Active Time
35 minutes
Total Time
2 hours plus cooling
What makes for the best carrot cake recipe may be a hotly contested topic; hopefully, we can all agree that the classic dessert should have moist layers that are warmly (but not overly) spiced. Ideally, those layers should be studded with a few choice ingredients to keep the texture interesting. The one nonnegotiable: carrot cake must be cloaked in a layer of silky cream cheese frosting so thick someone might mistake it for a cheesecake.
To achieve our dream carrot cake, we stripped the dessert of all nonessentials. Crushed pineapple? Gone. Coconut? No more. The two add-ins we left in the mixing bowl were golden raisins and toasted walnuts. Plumped with rum, the raisins add juicy, sweet pops of flavor throughout the layer cake. Anti-raisin? Leave them out if you must. However, we found the walnuts to be a key textural component, offsetting the supremely tender crumb (pecans make a worthy substitute).
We streamlined the spices, too, but turned up the volume on each for maximum impact. Cinnamon and ground ginger take the lead, while a whisper of nutmeg adds a woodsy, floral balance that beautifully complements the earthy-sweet shredded carrots. When selecting your carrots, opt for medium-size ones (larger carrots can be starchy and bland) and shred them on the small holes of a box grater or with the grating disc of a food processor—large shreds of grated carrot may not soften adequately in the time it takes the layers to bake.
Ingredients
12 Servings
Cake
½
3
1
1
1
2½
2
2
½
2
1½
¾
4
1
¾
2
¾
Cream cheese frosting and assembly
12
¾
1
4
Preparation
Cake
Step 1
Place rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat two 9"-diameter round cake pans with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; lightly coat rounds with more nonstick vegetable oil spray. Heat ½ cup (75 g) golden raisins (if using) and 3 Tbsp. dark rum (if using) in a small saucepan over low heat just until warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until liquid is absorbed and raisins are plump, 15–20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, toast 1 cup (113 g) chopped walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes; let cool. Combine 1 lb. carrots, peeled, coarsely grated and 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature, in a medium bowl.
Step 3
Whisk 2½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground ginger, ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 2 tsp. baking powder, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¾ tsp. baking soda in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer (a stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer with beaters will work) on high speed, beat 4 large eggs, room temperature, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (packed; 150 g) dark brown sugar, and 2 tsp. vanilla extract until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually stream in ¾ cup vegetable oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with carrot mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Fold in raisins, if using, and walnuts with a rubber spatula. Scrape cake batter into prepared pans.
Step 4
Bake cakes, rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of cakes and invert onto cooling rack; remove parchment. Let cool completely (about 2 hours).
Cream cheese frosting and assembly
Step 5
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, and ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in 1 tsp. vanilla extract and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in 4 cups (454 g) powdered sugar. Increase speed to high and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Step 6
Place 1 cake layer, domed side down, on a platter. Spread ¾ cup frosting evenly over top. Place remaining cake, domed side down, on top. Spread top and sides of the cake with 1¼ cups frosting and chill 30 minutes to let frosting set. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides, swirling decoratively. Garnish top of the cake with Candied Carrot Coins, if desired.
Editor’s note: This carrot cake recipe was first printed in our May 2016 issue. Head this way for more of our favorite Easter desserts →
Nutrition Per Serving
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Reviews (105)
Back to TopI’ve made this cake several years in a row now for Easter. My family now demands it. I leave out the raisins and the walnuts to suit specific preferences, but otherwise follow exactly. It always comes out perfect. This year I took it to my boyfriend’s family when meeting them for the first time. Once again a hit.
Katherine
Chicago
4/2/2024
This carrot cake is outstanding! I bake a lot, and sometimes recipes can become over complicated. This cake isn’t over the top with ingredients but is super flavorful, very moist, and has just the right amount of raisins and nuts. Great reviews from the crowd I made it for. I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t have any of the issues people had in the comment section. I also totally disagree about it being overly sweet or having too much sugar! The sugar ratio compares very closely to basically any other recipe out there. I baked it in three 8.5in rounds and doubled the frosting recipe (added powdered sugar to taste, probably not the full 4 cups per batch). I could have probably used even more frosting. I’ll definitely be using again in the future. This certainly likens to something made at a local bakery, excellent!
S. fox
CA
2/25/2024
The search for the perfect carrot cake recipe is over!! This is by fare the best carrot cake recipe of the many different recipes that I have tried over the years. The rum-soaked raison and toasted nuts are a nice touch and add depth of flavor. The tender consistency (relatively speaking) and large layers make this 2-layer cake present as well as a 3-layer version. The only thing that I changed was substituting one of the two teaspoons of ginger with one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Anonymous
11/25/2023
I made this for a friend's birthday, and the cake turned out great. A super delicious, classic carrot cake. I'm 50/50 on raisins generally- but even enjoyed them in this cake!
