Incredible Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Simply classic, good old fashioned Carrot Cake, that might just become your absolute favorite. With luscious swoops of super creamy, perfectly sweet, (and stable) Cream Cheese Frosting, this cake is pretty much perfection. Plus…recipe VIDEO included!
I still remember back in the day, when Carrot Cake was still a foreigner in Egypt. A piece of questionable pastry met with hostility at only a handful of the fanciest cafes in Cairo.
This whole “back in the day” drama, was only a mere 15-17 years ago, as far as I remember. But the idea of a sweet cake made with a vegetable, wasn’t well digested by most at the time. To me, however…it was the perfect camouflage!
Disguising dessert in a vegetable, convincing everyone its health food was pure genius! Mwahahahaaaaaaah!
The first time I made Carrot Cake, it tasted so impressive that my mom asked me to make another one for her sisters so they could experience the revelation. My dear aunts, known for their cute sense of humor, hilariously made fun of “the cake made of carrots” like it was rabbit food. But then when they learnt that it was filled and covered with a frosting made of cheese…well…I’ll leave their comic relief segment to your imagination. But something along the lines of “it’s basically a salad” came up. See? The perfect camouflage.
To cut a long story short, my aunts got hooked from the first bite and although were embarrassed to ask for the recipe after what’s been said and done, they still did! Ha!
Wait…it gets better, as far as the rest of the Egyptians are concerned, Carrot Cake is now one of the most beloved, most popular non-Middle Eastern desserts in the country. And they lived happily ever after. The end. Wait…What?!
So what’s the deal with this Carrot Cake? Nothing.
It’s Carrot Cake in its purest form; the way it’s intended to be. No frills, no twists. No pineapple chunks or coconut strands. No caramel oozing out or chocolate injected in. Just straight up moist cake, bursting with flavor, that just happens to be the BEST EVER!
To me…this is everything!
I’ve been successfully making this cake for several years and haven’t looked back to another recipe ever since. Because it’s that good! The cake is incredibly grand and moist without being soggy or dense, with a tender crumb that just melts in the mouth. It’s perfectly spiced, with specs of carrot sprinkles popping throughout. I’ve made it countless times as cupcakes and a few as a sheet cake with beautiful results. You just can’t help but fall in love with this cake.
And that frosting? Knock-your-socks-off amazing! It is the best straight up cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made or tasted, and you’ll most probably think the same too! It’s so creamy, light and fluffy from all the whipping that goes into it. A little sour cream gives shine and an another dimension of tanginess. What makes it extra special though, is its pipeable, spreadable consistency, without being overly sweet. Most cream cheese frostings tend to be on the loose side, which makes it difficult to decorate with and causes cakes layers to slide. This is most often remedied by adding colossal amounts of confectioners’ sugar to stiffen it up. The result: cloyingly sweet, gritty frosting. Blech! Not this one though. The trick to achieve this stable, pipeable quality of the frosting is using COLD cream cheese straight from the fridge and adding it bit by bit towards the end of the mixing. I talk more in depth about this mixing method here, so make sure you check it out.
For now though…let’s make some incredibly good cake.
Did I mention it being easy? No? Well, it is….very much so, especially if you have a food processor with a shredding disk, because grating the carrots is about the most tedious step of the recipe. I like to grate them really really small because it’s a pet peeve of mine to be eating cake and then find myself munching on a piece of carrot. I also found that the smaller I grate them, the moister the cake ends up. This is not based on scientific evidence or anything, it’s just a random observation that came out of my kitchen.
Anywhooooo…you’ll fold in your oodles and oodles of teeny tiny carrot shreds in an easy peasy spiced cake batter.
Like soooo…then you’ll divide the carrot-speckled cake batter in 3 parchment-lined pans and bake them off until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes.
Flip them out on a wire rack, peel the parchment paper rounds and allow them to cool completely before frosting. It’s ok to sniff the air wafting around the cakes though. We’re human.
While these guys are cooling, make that dreamy cream cheese frosting that so magically retains its shape. I previously dedicated a post to a Pipable Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting that is OMG amazing and uses the exact same mixing method as this one right here. You’ll just skip browning the butter, obvi, and add a liiiiittle bit of sour cream. So make sure you check it out here for step-by-step-photos. You’ll still find the detailed instructions in the recipe box below.
Meanwhile, grace your eyes with the sight of these frosting clouds.
Steal a lick or two, then add a cup of that dreamy stuff between each layer of cake. I like to use an ice cream scoop to portion the frosting. That way, I get equal amount of frosting between each layer.
Spread, spread, spread, swoop, swoop, swoop….
Done! Go the classic route and decorate with miniature frosting or fondant carrots, or change it up and label it, like I did this time around.
Cut a huge hunk to share or not. Because its a salad…remember!
Carrots for your eye-sight, vitamins A, K & E, and cheese for your bones, calcium, protein and a bunch of other vitamins. So basically, this cake is just what the doctor ordered.
Incredible Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Simply classic, good old fashioned Carrot Cake, that might just become your absolute favorite. With luscious swoops of super creamy, perfectly sweet, (and stable) Cream Cheese Frosting, this cake is pretty much perfection.
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2oz/ 355g) all-purpose flour (preferably weighed)*
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1lb/ 450g peeled carrots, (about 6 to 7 carrots)*
- 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2oz/ 298g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2oz/ 100g) packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (355ml) vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil like sunflower
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 10 tablespoons (5oz/ 142g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (12oz/ 340g) confectioners' sugar, sift if lumpy
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (1oz/ 28g) sour cream (optional, but adds a tangier taste and creamier texture)
- 1lb/ 450g COLD cream cheese, (brick-style cut into 1-inch pieces or 32 Kiri squares)
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Spray 3 (8 or 9 inch) round pans (**see note below for alternate pan sizes) with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment rounds and spray parchment or lightly grease again with oil then dust with flour, tapping out excess flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cloves (if using); set aside.
- In food processor fitted with the shredding disk or using the small holes of a box grater, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); set aside.
- In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat eggs and both the granulated and brown sugars together on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds.
- Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer.
- With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture by hand until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the carrots.
- Give the batter a final stir to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops
- Bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean or with a few cooked crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking time.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges of the cakes, then flip them out onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment paper, flip the cakes right side up, and let cool completely before frosting, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. (Instructions below).
- To frost and assemble, place one of the cake layers onto the cake platter. Spread 1 cup of the frosting over the cake, right to the edges. Place a second cake layer on top and press lightly to adhere. Spread another 1 cup frosting over the second cake layer. Top with the final cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Frost the top and side of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Serve right away or store until ready to serve under a cake dome or in airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
To make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer) beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and lightened up, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the confectioners sugar, salt and vanilla and beat until lightened in both color and texture and looks fluffier than when it started, 4 to 6 minutes. Beat in the sour cream.
- With the mixer running on medium speed, add one piece of cream cheese at a time, one after the other, mixing well after each addition so there are no lumps. Continue adding the cream cheese until fully incorporated.
- Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the frosting is light, fluffy, whipped-like and until almost no cream cheese lumps remain, 4 to 6 minutes. Use according to recipe above.
Recipe Notes
- Carrot cakes in general tastes better with time, to allow for the components to meld together and flavors interwine. So try to prepare the cake several hours ahead or even a day in advance. If making a day ahead, store in the fridge under a cake dome or in an airtight container, then take it out of the fridge at least 4 hours before serving and allow it to come to room temperature. I like to take it out of the fridge first thing in the morning to give it enough time to reach room temperature.
- Weighing ingredients, especially flour, using a kitchen scale is highly recommended for my recipes and baking in general, as it yield the most consistent and accurate results. However, if you don't have a kitchen scale to weight the flour, use the dip-and-sweep method for this recipe. Dip a measuring cup into a container of flour and then level the flour with a straight edge.
- Since carrots vary greatly in size, it is preferable to weigh them using a kitchen scale instead of relying on the number of carrots. Weight of carrots (1lb/ 450g) is their net weight, after they've been peeled and dark, bitter roots removed, so buy more than 1 pound, as there weight will decrease significantly after peeling. If you don't have a kitchen scale, just make sure you have 3 packed cups of shredded carrots.
- This recipe works perfectly well as a 2-layer 9inch cake, and makes 24 beautiful cupcakes. Baking time will vary, so take that into consideration. You could also bake it in a 13X9inch baking pan, but you'll need to reduce the frosting recipe by half.
