thick batter, don’t worry and do your best to combine the ingredients without over-mixing until just combined
  6. Remove the whisk from the bowl, and add the carrots, toasted walnuts, shredded coconut and crushed pineapple to the batter. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold until all the ingredients are combined. The moisture from the carrots will make the batter more runny
  7. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 8″ cake pans
  8. Bake for 25-27 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cake comes out with light, moist crumbs (no wet batter). Remove from the oven
  9. Let the cakes cool down in the pans for 15 minutes. Then carefully take them out, wrap them in cling wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

  1. Add the butter to a saucepan and cook and stir over medium-low heat until it melts and turns brown in color. This can take a few minutes. Make sure you don’t burn the butter; stop cooking as soon as you see brown specks on the bottom and a nutty aroma develops
  2. Let the butter cool down until it becomes semi-firm / soft. You can do this at room temperature or in the fridge depending on how much time you have
  3. Add the room temperature cream cheese, cooled down browned butter, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to whisk on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture looks smooth. Scrape the bottom and edges of the bowl
  4. Add the sifted powdered sugar slowly, 1 cup at a time, while whisking on medium speed. Stop whisking once the sugar is dissolved and a fluffy cream cheese frosting is formed
  5. If the frosting is too soft / runny, refrigerate for a few minutes until it reaches a spreadable consistency

Assembly & decoration:

  1. Working one cake layer at time, carefully trim off the dome and slather with a generous amount of the cream cheese frosting until all three layers are stacked on top of each other
  2. Cover the cake with a thin layer of the frosting (crumb coat), spreading it as smoothly as possible. Refrigerate for 15 minutes
  3. Add the remaining frosting and decorate the cake however you like (see ideas in blog post above)
  4. Serve & enjoy!

Video Tutorial

Notes

  • If you prefer more frosting in your carrot cake, multiply all quantities in the frosting with 1.25 or 1.5
  • If short on time or not a fan of brown butter, skip the browning step and use room temperature butter for the frosting instead
  • Keep the cake covered and refrigerated, and eat straight from the fridge

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Comments

  1. Mel

    Hey Zoha! Looking forward to baking this carrot cake. I have nut allergies, any suggestions on substitutes or I can just leave them out?

    1. Zoha Malik

      You can just leave them out, Mel! 🙂

  2. Wassim

    I’ve never left a review for a recipe, but I just had to for this one. Wanted to make my partner’s favorite cake for his birthday, came across yours, and wow, it was a winner. Everyone loved it and has made me want to try out more baking!

    1. Zoha Malik

      AWW thank you Wassim!! Made my day and happy birthday to him!

  3. Carmen

    Hi. I want to make a two layer 6 inch version. Would cutting the recipe in half yield two 6 inch layers?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Carmen! The layers will be very thick if you use 6″ pans. I recommend doing 1/3 of the recipe 🙂

  4. Sumiyah

    Can I make this without frosting , actually I am making this cake for someone who loves carrot cake but not cream cheese frosting

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Sumiyah! Sure thing – why don’t you make it as a sheet cake, in that case?

  5. Mahelaqa Khalid

    Hey Zoha i bake this cake for my birthday and it turns out delicious everyone loved it thanks for delicious recipe
    I just reduce the quantity of sugar in my frosting still it was morish and turn out yummy

    1. Zoha Malik

      Thank you so much for the love, Mahelaqa! Happy belated birthday <3

  6. Sana

    absolutely loved the flavour ,but my cake turned out a little oily and dense ,It also took longer to cook through… pls help me out .. would love to try this recipe again…

    1. Zoha

      Hi Sana! An oily and dense result is usually from too much oil, overmixing the batter after adding flour (which develops gluten and makes it dense/heavy), or an oven running a bit cool. Double check your measurements, mix just until combined once the flour is added, and try an oven thermometer if you have one. Would love for you to give it another go! 🙏

  7. Radia

    Hi Zoha! Do you think I can use two 8 inch cake pans to make this cake instead of three?

    1. Zoha

      Hi Radia! Yes absolutely — your layers will just be a bit thicker, so add 5–8 minutes to the baking time and check with a toothpick. I don’t normally recommend this, though, because thicker layers means uneven baking.

  8. Rachaelle

    The best carrot cake I’ve ever tasted!! I love how moisty and flavourful it is!! It felt like I was a Profi baker 🤭. Thank you Zoha! ❤️ More power to you!

    1. Zoha

      So so happy you tried and liked this! I couldn’t agree more with you 🙂

  9. Ampy

    hi Zoha!

    Any substitute for shredded coconut?

    1. Rukshana Abdeen

      hi zoha , is there a substitute for canned pineapple? how can I use fresh pineapple?

      1. Zoha Malik

        Just chop it up and use it – no issues!

    2. Zoha

      Hi there! Do you just not like coconut?

  10. Fizzer

    I made it without coconut and pineapple and just added a little bit of milk and it came out too yum, moist and tasty. I will be trying out your other recipes as well.

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  12. Isha

    I made this for the second time today as I’m a student and always short on time haha but crave smth sweet to have in the fridge and eat whenever I can. Absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made plenty of carrot cakes all my life but none come close to this. It is sooo perfect and moist and tastes delicious. I made so many ethnic people try it and they all fell in love haha.
    For honesty purposes, want to share that I didn’t bake it as a cake but instead as a loaf. Exact recipe makes two loaves.
    Also – quick q, the last time I made this, it was perfect. But this time, the texture inside the cake isn’t crumbly, instead sort of wet or sticky. What could I have done wrong?

  13. Zeba Shameem

    I made this for my dad’s birthday and people who don’t like carrot cake, came for seconds. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Zoha

      AHh, that makes me soooo happy!

      1. syeda iqra sarwar

        Hi zoha I made this cake and halved the quantities for 1 9 inch pan as it was only available..but I don’t like much frosting on carrot cakes so I cut the quantities by 1/3….the frosting came too sweet for me..as per my opinion it shouldn’t be a mistake but wanna know what went wrong?

  14. Natasha

    Hands down the Best Carrot Cake I’ve ever had! This will be my go to recipe forever. Thank you so much for sharing💗

    1. Zoha

      You made my day, Natasha! Thank you!

  15. Trudie Kibala

    I was craving homemade carrot cake and searched through many recipes. I chose yours because of the use of pineapple and the unique brown butter frosting. This cake did not disappoint! It was a great combination of moist, dense carrot cake with an excellent spice, topped with a creamy, tangy and nutty flavored cream cheese frosting that was DELICIOUS! Thank you for helping me satisfy my craving!

    1. Zoha

      AW THANK YOU TRUDIE! You truly made my day 🙂

  16. Nilani

    omg the best carrot cake, no kidding!! thank you so so much zoha, I have made a few of your recipes and EVERY one of them were amazing. We found your page when we found your new York cheese cake recipe and every time I need to make a dessert or anything I first check your page to see if you’ve got a recipe. That’s how good all your recipes have been for me (and my husband). thank you

    1. Zoha

      Nilani, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much :’)

  17. monica mukhi nair

    hi Zoha out of the 180g of crushed pineapple how much liquid do we use ?
    thanks

  18. Shella

    Best carrot cake I’ve ever had!

  19. Shah

    Looking forward to trying this recipe iA! What is the breakdown between pineapple flesh and juice? One can is approx 440g where I am based so how much of the juice should I add to form 180g?

  20. Asma Amer

    That turned out perfect. But can I use almonds instead of walnuts?

    1. Zoha

      Yes for sure!

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