Madeline
Vancouver, BC
11/28/2022
I am so bad at baking, like really bad, but every time I make this cake it turns out amazing. I don't know if it's because of the clear instructions, the ingredients, or consistent luck, but this recipe is fool-proof. Take it from me. It's delicious and my mom asks me to bake it every 2-3 months even though she typically hates baked goods (criminal, I know).
Emma
Los Angeles, CA
6/19/2022
Great recipe. I weighed the carrots and used a scant cup of sugar. The directions about beating the eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and thick then slowly blending in the oil were useful. It gave a light fluffly cake without is seeming greasy. Bake until nicely browned. I separated the batter into a bundt pan and 12 muffin cups and guessed at the timing. muffins took 25-30 minutes. Bundt pan 45 ish. At 25 minutes, the muffins were a bit underdone for muffins but were amazing in flavour and texture for a pudding-type cake. ...Worth trying this recipe again as a two-layer cake.
Beth
Canada
6/16/2022
I loved how this carrot cake turned out! Light but hearty from all the spices and rum, perfectly moist with bites of toasty walnuts. My husband and his family are huge carrot cake fans so I wanted to impress, and this did the trick. I think the complaints of a 'dense, rubbery' cake may come from how the oil is incorporated into the batter. A veeeeeeery slow stream of oil is required to emulsify it correctly, my batter came out light and airy not watery. I also don't agree with the 'too sweet' complaints, the balance of the carrots, walnuts, spices and cream cheese was absolutely perfect. My frosting didn't need 4 cups of powdered sugar, closer to 2, to get that light creamy whip and maybe that helped. Thanks Claire for another amazing recipe! Will be remaking this soon for sure
Kristen
Los Angeles, CA
5/31/2022
Fantastic carrot cake, but I omit the nuts and raisins. I’ve made this about five times and each time it turns out great. The frosting does NOT need 4 cups of sugar though. The great thing about cream cheese frosting is tasting the cream cheese! I use just under 1 cup and think it tastes great that way. I would follow the other comments recommendations to cut the sugars in half. The cake simply doesn’t need it, and I have a pretty big sweet tooth.
MG
Seattle, WA
5/15/2022
This was a Big NO for me but I tried it to please my daughter. Too Sweet. Terrible gloppy frosting added nothing to the flavor but more sweet. I will return to my very popular version of carrot cake with less sugar, cooked and shredded carrots, walnuts and yes, coconut & pineapple with a light lemony cream cheese frosting because it is the most requested cake I have ever made. A labor of love to be sure and worth it.
Living the dream
Idaho
4/22/2022
To Roger Carrot You didn't add the buttermilk? The buttermilk is the only liquid besides the eggs, But yet you said it was a good cake? Step 2 specifically says to combine the buttermilk and carrots together then in step 3 it says to alternate the dry ingredients with the wet, so what "wet" ingredient did you use? Your review is confusing
Beth
San Diego, CA
4/16/2022
Followed the recipe, made a batch of muffins and a cake. But after rising nicely in the oven, they punctured like a balloon, became flat and rubbery. Threw all of it in the bin, which I never do. Sorry.
Anonymous
Sweden
2/25/2022
Light and delicious! I made it in a 9 x 13 pan. But, um, I didn’t add the buttermilk: you forgot to include it in the procedure for mixing the liquid portion. I suspect it would have been a little heavier with the buttermilk. Will try your recipe again!
Roger Carrot
Winnipeg
1/17/2022
The cake was moist and flavorful. The cream cheese frosting didn't work at all. It was much too sweet and too thick to whip properly--it kept getting stuck on and climbing the mixer blades, though I followed the instructions to a T. I'd make this again but use a different frosting recipe.
Tia S.
Washington, DC
11/11/2021
This came turned out absolutely delicious! Loved the addition of nuts into the cake as well as the spices. Like most American desserts I knew I had to cut down the amount of sugar - with that adjustment it was absolutely delicious. I also used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour. Super moist- will definitely make it again. On a side note why do American recipes always have so much sugar?
Anonymous
Portugal
10/1/2021
I have made this carrot cake twice now, both times for my husbands birthday. We love it so much I'll probably never go looking for another! I followed it exactly except for omitting the walnuts with beautiful results.. including the carrot coins :) We love the cream cheese icing but have also made it with buttercream icing which is equally delicious.
ms mary
Tulsa, Oklahoma
4/9/2021