- If you like nuts in your cake, stir 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the carrots. Raisins are also a good addition; 1 cup can be added along with the carrots. If you add both nuts and raisins, the cake will need an additional 10 to 12 minutes in the oven.
Carrot Cake adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Cream Cheese frosting slightly adapted with changes from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Measurements Note: All recipes of this site have been developed using weight measurements. Although US volume measurements have been included for your convenience, it is highly encouraged that you weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale to get the best possible results. Due to the sensitive nature of baking, kitchen scales are proven to yield more accurate and consistent results than measuring cups. Enjoy!
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Oh boy, I totally love carrot cake, can i have a slice.. or two? It just looks amazing!
It’s one of my personal cake flavors too. Can’t go wrong with the classics! Thanks Oana:))
I love the back story on this post! It’s amazing to see how food trends catch on. I love carrot cake…all kinds…but with everyone posting their very favorite carrot cake, I realize that I don’t have a favorite recipe yet. I’ve only made it once, a long time ago…that was the single girl food processor that was dyed orange for-ev-er from grating the carrots. I don’t know why I don’t make it more often. Love knowing that this is your favorite. It’s going to have to go on the list to see if it could be mine too!
Hahahaaa you will always be reminded of the one time you made carrot cake every time you look at your food processor:D This one is just so simple and classic yet so special from its perfectly balanced flavor and perfect texture. I highly recommend giving it a try. Easter maybe?
Love carrot cake and your cake looks dense, moist and packed with carroty goodness. An all time favourite classic that just never dates. Very tempting pics!
Oh my it has a colossal amount of carrots which makes this cake oh so moist. You’re right! Something about the classics that just never gets old:)
I read several carrot cake recipes and landed on one to make this weekend, but after seeing your cake on Instagram and reading your post, everything has changed. Very excited to make your recipe and look forward to enjoying every bite … and sneeking a few spoons of frosting. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so happy you settled on this one Meagan! This recipe will not disappoint. It’s seriously amazing! I hope you love it as much as we do:))
Hello. Is it possible to replace the eggs with something ? I am a lacto-vegetarian.. Thank you so much.
Hi Suprajha:) Since I’ve never tried doing that before, I can’t really tell for sure what would work. I’m so sorry:( If you ever experiment with it, I’d love to know the outcome.
Everything you make makes my eyes and tummy so happy! THAT FROSTING! It looks sooooo smooth! I want some 🙁
Summer that means the world coming from an amazingly talented person like you! Thank you so much for passing by & leaving a comment. I wish I could give u some of this frosting right now.
I never liked carrot cakes.. & when I tried this recipe I made it for my family n friends.. But I couldn’t help myself not having a slice as they all went crazy about it!! N now… I just LOvE carrot cakes!! The nutmeg n cloves r perfect with it..
Hahaaa! So glad this changed your mind about carrot cake. That really says something:)
Hi
I just loved the recipe and want to try it for my friends birthday ? but
I am unable to get brick cream cheese.. can I replace it with regular cream cheese?
Thanks
I made this cake yesterday; it was delicious! The cake itself is so moist and packed with flavor! I did only a few modifications: added 1.5 teaspoons of grated ginger and 1/4 of a cup of golden raisins that I soaked in 1/8 of a cup of Grand Marnier. I strongly recommend trying it out 🙂 Amazing recipe, thanks for sharing!
That’s so nice to hear Murielle! So happy you liked it. I loooove your addition of fresh ginger & I could imagine the zing it gave to the cake. I’m sure the raisins were a perfect addition too. Thanks for your recommendations! I’ll be sure to try them the next time I make Carrot Cake.
I made this and everybody loved it… Yaaaay
Thank you cleobuttera 🙂
So happy to hear that Esraa! Bon appetite to you & all those who enjoyed it:)
Hi,I am new here,I liked this recipe soo much ,and I’m going to try it soon,but I have a question,should I soak the raisin or just added as it is ,,thank you and very nice website,,,
Hi Nour! It’s so nice to have you stop by:) Soaking the raisins is a matter of preference. Soaking will make them softer and plumper, while adding them as is will keep them more on the chewy side. Both will work just fine. If you decide to soak them, just make sure to strain them from the liquid before adding them into the batter, as the extra liquid could affect the cake’s texture. I prefer to leave them out all together:))
I prefer my carrot cake without bells or whistles too. Straight up delicious. I’m that way with a lot of my desserts actually, why mess with a good thing?
Using an ice cream scoop for the frosting is genius!! What a simple way to ensure even layers. I’ve never had much luck with cream cheese frosting, it always turns out too soupy. Yours looks absolutely perfect. Will definitely try this recipe!
Oh Thanks Olivia! I’m always happy to find someone on the same page as I am when it comes to carrot cake:)
I’ve had so many bad experiences with cream cheese frostings in the past too. They’d always break & turn out soupy. Disastrous! I’m sure you know the feeling. This one has cracked the code & always turns out beautifully stable to the extent of being pipeable without having to add tons of sugar to give it body. I love it & I hope you will too.
Cleobuttera te felicito por este blog tan elegante y sincero para relatar las cosas que han sucedidoen esta receta.Te deseo muchos exitos. Gracias a Dios que pude llegar a esre maravilloso blog de cocina para encontrar la torta de zanahoria con queso crema frosting, porque estaba buscanco este clasico para cubrir tortas pues tengo un bautizo y la pienso cubrir con tu receta. Mi pregunta es la puedo cuubrir con dos dias de anterioridady al medio ambiente dejarla?Esperando una respuesta, mil gracias Desde Colombia con gran cariño.Mercy
Hi Mercy, thank you so much for the nice things you said about the blog and I’m so happy you’re enjoying it. Ok so I used google translate to understand your question but it wasn’t very accurate. However, what I could make up from it is that you’re askinh if you could make thf cake two days in advance. I really hope I’m correct. If that’s it then yes you definitely could. The great thing about carrot cake in general is that they taste even better the next day. I always make carrot cake a day in advance, store it in an airtight cake container and refregerate it. The next day, I just take it out of the fridge and let come to room temperature before serving. I’ve never actually tried making it 2 days in advance but the leftovers always taste good, so I think it will still be ok.
Hey Tasbih,
I tried your recipe today after looking at those yummy pictures. I decreased the amount of oil and sugar by 50 ml and gr each, respectively because I didn’t want it to turn out too moist and tender. The cakes turned out pretty moist, can’t imagine how they would’ve turned out if I used the full amounts of oil and sugar 🙂 But the main problem is the aftertaste and that a couple of them sunk a tiny bit in the center. I’m getting a really weird aftertaste – not sure if it is bitter or soapy. What do you think could be the source of the problem? As per my readings, it could be too much baking powder or baking soda or it could be because of the canola oil (it seems some people had bad experiences with canola oil, when used in a large quantity in a recipe). I would love to know your opinion on this since I’m sure you have done the recipe several times. Thanks a bunch!
Hey Myriam:)
I’m happy you have this recipe a go! As for the “soapy” aftertaste I would assume that the problem might be from your baking soda, since your cakes sunk too. Are you sure it’s not expired? You could check if it’s still good by stirring some of it in a little bit of vinegar. It should foam & bubble vigorously. If it doesn’t then this would definitely be the problem. The problem is surely not from the amount of baking soda, as I’ve never had this problem. As for the canola oil, I can’t tell for sure because I always use sunflower oil. As far as I know though, is that canola oil is very neutral tasting, but you could experiment with another kind the next you make it.
Also another reason for sunken cakes, is underbaking, so that can be behind it too.
I hope you have better luck next time:)
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thanks for the recipe. Where do I get vanilla extract in cairo ? Thanks
Hey Randa:) I use Parade brand which I usually find at most big supermarkets like Seoudi & Royal House. Petro always always has vanilla extract. As well as Mariam & Kimo Supermarkets in Maadi. In a pinch, the powdered kind is a good substitute.
hello! your cake turned out amazing! as for the frosting I was a little timid of using COLD cream cheese but I decided to stop worrying and trust and try. but unfortunately i was disappointed, the texture was not smooth at all, lumps in the frosting along with weird grainy texture from the room temp butter becoming cold again from the cream cheese. next time I will use your recipe but use room temp cream cheese. I would love to know why you called for cold tho. thank you! wonderful flavor all around.
