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Moist and delicious Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting topped with pecans.

Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A simple and forgiving carrot cake recipe, topped with a tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting that makes it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 2 cups All purpose flour Do not pack the flour.
  • 2 teaspoons Baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Add a pinch of nutmeg if desired.
  • 4 large Eggs
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown sugar For deeper flavor.
  • 1 cup Neutral oil Canola or vegetable oil.
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
  • 3 cups Freshly grated carrots Grate own carrots for best texture.
  • 1 cup Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) Toast for richer flavor.
  • 1 cup Crushed pineapple (well drained, optional)
  • 1/2 cup Raisins (optional)
For the Frosting
  • 8 ounces Cream cheese (softened) Use block style cream cheese.
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter (softened)
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar Adjust for sweetness.
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 pinch Salt

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease your pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  3. In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
  4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined—do not overmix.
  5. Fold in the grated carrots and any optional add-ins like nuts or pineapple.
  6. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Baking
  1. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25-35 minutes for round pans, or until done.
  2. Use the toothpick test—toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.
  3. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Frosting
  1. In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  2. Gradually add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, mixing to desired consistency.
  3. Spread the frosting over the completely cooled cake layers.

Notes

This cake is better the next day. Wrap tightly after baking and frost the next day. Refrigerate frosted cakes but let sit out for 15-20 minutes to soften before serving.