Topped with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting, this homemade Carrot Cake is wonderfully moist and perfectly spiced. It’s a simple, small carrot cake recipe, an easy spin on a classic dessert that you’re sure to fall in love with!
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
I didn’t grow up on carrot cake, so I’ve had to make up for lost time in my adult years. And I knew what I wanted for this recipe – my goal was to have a moist, warmly spiced cake that was easy to make, yet still special enough for holidays such as Easter.
This small Carrot Cake is a low-key cake, just one layer, baked in an 8″ pan. It features an easy-to-make recipe with carrot cake that’s moist and perfectly spiced, then topped with an irresistible swirly layer of homemade cream cheese frosting. It’s simple, yet elegant – a beautiful way to enjoy this classic dessert.
Why I Love This Recipe
Why do I think this easy carrot cake recipe is The Best? Well, there are a few reasons:
- It uses considerably less oil than most recipes I found. This gives the cake better flavor and texture, without compromising moistness (thanks to the carrots!).
- I think the best carrot cakes include an extra dose of warm spices. Because, after all, carrot cake really is a spice cake. I’ve found that so many recipes skimp on the spice. But not this one!
- This recipe incorporates both white granulated sugar AND brown sugar. I love how brown sugar plays with warm spices. Plus, it adds extra moistness to the cake’s crumb.
- And like I already said: I love its simplicity, with a smaller size and only one layer.
- Lastly, EVERYONE’S favorite reason >>> cream cheese frosting!!
What You’ll Need
This moist carrot cake begins with your standard cake ingredients, plus a few warm spices and, of course, carrots.
For the Carrot Cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger give this carrot cake a perfectly spiced flavor. Since I like a very cinnamon-y spice cake, I use a whole tablespoon of cinnamon – but you can certainly reduce the amount if you like.
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar – I use equal parts brown sugar and granulated sugar in this recipe.
- Pure vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Grated peeled carrots – See tips below.
- Roasted chopped salted pecans – These add texture and flavor to the cake, but omit them if you like.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream cheese – Softened to room temperature.
- Butter – Softened to room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the frosting and also gives a smooth, creamy texture.
- Pure vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon – Sprinkled over the top for a bit of extra spiced flavor, plus a pretty appearance.
The Easiest Way to Shred Carrots
The carrots are obviously the main ingredient in this cake – though primarily for the moisture they add. Had I known as a kid that carrots add terrific moistness and don’t actually make the cake taste like vegetables, I surely would have embraced this dessert at a much earlier age!
For a quick and easy way to shred carrots, I use the large holes on a box grater. It’s best to use larger, thicker carrots than small, skinny ones as they are just easier to handle.
Note that this recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of grated carrots, but you do not need to pack the shreds tightly into the measuring cups.
How to Make Carrot Cake
This spiced carrot cake requires just a few steps – you don’t even need a mixer to make the batter! (Though you will for the frosting!)
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, sugars, and vanilla until combined. Add the eggs.
- Combine dry and wet; add carrots and pecans. Fold in half of the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, then the remaining half until well incorporated. Fold in the carrots and pecans.
- Place in pan. Transfer finished cake batter to the cake pan.
- Bake. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake is springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat again.
- Assemble the cake. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and top with as much frosting as desired, swirling it on top with a spoon. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
- Serve. If not serving immediately, refrigerate and then remove from the fridge 20 minutes prior to serving.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making the best carrot cake possible.
- Use a light-colored pan. I’ve found that a lighter pan results in the best cake. I recommend this light-colored aluminum cake pan.
- Adjust the spices to your liking. As I mentioned, I like an exuberant cinnamon-y flavor to my spiced carrot cake. If you’re not a huge cinnamon fan, you might want to add a little less.
- Don’t over-bake. For moist carrot cake, it’s important to not bake it longer than necessary. The top should spring back easily when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out without crumbs.
Serving Suggestions
Though this spiced carrot cake is pretty simple, it’s absolutely elegant enough for the holidays. We tend to celebrate Easter with a smaller gathering, so this single-layer, easy carrot cake recipe fits our family just perfectly.
I like to place the cake on a pretty platter, swirl on the cream cheese frosting, and then sprinkle it with a bit more cinnamon. So pretty!
I prefer to eat this cake cold, straight from the refrigerator. Because I adore a piece of cake with thick, cold cream cheese frosting!
But if you’d like to take some of the chill off, remove the cake from the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before serving. You want to ensure that the cream cheese frosting doesn’t get warm and droopy – so this isn’t a cake to keep on the dessert table for hours.
How to Store Leftovers
- How to store. Carrot cake without the frosting can be stored at cool room temperature for up to 2 days. Once the cream cheese frosting is added, it must be refrigerated. Frosted carrot cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be sure to keep it covered in a container. Eat the cake cold or let the cake or individual slices sit on the counter for 20 minutes before serving.
- Can I freeze carrot cake? Carrot cake can be frozen with or without the frosting. Use a freezer-safe container for best freezing results.
More Spring Desserts
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (Use less if desired…I like a very cinnamon-y spice cake!)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground dried ginger
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups grated peeled carrots (Do not pack the grated carrots tightly into the measuring cups – to grate, use the large round holes on a box grater.)
- ⅓ cup chopped (about 1/4" in size) roasted salted pecans (I recommend Trader Joe's brand!)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon, for sprinkling over the top
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8" round cake pan – I recommend a light colored pan for best results. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, whisk oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and fold together with a spatula. Add remaining dry ingredients, folding together again until incorporated. Then fold in carrots and pecans.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 42-45 minutes, or until top of cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes. Turn out cake from pan, removing parchment paper. Let cool to room temperature on cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
Assemble
- Place cooled cake on serving platter. Using as much of the frosting as you desire, swirl the frosting onto top of cake with an an offset spatula or spoon. Sprinkle cinnamon lightly over the top, if desired. Serve right away, or cover cake and store in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Do you think an 8” square glass pan would work?
Hello Karen – A square pan has more area, so the cake will not be as tall, if that matters to you. That would mean less baking time, too. I have not used a glass pan when turning out cakes, so I can’t advise on that.
Would the grate attachment on a food processor work as well as hand grating?
It would be nice to have adjustments for high altitude . I made this and the flavor was wonderful, however, it fell in the middle. I am at 5200 feet.
Hi Patricia – I have no way to test for high altitude.
I’m really hoping the tablespoon of cinnamon isn’t a typo. Cake smells really good but came out very dark. Crossing my fingers, although cream cheese frosting does make everything better.
Hello Ellen. Not a typo. I like a spice cake with plenty of cinnamon! Feel free to cut back on that amount if you like. I’m also wondering if you used a light or dark metal pan, as a dark pan can contribute to a darker cake. (I use a light metal pan from Wilton, linked to it in the recipe.)
Thanks for the response Brenda. I used a Wilton pan but I wonder if I just over baked it a bit. I also used Penzey’s cinnamon which could be stronger or darker. We enjoyed the cake and the generous layer of frosting :). Think I just panicked when it was darker than I expected. Thanks for the recipe.
Love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
Can’t wait to try it.
You’ll love the generous amount of cinnamon, too! :)