Hi Michaela!
Thank you for giving this cake a try & I’m happy you liked the “all around” flavor.
I’m so sorry that you had issues with the frosting. You could most certainly use room temperature cream cheese if you prefer. The reason behind using COLD cream cheese though, is that cream cheese frosting has the tendency to separate & become too loose. This is an issue that I’ve experienced myself & have heard so many people complain about. Due to several failed attempts at it, I ran some research & found suggestions to use cold cream cheese by very credible sources. This prevents the frosting from separating & makes it stiff enough to hold its shape, pipe & hold the cake layers well together without sliding around. The key to getting it smooth and creamy is to add the cream cheese very little at a time, beating really well before each addition. You need to make sure that the first addition is well blended before adding the next. About the graininess, I’m not quite sure what happened here but it could be the brand of the cream cheese. I recently read that some brands produces grainy texture in cheesecakes, which is similar in nature to cream cheese frosting. I always stick to either Philadelphia or Kiri.
Better luck next time?
Thank you for such a simple carrot cake recipe! It looks great.
I don’t have easy access to sour cream. I know there’s a lot of substitutes for sour cream in baking, but what should I use as a substitute when making frosting?
Thanks!
Hi SK!
Your most welcome! If you could get your hands on Greek yogurt, then that would be a great replacement. Otherwise, I would just omit it all together. Sour cream just adds a slight tang to the frosting, so it’s not super necessary.
Thanks so much! The fact that you take out time to reply to people’s queries means a lot! Kudos to you and all the best for your young (yet, brilliant) blog.
Btw, I love your blog name…Cleobuttera!
Aaaawwwww…You’re the one I should thank for your lovely comment that made my day 🙂 I’m so glad I could help…that’s really what I’m here for.
Hi. Can I use a loaf pan instead? I don’t plan on frosting it.
Thanks!
Hi Ms. Gigi! Sure that should work well. Just keep in mind that it will probably take longer to bake than the suggested baking time in the recipe.
Hi, I am planning to male this for my boyfriends birthday but since I live in a tropical country I want to know if the frosting will melt off if the cake sits at 32° room temp and not refrigerated?
Hey Nicky! Well happy birthday to your man 🙂
The frosting should be fine as I live in a warm climate too (but not humid) and it holds well. If your country is very humid then it could get soft but definitely not melted. I wouldn’t recommend keeping the cake out of the fridge overnight, as it contains cream cheese, which shouldn’t stay out for long for safety precautions.
Good luck and enjoy!
Hello…Thank you for your reply…I made this cake and the frosting(which held pretty well) last week and it became an all time favourite of the family!!
However I have two questions; Firstly, I felt that the cake had a weird fried-ish taste, did I do something wrong or is it because I used canola oil?
Secondly, can the frosting recipe be adapted into a lemon creamcheese frosting recipe? Do you have any suggestions on how I could manage that?
Hi Nicky! I’m so happy it all worked out in the end 🙂
Concerning the fried taste, my biggest assumption would be the use of canola oil like you suspected. I’ve actually never baked with canola oil, but I’ve read so many things about it giving baked good an off-taste. I always use either sunflower or vegetable oil and never have this problem. Try using one of these next time and hopefully you notice a difference.
Adapting the cream cheese frosting to make a lemon flavored one is an awesome idea! I would suggest adding lemon zest (as much or as little as you prefer, but at least 1 tablespoon) in with the butter as it gets creamed with the sugar. The flavor oils will release from the zest as it gets creamed without having any effect on the consistency of the frosting. Adding lemon juice on the other hand will thin down the frosting and lemon extract just tastes artificial. So lemon zest is the way to go!
Enjoy 🙂
Hi Tasbih,
Thank you for your great recipes.I’m willing to try this amazing cake in a birthday event.
Was wondering, can i cover this cake with fondant? Do you have any idea? Thank you very much
Hi Fatma! I’m glad you like it over here!
Yes! This cake is perfect under fondant. I actually tried it several times and it always holds up really well.
thank you dear, shall I cover it with this frosting then put fondant over? or use buttercream better?
You’re most welcome! Both options will work well. I love how cream cheese frosting goes swimmingly with carrot cake, so this is what I use. This particular cream cheese frosting recipe is very stable so you don’t need to worry about it being soft.
One more question please, what is the brand for this cake pans? looks really nice. Cant find anything but wilton in the market, are these prestige? and from where did you get in Egypt please.
Sorry for so many questions . I really really appreciate your efforts and support 🙂
Hey Fatma!
I love getting questions and comments, so shoot as much as you like!
These particular ones are a brand called Commercial II, but I do have some wilton ones that I love too. I have a Prestige cupcake pan and baking sheet which I absolutely love, so I highly recommend this brand as well. The Commercial II ones were from Canada, as I used to live there, so I just shipped them with me. You could find a nice collection of pans at Carrefour, Tulip and Home something…gosh I forgot the name!
Hiii cleobuttera!
I tried the carrot cake today… It tasted amazingggg.. And the frosting was Devine!
However, I had one problem… That the cake didn’t rise enough… It wasn’t crumbly on the inside, it was too sticky…. What do u think the problem was?
I wanna run a second shot at it… Cuz it tasted amazing, just didn’t have the right texture
Thanx a million!!
Hi Marwa!
I’m so happy you liked it! Hopefully next time you’ll nail the texture too & get it nice & fluffy 🙂
It sounds like it probably got underbaked. Did you test it’s doneness with a tooth pick in the center before taking it out of the oven? To make sure that it’s completely cooked through, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean & the surface (in the center) should spring back when you gently press it down. If u tried all that & it passed the test, then something might’ve went off with measurement. Could it be? Are you sure that everything was measured precisely? Let me know so I could help you better:)
You’re right, this cake IS perfection ! I made it as cupcakes, and they came out veryyyy fluffy. Another recipe of yours to add to my favorites (I tried many of your recipes : your brownies, chocolate chip muffins, cinnamon roll cake, chocolate chip cookies , nutella cookies , and caramel… and everything turned out delicious!). Thank You!
Mariam this is just what I needed to hear to go to bed with a huge smile on my face 🙂 I’m so happy that you’re satisfied with the blog’s recipes. The ones you made are some of my top personal favorites; I guess we have similar taste. I’d just add to that sticky toffee pudding & s’mores cookies; must try! I love making the carrot cake into cupcakes too!
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No doubt it was an incredible carrot cake, made it yesterday, very moist flavorful cake with a light and fluffy frosting … Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that Huma! That’s the best kind of comment. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Have you ever added crushed pineapple? I would love to add some. Any suggestions?
Hey Deanne:) I’ve only tried adding pineapples to hummingbird cake but never this one. I’m really not sure how the added moisture will effect the cake, but I’m worried it will get it too wet. I think you’ll need to compensate for that by maybe reducing some of the carrots, maybe even oil, but I’m not really sure. Will need to experiment to know for sure.
I have made this cake multiple times now, including for some serious Carrot Cake Aficionados, and it always gets rave reviews (including from me!) I even made it once in Cairo where I’m currently living–although people here thought it had “too much frosting”.
Silly people, there’s no such thing! 😉
Lol? No such thing indeed! I could eat it by the spoon.
I’m so happy it got the stamp of approval from carrot cake aficionados. Thanks for your feedback Becky.
Oh my goodness. I made this for my hubby today. He told me it was the best he has ever tasted. He love how light and fluffy the cream cheese frosting was. Thank you so much for sharing. Will be a staple in this house hold.
Susan this is music to my ears! I’m so happy that you guys liked it. Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback ☺️
Made it. everyone loved it and they all wanted the recipe.
That’s the BEST comment to hear Beth! So glad it was a hit. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
I never did find a recipe like this in Indonesia … when I sign pinteres I found this site .. thaks God..saya will practice tomorrow and I will share to all your friends.
thanks
I’m so happy this cake interests you Peninggi:) I can’t wait for you to try it!
Hi Cleo, can I use cake flour instead as we do not get all purpose flour where I live. What would be the precise measurement?
Hi Taz! Do you have the coolest name or what? Taz is actually one of my nicknames lol?
So about the flour, all purpose flour is just plain regular flour, which if I’m not wrong, should be available everywhere. I’m just concerned that cake flour might be too delicate for this type of cake. There’s a ton of carrots in the cake which requires a flour with a strong structure to be able to stand up to all the weight. Please let me know if you still can’t find plain flour and we’ll try to figure this out together.
