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.
Recipe notes (65)
Back to topAnonymous
2 years ago
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.
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PUFFYCOCO
10 months ago
This carrot cake is heaven. I made the recipe as instructed but I added 1/2 cup of coconut back in because I love it. I also baked the cake in a 10" springform pan so I could get away with icing only the top. I had to bake it for 1 hr 20 minutes. I will make this carrot cake again and again. Fabulous
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Katherine
a year ago
I’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.
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S. fox
2 years ago
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!
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Madeline
3 years ago
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!
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Emma
4 years ago
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).
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Beth
4 years ago
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.
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