Carrot Cake
How to Make Carrot Cake
You’ll find a detailed ingredient list and step-by-step instructions in the recipe below, but let’s go over the basics:
What’s In Carrot Cake?
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make your new go-to carrot cake recipe:
- Sugars: You’ll need white sugar for the cake and confectioners’ sugar for the frosting.
- Oil: A neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, adds moisture without imparting flavor.
- Eggs: Four whole eggs lend moisture and help bind the carrot cake batter together.
- Vanilla: Two teaspoons of vanilla extract for the cake (and one teaspoon for the frosting) enhances the flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour creates structure and brings the batter together.
- Leaveners: Baking soda and baking powder act as leaveners, which means they help the cake rise.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds that warm, cozy flavor you associate with carrot cake.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, but it won’t make the cake taste salty.
- Carrots: Of course, you’ll need grated carrots!
- Pecans: Chopped pecans give the cake and frosting a pleasant crunch.
- Butter and cream cheese: Butter and cream cheese are the key ingredients in the light and fluffy cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Carrot Cake Step-By-Step
Here’s a very brief overview of what you can expect when you make homemade carrot cake:
Frost the cake: Beat the frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the pecans. Frost the (completely cooled) cake.
Make the batter: Beat the wet ingredients together, then mix in the dry ingredients. Stir in the carrots and fold in the pecans.
Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan or pans. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean.
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake is a timeless dessert that delivers warm spices, rich texture, and just the right touch of sweetness. Made with freshly grated carrots, warm cinnamon, and optional additions like crushed pineapple or chopped nuts, the cake is known for its incredibly moist crumb. Finished with a silky layer of tangy cream cheese frosting, it’s a beloved choice for holidays, birthdays, or any time a comfort-style dessert is called for.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan.
- Beat sugar, oil, eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in carrots, then fold in pecans.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- To make the frosting: Beat butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in chopped pecans.
- Frost the cooled cake. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Moist, spiced, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, this classic carrot cake is a forever favorite.