Hi, I’m from South Africa. We only get Cake flour and Bread flour in stores and no All Purpose flour whatsoever. Is there something we can replace it with? Ive seen a lot of recipes call for All Purpose Flour but Ive always just used Cake flour,I only recently discovered its not the same thing. Thank you.
What a great Blog you have.
Hello Charmaine! Thank you sweetie for your compliment☺️
How about plain flour? Do you have that? I heard that in the UK all purpose flour is called plain flour, so it might be the same in South Africa. Cake flour just has lower protein than all purpose flour, which reduces gluten development and thus produces a finer, more tender crumb. In most cake applications, it’s an awesome choice. But some cakes just need that extra structure of all purpose flour like this one. Carrot cake batter is heavy on the shredded carrots which requires a stronger flour to hold up to all that extra weight. I guess that if you’ve been using cake flour all along with success that it might just have higher protein than typical cake flour and would therefore work in all applications. In Egypt, it’s the opposite. We only have all purpose flour. To make my own cake flour, I add cornstarch to it to lighten it up.
On a separate note, South Africa is on my top list of countries to travel to. I’m DYING to visit!
Thank you Tasbih for the speedy, helpful and friendly reply. Went shopping again to make sure about the different flours we have. The only all purpose or plain flours we have are gluten free.
In the meantime my oven also decided to break. But I will most definitely try the recipe with cake flour and I will let you know how it turned out, once my oven is fixed. You must visit South Africa. The cultures are so vast and different so is the food. Cape Town in my opinion is one off the most beautiful places in the world although I don’t live there. Thank you once again for the great advice and off course your blog.
Oh no! Good luck with getting that oven fixed. I would curl up in fetal position if something ever happened to my oven; I love it too much.
WOW! You made me want to visit even more. My family and friends who were lucky enough to visit Cape Town had the same thing to say about it too, and that it’s beautiful beyond your imagination!
Just for anyone who’s wondering, cake flour works beautifully with this cake. I made it and it came perfect
I made this with carrots from our garden for our weekly Sunday family dinner. So delicious and the three layers made it a feast for the eyes! So happy to find this recipe. It will definitely be a family favorite!
I’m so excited to hear that it was a hit Katie! I’m sure it was made even more special with your homegrown carrots. Thank you so much for trying the recipe & taking the time to leave a comment?
I am so excited to try this recipe. Making it this weekend. My family does not like nuts, so perfect recipe to make. Will let you know how everyone likes it.
Awesome Jamie! My family is so picky about what nuts are allowed to go in what type of desserts so I feel you. Can’t wait for your feedback ?
Hello Cleo,
I can’t wait to try my hand at this recipe, it looks simply amazing! I recently baked the Unbelievable Chocolate Chip Muffins and boy did they turn out unbelievable indeed! So I have zero doubts this carrot cake will turn out just as great.
I only have one question – if I am planning to bake the cake in one 7-8″ pan instead of baking separately in three pans, will that work? How long do I have to increase baking time? If not, my oven is only big enough for two pans at one go, will it be okay to let the batter sit in the other pan while the first two bake?
Can’t wait to hear from you, thank you so much in advance!
Hello JC!
I’m so happy to hear that you loved the chocolate chip muffins ?? I think this cake won’t disappoint as well; it’s a readers’ favorite!
As for the pan size, I’m afraid the pan will be too small to fit all that batter. You could use a 9X13″ rectangular baking pan instead and bake it as a sheet cake.
If you still want to go the 3 layer cake route, then yes you could totally bake the first 2 pans & set aside the 3rd one to bake after. My oven only fits 2 pans at a time too, so that’s what I do and it works just fine ?
Well the cake turned out awesome. My family loved it. They said it was the best carrot cake they ever had. Thank you for making our family dessert such a huge hit.
Jamie I couldn’t be happier to hear that! I’m so glad it was a hit with everyone. They are lucky to have someone like you to make them such a delicious cake ?
Made this tonight because I was craving carrot cake for the last two weeks. I didn’t have the forethought to remove the cream cheese from the freezer so I ate it plain and still loved it. Next time I will try making it with the icing. I used 1 tbsp cinnamon + the other spices. I think next time I will add more cloves because I like those. Also I did my cake in 2 8 or 9 inch pans, sorry don’t know exact size of them but it took them 45 minutes to bake. Thanks for sharing, I’ve added it to my recipe list.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sarah! I sometimes just love a plain slice of cake without the distraction of the frosting too. So simple and nice. You definitely can’t go wrong with extra spices; go for it ??
I have the Philadelphia cream cheese that comes in the tub; it’s not a solid brick. I also have Kiri cubes. So I should use Kiri, right?
Hi Mariam:) The ones that come in the tub don’t whip really well. I guess they manufacture them more watery than the brick style to make them spreadable. Kiri is excellent for this frosting ??
How are your cakes nice and flat on top? Do you level them?
Hi Mariam 🙂 I do level them if they have a large dome, but if they bake flat, then I leave them as is.
Thank you for this amazing recipe!!! I was scared of making the cream cheese frosting since I have tried many others and failed, just because I live in a very warm climate! I decided to give it a go since you said you live in Egipt and told myself: hey Egipt is hot, this must work! And it did! It worked beautifully, really fluffy and stable and with just the right amount of sweet!!! Once again, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was a complete success!!!! Now I have to go to eat my salad, lol!!!
True that Rodrigo! If it could withstand the heat of Egypt then it could withstand anywhere ? I’m so happy you decided to give this a try and I’m even more glad that you liked it. Thank you so much for your feedback. And yup! Salad time is…It’s all about the balance ?
Hi Tasbih,
I am so impressed by your blog that I’ve introduced you to friends and family alike. I simply love your recipes!
I’m planning to bake this carrot cake but since my husband doesn’t take butter and cream cheese, I will forego the frosting and bake everything in one pan.
What size pan should I use and how long is the baking time?
Regards and thanks,
Grace
Aaawwww thank you so much Grace. How nice of you to recommend my site❤️
This cake is just as good without the frosting! My father-in-law is lactose intolerate, so I always make it for him plain. He loves it!
Grace I wonder if you have a kitchen scale? If yes, please use it for this recipe to ensure perfect results. It’s adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, who tend to overmeasure flour, so a scale will be a sure fire way to ensure that you don’t under measure anything.
You can bake it in a 13X9 inch baking pan for 35 to 40 minutes. If you’d like to halve this recipe, something I do often, then use an 8X8inch pan.
Hi Tasbih,
My carrot cake came out lovely! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Can I add some raisins and pecans into the recipe? Will it still turn out as good?
Thanks!!!
Regards,
Grace
That’s great news Grace! So happy it was a success!
You can most definitely add nuts & raisins. You’ll find more details on that & amount suggestions in the ‘Notes’ section of the recipe ?
I almost never succeed in baking, but some how this recipe worked for me. we loved it !! Thanks a dozen, you are very talented msA. Not only the recipes, I also love the branding and photography.
Hahahaaaa so happy to hear that you finally found success ? I just made this recipe yesterday too, but in cupcake form!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback and for your kind words.
Hi, quick question I accidentally put a half teaspoon more salt in the batter, should I throw it out and make a new one or should I simply add a teaspoon more sugar to balance it out?
Whoops! How about tasting the batter first and see if you can detect it? Sometimes cake batters are capable of handling extra salt without actually tasting salty, so let’s hope that this is one of them. I really don’t want you to throw away the batter and yet I don’t think an extra teaspoon of salt is enough to offset the saltiness. You could definitely give it a try though.
thankfully I couldn’t detect it and it baked wonderfully.
My first time making carrot cake was a huge success! Everyone loved it and had seconds haha ?
Yaaaaay! So happy it worked out in the end and nothing went to waste. Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I have this cake in the fridge right now, because we don’t have our a/c on, and it’s a little hot. The cake and frosting turned out beautifully. It’s the best looking cake I’ve ever made. Now to find out how it tastes 🙂 After supper.
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that it turned out a looker! Let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks??
I used this recipe last summer when I was pregnant and CRAVING cake. Tonight I’m making it for a friend’s birthday. Thanks for the great recipe!
Tell me about pregnant cravings…they’re unstoppable? Happy birthday to you friend! I hope the cake turns out amazing and everyone loves it! Enjoy:)
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I am in love with how moist this cake is! It makes my kid’s tummy happy as well as the hubby’s and mine. I had to grate the carrots by hand but hey, no one ever said baking with love was easy peasy. Thanks so much for this recipe! It sure is a keeper 🙂
It make me so happy to hear that Roxie! So you glad it made a lot of tummies happy?
simple but luxurious… Very LOVE it 🙂
Hello Tasbih,
I just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe. I made it for my best friend’s birthday today and it was a huge success. People thought it was store bought. It is simple and beautiful and just divine. And the cream cheese frosting is the best I ever made. And I tried a few. I added a cup of chopped walnuts to it and it was just bursting with flavors.
Thank you again 🙂
That’s so wonderful to hear Nour! So happy it was such a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to write your feedback?
Hi Tasbih,
I wanted to ask you. If I wanted to make this recipe into cupcakes, what’s the ration for the batter and icing? Thank you!
Hi Nour? This recipe makes 24 cupcakes and the frosting is more than enough to generously frost each one. I’d say a ratio of about 2:1 cake to frosting.
Hello Tasbih…..
I remember growing up with carrot cake as a normal part of a winter afternoon…….now I live in Egypt and the reaction I got from my mother in law when I offered her a piece of carrot cake was very similar to those of your aunts……thanks God I did not frosted the cake with CHESSE! The look in her face was enough for me to keep my humble frostless carrot cake to myself.
Anyway, I will give your recipe a try, looks delicious.
Congratulations on your beautiful website. I actually “arrived on it” when I was looking for a recipe for Om Ali.
I love the way you introduce the recipe, always with a pinch of humor. The pictures are great! It’s funny we saw on the ice cream scoop!
Keep up the good work!
Katy
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too sweetie ?
That’s so funny? Next time…just go ahead with the cream cheese frosting…no one needs to know that there’s cheese inside? I can assure you that Egyptians love cream cheese frosting more than any other type of frosting, because it’s not as sweet & that tang.
Thank you so much for all your sweet things compliments. They really mean so much to me. I’m so happy you’re enjoying it around here & I hope you give this recipe a try & love it as much as we do!
I have made this cake so many times it’s a big hit with my family and friends. I tried making the batter in cupcake pans but they didn’t really rise. Any advice?
Hi Tiffany! I’m so happy that you’re loving this cake so much. I’m surprised though that the cupcake version didn’t rise, because it shouldn’t make a difference between cake & cupcake. Are you sure you didn’t forget to add both the baking powder & baking soda? Are they still good; not expired?
Maybe the baking powder is expired, I just got a new one. I’ll try the recipe and see.
Yum, Yum, Yum!! OMG, I just made this recipe as cupcakes and they are amazing!!! So delicious, no need to ever find another carrot cake recipe. Your directions are perfect and easy to follow too. Thank you so much for sharing. It’s pinned to my recipe board and I will definitely be making it again. Bravissima! Grazie mille!
Thank you Sara for this wonderful comment! So happy you enjoyed this recipe ?
I never did find a recipe like this in Indonesia … when I sign pinteres I found this site .. thaks God..saya will practice tomorrow and I will share to all your friends
Enjoy ?
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Wow, this cake sounds AMAZING! I’m in the UK and a keen baker of cakes. Can you tell me what the measurements are in either oz or lbs please. Also this would be great for my friends birthday party, how would I increase the quantities to make a 2 or 3 layer 10′ cake? Any advice is very much appreciated! X
Hi Karen!
I’ve just updated the recipe with both ounce and gram measurements. I hope this helps!
The recipe as is will work perfectly well to make a 2 layer 10″ cake. If you would like to make 3 layers instead of 2, then I’d suggest making 1 1/2X the recipe.
Happy birthday to your friend! I hope the cake becomes the hit of the party ?
Hi Tasbih, Thank you so much for the reply. I can’t tell you how excited I am to give this a go. Just to make sure, as my maths is AWFUL!!! I should use 887.5g all purpose flour, approximately 3tsp baking powder, 10 eggs… I won’t go through the whole lot, just want to make sure I am on the right lines because I really want to try the 3 layer cake! Also to check, all-purpose flour is Plain flour? I am guessing i’m right on that considering you are adding bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and baking powder.
Best wishes x
Hey Karen! Glad I was able to help. Ok so you multiply everything by 1.5. Seems like you’ve multiplied everything by 2.5 which will make way more batter than you need. That means you’ll use 533g of flour, 6 eggs, scant 2tsp baking powder, 1.5tsp baking soda, etc.
Yep! All purpose flour is just regular good ol’ flour ?
OMG, you are my cake baking fairy godmother! Thank you so very much. Just one more thing! How long to bake for, do you think checking at the 50-60 minute mark?
My oven thermometer should arrive today so I can check that what my oven dial says is actually what the oven temperature is!
Best wishes
Karenx
Cake baking fairy godmother lol ? I LOVE that! Would’ve been a cool name for the blog.
I think you should start checking around 20-25 minutes as stated in the recipe. Better check early than late…there’s nothing worse than an overbaked cake. Well there is ofcourse…but you know what I mean ?
Hi, I would love to try your recipe but I have one problem. Whenever I try to make cream cheese frosting it always turns into a soupy substance. In Holland we don’t have brick style cream cheese in local supermarkets , it’s only available in containers. I think these are a little bit watery then those in brick style, could that be the problem? If so how can I resolve this problem?
I would be very happy if you could help me solving my cream cheese frosting problem
Hi Peri! In Egypt were I live, it’s really hard to find brick-style cream cheese too, so I use Kiri squares. It’s a French brand of individually wrapped 14 gram squares of cream cheese and it works beautifully here. Do you have Kiri or something similar in Holland?
Hi Tasbih, thank you for the reply. I looked up Kiri and its only available online but we do have monchou here also wrapped in little portions I wil try those next time, hope it will work better. Thanks again!
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Yeeeeeyy! Finally I managed to make the cream cheese frosting, thanks for your help Tasbih
It looks absolutely amazing Peri!
Hi
I just loved the recipe and want to try it for my friends birthday ? but
I am unable to get brick cream cheese.. can I replace it with regular cream cheese?
Thanks
Just wondering if this cake is dense enough for a fondant wedding cake?
Hi Nikki! While I wouldn’t classify it as a dense cake, I’d say it’s sturdy enough to handle the weight of fondant & possible tiering. It’s not as dense as a pound cake, yet not as fluffy as a cake mix…something in between. I covered it with fondant in the past, so I’m pretty confident that it work perfectly well for a fondant cake.
Best of luck ?
Ik made this cake for my birthday in april, and a friends loved it so much that I’m making this forum her weddibg cake now in 3 tiers (8 inch, 11 inch and 14 inch).
I’m going to test thé baking time for the largest layer this week.. so excited!
Whooooaaaaa! That’s gonna be one HUGE carrot cake! Best of luck dear Helena. I’m sure it’s gonna turn out so majestic & beautiful. Would love to know how supersizing it turns out ?
I’ll send you are picture of the end result ?
Yes please! Would LOVE that!
I made it and it got rave reviews!! Everybody loved it! I used your hashtag for the instagram pic of the end result 🙂
For the bigger layers I just reduced the baking temperature and extended the baking time.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
That’s so amazing to hear! I’m going to try and find you on Instagram. So excited to see it!
WOW!!! its looks delicious, I want to try to make it
I hope it turns out every bit as delicious as you’d hope for when you do!
Hi Tasbih, I made this as cupcakes and they turned out perfect! You were right about the cream cheese frosting, finger licking good? I also had the issue of slight eggy oily smell when I had baked them (I had used vegetable oil) but it went away the next day and was perfect with the icing. Oh, And I had some frosting leftover, are there seperate measurements if we are making this as cupcakes?
I’ve tried your baklava ice cream sundae, chocolate chip muffins and marble cake, and they were perfect too! My next recipe to try is Zaatar rolls and I’m pretty sure they will turn out amazing too ?
Hi Swati! So nice to hear that the cupcakes turned out so well for you ?
Carrot cakes almost always taste better the next day when all the flavors have had a chance to meld & develop. Try to make it a day ahead to avoid any risks of having an eggy taste or you could increase the spices & vanilla. They do a great job at covering any egginess.
As for the frosting amount…it’s usually barely enough for us, but we’re frosting hoarders lol! Please feel free to make only 3/4 or 1/2 of the recipe, as you see fit.
Enjoy ?
love love love the way you write!!The pictures looks so yummy that you don’t have to bake and eat it, to drool!!:-))
Thank you so much! I’m happy you like it here at my little place on the internet 🙂
I finally found the perfect carrot cake for this Easter. I’ve been searching everywhere on the internet and stopped here when finding your cake and truly believe this is the one I am after. Most have so many additions to the carrot cake..I just want a plain carrot cake, one that tastes like a carrot cake and not pineapple or raisins. No offense..it’s just that I want the familiar cake of when I was a little girl. Your frosting in one I know I’ll want to put my entire face in the bowl and lick away till I am sick. HA HA HA! Looking forward to making this to WOW my family. I’ll let you know how it turns out…I now they’ll love it.
I’m just like you…a plain carrot cake person with no bells or whisks all the way! I believe that simple is best here and I’m glad you agree! I hope you love how it turns out as much as we do. I’m also currently working on finishing up a video recipe for this cake to add to the post before Easter. I’m hoping for it to be up by tomorrow!
YAY! I can’t wait to view the video. I will be making cake Saturday, the 31st, for Easter. Video will be helpful….. especially for the frosting. Thank you so much!
Video is now live Lynn! Hope it’s helpful. Wishing you a wonderful Easter ?
YAY! I found it and watched it several times now..great information. Thank you, for it helps to see how you add ingredients, especially the cut up cream cheese when adding it to frosting cut in cubes. I cannot wait to make and serve this Easter, it is going to be an amazing cake for my family to enjoy. Happy Easter to you and family!
Made this cake for Easter and it was a success! Mine came out quite dense, but we love a dense cake so it was perfection for us. I love all the spice flavors in this cake..and the frosting, fabulous! thank you for recipe..it’ll be one that I make often.
Absolutely LOVE hearing that Lynn! So glad it was such a hit for you guys on Easter. I hope you had a wonderful one ?
Hi 🙂 a question does this frosting crust after it sets?
Not one bit. It’s super duper creamy & luscious & not cloyingly sweet like most frostings. I hate frosting that crusts, so rest assure that you’ll never see it on my blog.
How should I adjust bake time for cupcakes? Thank you! Excited to try this recipe for Easter!
Happy Easter Amanda!
Divide the batter into 24 cupcake liners & bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Enjoy ?
Made this carrot cake for Easter.
That’s awesome! I hope you loved it Gloria ?
Hey Tasbih!… Guess what…I tried your Incredible Carrot Cake recipe and it is indeed Incredible!..I have tried so many different recipes of this cake and it never tasted sooo goood and this recipe is truly a game changer, I must say!
Its 2 am in the morning in my country whilst others are sleeping , I am frosting this cake with mascorpone cheese whipped with cream cheese and confectioner sugar adding a pinch of cinnamon. It complements very well with the cake.
Thank you so much for sharing your Incredible creation and keep them coming !. JazakAllah khair 🙂
That’s so amazing to hear Maimuna! The addition of mascarpone & cinnamon to the frosting sound heavenly. Enjoy sweetie ?
I made this cake for Easter Sunday and it was perfection! The frosting was exceptionally delicious and the cake was light and moist. I think my search for the best carrot cake on Pinterest has ended with this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing it xx
Just as an aside I used canola oil in the cake I baked and there was zero aftertaste or any other issue. I’d use canola oil again and am confident it works superbly in this recipe xx
Yay Kristen! I’m so happy you finally found your go-to carrot cake! I hope you had a wonderful Easter. It’s so reassuring to hear that canola oil worked really well…thanks for sharing. I’m sure a lot of people will find this very helpful.
You’re right. It was the best carrot cake I have ever had. I made only 2 layers and I shaved the carrots. I’m saving this recipe!
This is music to my ears Ann. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this sweet comment ?
Hi Tasbih,
I’m planning to try this recipe out this weekend and I’d like to try baking the cake in a 13×9 inch pan. How long would I bake it for?
Hi Madhu. It should take 35-40 minutes to bake. Enjoy ?
Hi Tasbih,
Last minute change of mind and made cupcakes instead so I could share with my good friends. Absolutely gorgeous recipe and the frosting is brilliant! So reluctant to give any away now! I love your marble cake recipe and your chocolate chip muffins too. Slowly making my way through your recipes as you can see ? I’m so glad I found you! Thank you ❤️
Great to hear that you loved the recipe Madhu. Good call on the cupcakes; I absolutely love them this way too. It’s really an honor to have you bake along with me through the blog. Enjoy dear ?
Okay, so after that amazing Mozzarella Kunafa from your blog, I am going to try this carrot cake. I too love a no frills carrot cake and my sister is requesting for one.
I only want to make 1 layer though (1 know, 1 know, I mean I could eat all three layers by myself, but what to do!) … so can I just divide all the measurements by 3? Would that work or would it make it too restrictive?
Thank you so much! I love your blog and I cannot wait to try out more.
Hello dear! I’m really happy that you’re enjoying the recipes over here! You could make 1/2 the recipe in 1 (9inch) round or square pan. I half the recipe all the time with great results so no worries love.
Thank you! I will def do that and report back my findings.
I have a feeling you’ll make me into a better baker =P
Hello Tasbih
How r u?
I wanna ask
If im making this recipe as cupcakes
I follow it exactly correct?
And the frosting for the cupcakes u suggest i put it on top of each one ?
Hi Walaa! I’m great…thanks for asking 🙂 Yes for cupcakes, you do everything the same, except for baking time. They will take much less time to bake as cupcakes; start checking after 18-20 minutes. The frosting makes enough to top each & every cupcake. Hope you love them ?
One more q
Have u tried using a cup of carrot juice in the cane? Do u advise this ?
I’ve heard about this trick, but haven’t actually tried it. I don’t recommend it for this recipe because the batter has just the right amount of moisture in it. If you add juice to it, it will throw out the proportions of the recipe & the cake will turn out soggy & dense.
I uses a recipe and a half for my 10 inch pans. It was amazing. I alwYs make cream cheese icing but your suggestion to use cold cream cheese and add sour cream was amazing..
That’s some amazing feedback Ginny! So glad you’re happy with how this cake and frosting turned out 🙂
a big fan of your recipes and writing.Possible to use just one type of sugar.We have moved countries and havent seen a variety of sugars here.
Thank you Seetha! Brown sugar adds lovely notes of caramel to the cake. If you can’t find brown sugar, I’d suggest you make your own by mixing 2 tablespoons of molasses for every 1 cup of white sugar in the food processor. This will give you the same great taste of store-bought brown sugar. Enjoy 🙂
Hi! My name is Reem and I’m from Pakistan. I’m fourteen and I’ve been following your food blog for a while now and needless to say I AM HOOKED!! Seriously though I love your recipes and I love the fact that I can count on them to be good cuz NONE of your recipes have ever disappointed ❤️. I love baking and I’ve been doing it since I was like seven years old(I’ve been helping my mom in the kitchen even before that). It just makes me happy and so I remember I was never able to make bread properly but then by the GRACE OF GOD I found your blog and I tried your recipe for dinner rolls to make bread and IT WORKED!!! (I considered sending you fan mail and a gift.. ???..) And since then.. Well.. I might just be in love with you. And now I sound creepy don’t I? I’m sorry I get really awkward sometimes?(and then I use emojis to hide my shyness..). But I’ve gotten carried away. See tomorrow is my dad’s birthday and I asked(begged) to make his cake but I only have 200g of cream cheese so if I make only half the frosting and just frost the layers and the top of the cake do you think it could work? Cream cheese isn’t that easily available here and the cake pressure is already REALLY high. I’m sorry for any grammatical errors, they really annoy me but it’s midnight and I can’t muster the strength to reread this. I’m probably goona regret this tomorrow and be embarrassed as hell.. Oh well. Keep doing what you’re doing because you’re making so many people happier because of it!! You’re amazing. You’re fantastic. I love you. ❤️???❤️❤️
Oh no Reem! I can’t believe I let you down by not replying to your comment early enough, when you needed me the most. So sorry dear, I was actually really sick the day you wrote the comment and got hospitalized. I hope you understand that it wasn’t in my hands to reply before today. Thankfully I’m out of the hospital and I’m currently in recovery.
First let me begin by thanking you for your unbelievably sweet message. I found it so loving and adorable and not one bit creepy ? I’m really happy that you’re enjoying the recipes from my blog. I’m also so proud of you for mastering challenging recipes at this age. You go girl! Keep it up!
Happy belated birthday to your father! I hope you were able to figure something out regarding the frosting, but I’m gonna answer you anyway. 200 grams will make enough frosting to make a naked-style cake. It should be enough to fill the layers and frost the top, but leave the sides bare like this pumpkin cake. Hope this helps for future cakes ?
OHMIGOD!!! I just saw your reply and I squeeled in delight. It means so much to me that you took out the time to actually reply to my question,most bloggers don’t do that but then again this was my first ever comment/question on any website. Thankyou so much for the birthday wish.. It really means a lot coming from someone I look upto so much❤️❤️. The cake turned out amazing! My parents loved it and even my sister(the HARSHEST food critic) said “it’s soo good Reem” and I have you to thank for that.. So.. Thankyou. I completely understand the hospital thing and I hope it’s nothing serious and that you get well soon! ?If I could, I would totally send you a care package with my grandma’s famous parathas and a good cup of strong Chai and cake rusk cuz that always makes me feel better..or maybe it’s just my grandma’s presence there. Huh. I suppose it’s the love that helps more than food(but JUST in this case) ?. I’m sending you a virtual feel better hug and I’m so thankful for your food blog. It really helped me make my dad’s birthday more special(since I’m broke and can’t afford gifts I suppose cake will have to do??☺️) My mum right near fainted when she saw the pile of dishes in the kitchen sink????. I would probably ALSO take this opportunity to write more fan mail but Alas! I have school tomorrow and they’re going to announce my results??(WHY?!!) So I’m gonna try to sleep now and I’m probably gonna come home tomorrow and make your molten lava cake to feel better.. You’re amazing. I sincerely hope you feel better! ❤️❤️?.
Reem I think you’re just about the sweetest thing ever! And yaaaaaaas a care package of parathas, chai and cake rusks is just what the doctor ordered ? Thank you so much for your kind gesture.
Hi Tasbih!
Like another commenter I had also decided, after much reading, on a carrot cake recipe until I found your post. Now I’m trying yours for a friend’s birthday cake for tomorrow. I have a QUESTION ABOUT THE FROSTING. I compared your quantities to the Cook’s Illustrated version and notice yours has an extra cup of confectioners sugar, which sounds like an awful lot to me and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a typo….especially because you said (regarding cream cheese frostings) “This is most often remedied by adding colossal amounts of confectioners’ sugar to stiffen it up. The result: cloyingly sweet, gritty frosting. Blech! Not this one though.” However, that seems to be what you did–by adding 1/3 more sugar to the recipe?? I just want to make sure you really meant 3 cups so I don’t get “Blech” or something overly sweet 🙂 Can’t wait to try. I’m going to poach another person’s idea from above by soaking some raisins in bourbon — wasn’t going to add them at all until I saw that! 🙂 Love your beautiful site, thank you.
Hi again Tasbih – This is an update. I went ahead and made the frosting following your instructions and it is PERFECT, not too sweet at all, and the cake is gorgeous. The only trouble I had is that I used cake pan strips (for the first time) and the edge of one of the layers came out still raw! I read some other forums and it sounds like this happens sometimes when a long strip is doubled over for a significant portion of the pan. I had already taken the cake out of the pan and transferred it to a rack. I was lazy so just stuck the rack straight back in the oven with the cake sitting on it for 10 more minutes. It all seems ok…looks great anyway. The taste test will happen tomorrow!
Hi Frances! I have no idea how I missed your comment and just saw it now. So sorry about that! For some reason I did not receive a notification that I had received a comment from you. Hate it when that happens!
I’m happy you went ahead and used the 3 cups of powdered sugar. I really don’t like cloyingly sweet frostings, but I really felt that Cook’s Illustrated’s original version was really lacking on the sweetness. Ofcourse sweetness is a relative thing, but I felt that increasing it just a bit helped improve the overall taste. I’m really glad you liked it this way, but feel free to reduce it if you ever need to.
So happy the cake turned out well for you! I find that I sometimes go through the same problem when using cake strips…the edges bake up slightly mushy. Hopefully it will all turn out fabulous once you frost the cake and chill it overnight. With a cake that delicious, I don’t think anyone will notice the raws edges ?
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Perfect recipe!
I’ve made carrot cakes before (it’s a personal favourite) but this version also converted my friends. And it was also very special for me because I made it to announce my pregnancy. It might be the cake I’ll make for he’s first birthday too.
WOW Tiffany! Your cake looks absolutely gorgeous; it’s a work of art! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photo with all of us. Congrats on the baby…YAY! Wishing you an easy delivery and a sweet, healthy baby. God bless.
I made this three times already and it’s seriously BEYOND incredible. I’m actually getting compliments for being a good baker.
Me ?
I’d show you pictures but by the time I took out my camera the cake had already been gobbled up
Looool
Thank you for your flawless delicious recipes my love. There’s no need to look anywhere else. I have a short link to your website on my cell’s Home screen now ?
Lily I could never get enough of your sweet words; always pampering me with your kindness and support. I couldn’t be happier to hear that this cake is giving you pro baker status, which for the record, I think you and your daughter are already at it, but you’re just too humble to admit it. Thanks honey for your lovely comment ?
Absolute wonderful cake!!! I made it exactly as written, no substitutions.
I did let my cream cheese come to room temperature first. I made the icing as stated up until the cream cheese. At that point I took the frosting out of the bowl, beat the cream cheese alone until creamy then slowly mixed the rest of the icing back in.
Family loved it and so did I!
Love hearing that so much Jessica! I’m glad the room temp cream cheese worked just as well. Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback.
Thank you for this recipe. There’s nothing better than a delicious carrot cake! My question is about the frosting; so many frosting recipes I’ve tried fall short in terms of the amount it makes. From your pictures the cake looks like it had ample frosting but was that from just one batch? There’s nothing worse than running out of frosting or having really thin layers of frosting within the cake. Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hi Lorelei! Worry not my friend, the frosting is more than enough. I sometimes even end up with leftovers. So rest assured, you won’t run short. Enjoy ?
Hi
I loved the recipe and want to try it for my friends birthday which is tomorrow ?
But I am not able to find brick cream cheese (unexpectedly).. what can I do? Should I go for regular cream cheese? Please help?
This was delicious! I followed the recipe and made the frosting even though a few comments said it was lumpy. There were absolutely no lumps and the frosting was delightfully light, creamy and pleasant! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you loved it so much Charlene! Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback!
I looked for the perfect carrot cake recipe for so long, something moist with no nuts raisins or pineapple. And something not overly sweet with the perfect frosting that tangy. THIS IS THE BEST CARROT CAKE RECIPE! It was devoured in 30 minutes! 🙂
I’m so happy this cake was right up your alley and that it was such a hit! Bon Appetit ?
Hi, if i want to add pineapple what changes do i have to make? Thank you, I love this recipe.
Hi Fernanda! I’m so happy to hear that you love this cake as much as we do! Since pineapple packs a lot of moisture, I’d suggest substituting some of the carrots (which also contains a lot of moisture) for it. I think that if you add pineapples to the already existing amount of carrots, the cake may end up soggy. So a little exchange should do the trick. Best of luck!
I tried this recipe and it was loved by all! I did substitute the oil for butter, but this was only because I didn’t have enough oil. The cake came out lighter in color compared to the photos, but it was still very moist and delicious! Also, I had it plastic wrapped in the freezer for a month before serving so this is definitely an option for those who like to do their baking way ahead of time. This cake did have less of a spice flavor compared to other carrot cakes i have had, so if someone wanted to bring out more of the spice flavors they may want to increase the portions of the spices a little. I loved it just the way it was though!!!
Really happy to hear that you loved it Claire! It’s also great to know that butter works well here. Thanks for sharing your experience and tips.
Hi!! I love this cake and made it twice already! Quick question though….every time I make this cake it’s super “crumbly” when I cut into it. It falls apart when I try to get a slice. It doesn’t have that clean look like yours does. Any guess as to what the problem is?
Hi Amanda! So good to hear that you love this cake. Hmmmm…I’m trying to think what could be the reason for this. Are you by any chance making any ingredient substitutions. Also…does it feel dry or is it moist? Do you think it might have been overbaked?
I tried using the carrots after they went through the juicer. The cake was a little dry. I still would like to use the carrots after juicing. And not waste it. What do you recommend?
Hi Rosie! By extracting the juice from the carrots, you’re significantly reducing the moisture content of the cake, which causes dryness. I honestly wouldn’t recommend using juiced carrots, unless you compensate it with another type of fruit juice. This will surely alter the taste, but it would work. It’s really hard to calculate how much juice you’ll need to add in there though. Maybe the next time you juice a pound of carrots, measure out how much it made and use that as a guide. Hope that helps ?
This recipe looks yummy! Thank you so much for sharing!
I have a question though, isn’t it a lot of oil? I once followed a recipe that called for 1 cup of oil, and to be honest, it came out super greasy and wasn’t very good.
Thanks in advance for your answer, and I’m definitely going to try your recipe!
Thank you Flor! I know oil amount is quite shocking, but rest assure, it’s not greasy one bit. It’s just enough to keep it nice and moist. Hope you love it ?
I grabbed your recipe on a whim off Pinterest 2 or 3 years ago. Carrot cake has always been a favorite of mine and your icing recipe is actually what drew me in. Since then, this is the only Carrot Cake recipe I have made and I’ve made it many times!!! It’s just sooo delicious and turns out perfectly every time. Thank you for sharing it!
Absolutely love hearing that Mariam! I’m so glad you love it so much ?
Hi Tasbih, I love this carrot cake and wanted to know if it’s possible to half the recipe for a smaller cake or 12 cupcakes. Thanks:)
Hi Swati! Absolutely! I halve the recipe all the time with great results. Enjoy ?
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Made this for a friend’s birthday, it was the best thank you.
Yay! Hope it made your friend’s birthday extra special ?
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Hiiii :)))))) Can I use Palm oil? Thank you
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used two 9 inch pans, and it took about 40-45 minutes to bake. Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone who may be using only two pans. Thanks again!
Bonjour,
Excellente recette, vraiment, et très bonne explication.
Félicitations et merci pour le partage.
MICHEL31
Hi! Thank you for sharing your carrot cake recipe. I made it, and though it tasted good, I think it was too greasy. Maybe more than a cup of oil is too much. I made it one more time and used only one cup, but still felt a little too oily. Should I use less oil? Like 3/4? Do you have any advice? Thanks in advance!
Hi Nadia! I’m so surprised it came out greasy. Moist yes, but definitely not greasy. May I know what kind of oil are you using? Are sure it gets well emulsified in the wet ingredient mixture or does it look separated? Creating an emulsion is a crucial step. I know the oil amount sounds like a lot, but I really wouldn’t recommend cutting on it, as that would yield a dry cake. Are you by any chance changing any other thing about the recipe? And are you measuring all the ingredients accurately using a kitchen scale or measuring cups?
Hi! I didn’t notice you replied to my comment before; sorry! I’ve made your recipe more than a couple of times now, and I always use less oil and it never comes out dry. I don’t remember if I use 1 cup or 3/4, but it has turned out really yummy. I use Wesson canola oil. I do everything as the recipe says, I don’t change anything else, and I use a scale. I think next time I’ll use 3/4 and see what happens. I think cooking It’s all about experimenting until we have a perfect outcome… Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and replying to my comment!
I made this a few years ago because my son asked for carrot cake on Christmas and it’s since become a holiday staple. I’m looking to cut it in half this year and make a 6-inch cake. I think this should work fine for the cake, but would you think half the icing recipe will be enough for the cake?
We only make this cake one time a year, and I think there’s usually quite a lot of icing, but I definitely don’t want to fall short!
Thanks for sharing your awesome recipe!
It’s so wonderful to hear that this cake has become a part of your holiday celebration! The frosting amount is so generous and just like you, I always end up with extra which I use to decorate the top with. I think you should be just fine with half the frosting recipe. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Hey!
can we make this dreamy carrot cake in a bundt pan?
Hi Amrita! I have tried this recipe as a layer cake, sheet cake and cupcakes, all with great results, but I have yet to try it as a bundt. Since I haven’t tried it, I’m honestly unsure how it will turn out, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work. I just think it will be slightly denser than it’s other variations. Please let us know how it turns out if you do experiment with it. Thanks!
Once we’ve enjoyed this wonderfully good cake, is it necessary to refrigerate the remaining cake?? Or is it good under the cake dome at room temp?
BBest cake I’ve ever made! Thank you for the lovely recipe. I made mine with 2 11 inch pans and it turned out delicious, however next time i will reduce the amount of oil to 1 cup to make it less dense because that’s how i prefer it.
Woooohoooo! I’m really happy you loved it ?
hello Tasbih!
thanks for this recipe, I made it yesterday for the first time and it turned out great! my mom (the cooking expert in the house) couldn’t know there were carrots in it. I also liked the addition of cloves and cinnamon it gave it this unique taste. And with the cream cheese frosting it is just sooo good!
I ran into some issues with the baking though, I made half the recipe here in cupcake form, but the cupcakes rose in a flat form.. the surface was flat instead of rising in this beautiful circle shape!
what do you think went wrong?
another thing, the cupcake paper was very oily, the cupcakes were basically oozing oil when I lifted them out of the oven, do you think this means I added too much oil?
Hi Noha! It’s so wonderful to hear that you loved it.
It sounds from your description that some measurements were off. If everything has been measured precisely (preferably by weight) then the cupcakes should dome nicely and never feel greasy. May I please know who you measure your ingredients, especially the flour? Scale, measuring cups and regular drinking cups? If by cups, how do you fill it up with flour?
I measured everything by scale, I halfed the recipe which means I worked with 180 grams of flour, I may have added too much oil (about 200 ml) but would this contribute to it being flat-shaped?
Oh ok. Now that makes sense. 1 1/2 cups is about 354ml, so half of it should’ve been 177ml. This explains the greasiness you’ve experienced. Also whenever there’s too much fat, the flatter the tops will be. So using the correct amount of oil, should do the trick ?
so that’s why! thank you so much for the help :))
Hi, Tasbih!
I hope you’re doing wonderful! I have a quick question – id like to make a small 2-layer, 6 in. version for my mom on Mother’s Day (tomorrow), do you think halving the recipe would give me enough for that? Thank you so so much! ♥️♥️
Happy Mother’s Day to your mom Dulce! Yes half the recipe would make the perfect amount for a 6-inch cake. Enjoy ?
Hi, the carrot cake itself turned out beautifully and was very tasty with the nuts added.
The frosting was very runny although I used the exact quantities given, although vwery tasty, it just ran off the cake and was more like a fondant than a frosting?
Best wishes
Graeme Liron
There is no better carrot cake than this!!! My family and friends are begging me to make more… and I will! This is my go-to website for baking now. You have inspired me… thank you!!
Oh wow! What an honor?! I’m really happy you loved it so much ?
This recipe was by far the best cake and frosting recipe I have ever made. I followed the instructions exactly and it was perfect. I’ll be keeping this recipe forever.
Wooooohooooo! This is so wonderful to hear Tiff! I’m really glad you love it so much ?
Hi Tasbih… love your recepi and i have try it but unfortunately my cream cheese seems not thick like yours.any comment?
Hi Tasbih, please I need your help. The frosting i made came out gritty. I made double quantity coz i wanted a larger cake. i beat the butter then added the powdered sugar, then beat again for about 3-4 mins till its fluffy and light. then i added the sour cream and beat a bit then i added the cream cheese one by one. it was a large amount of butter and sugar and it wasn’t that thick so i can see if the kiri square is fully incorporated or not, i waited for about 7-10 seconds before each addition. is there any way i can fix it. i tried to run it through a sieve but it didn’t work, those teeny tiny lumps cross over.
I tried this recipe and it is fantastic. My mom told me it’s the best carrot cake she’s ever tried it’s so on point! Thank you for the recipe. Also love the cream cheese frosting, i was wondering if i could ad some lemon juice and zest to make a lemon cream cheese frosting for another cake, do you think it’ll work and is so when do i add the lemon juice?
Hi
I loved the recipe for carrot cake and I wanted to try it for my friends birthday which is tomorrow.. and I am not able to get brick cream cheese (unexpectedly)
What should I do? Can I replace is with regular cream cheese.. please help ?