This homemade carrot cake recipe is incredibly moist and tender with a perfectly soft crumb and balanced spices. Packed with fresh carrots and crunchy walnuts, it delivers a delightful texture in every bite. The warmth of the spices complements the natural sweetness, making it an irresistible treat.
Ingredients to Make Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe
- all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
- granulated sugar
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground allspice
- ground cloves, optional
- fine sea salt
- extra light olive oil, or vegetable or canola oil
- eggs, room temperature
- applesauce
- finely grated carrots, 14 oz or 6 medium carrots
- walnuts, *plus more to garnish, optional
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- unsalted butter, to grease the pans
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- salt
How to Make Homemade Carrot Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the center. Butter a round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and lightly butter the paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt, breaking up any brown sugar clumps.In another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, and applesauce until combined.
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just mixed.
Fold in the carrots and nuts until fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting and decorating.
While it cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting.
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it until smooth and creamy.
Then, beat on high speed for 1 minute until it becomes lighter in color.
Add the softened cream cheese and mix just until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla and salt until fully blended.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed to high and beat for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is whipped, thick, and easy to spread.
Be sure to scrape the bowl a few times to make sure everything is well mixed.
Cut the Cake lengthwise into two parts.
Set the first cake layer on a cake platter and spread on a generous amount of Cream Cheese frosting (about 1/4 of the batch).
Set the second layer over the frosting with the top-side-down to create an even frosting surface.
Lightly crumb coat the cake with frosting then apply more frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
Sprinkle remaining walnuts around the edges.*
To improve the flavor of walnuts, toast them on a dry skillet, tossing frequently until fragrant then cool and chop. You can also substitute walnuts with pecans.
Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe
Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup extra lightolive oil, or vegetable or canola oil
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 3 cups finely grated carrots
- 1 cup walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the center of the oven. Butter a round cake pan, line the bottoms with a ring of parchment paper and lightly butter the parchment. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt. Whisk to combine and break up any sugar clumps.
- In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: oil, eggs and applesauce just until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold until combined.
- Use a spatula to fold in the carrot and nuts and fold until well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a fully preheated oven for 30-35minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before applying frosting and decorating. Meanwhile, make the Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Place butter into a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy then beat on high speed 1 minute until lightened in color.
- Beat in softened cream cheese, just until combined, scraping down the bowl.Beat in vanilla and salt until incorporated.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated. Once all the powdered sugar is in, Increase to high speed and beat another 2-3minutes until whipped, thick and spreadable, scraping down the bowl a couple of times to ensure everything is really well blended.
- Cut the Cake lengthwise into two parts.
- Set the first cake layer on a cake platter and spread on a generous amount of Cream Cheese frosting (about 1/4 of the batch).
- Set the second layer over the frosting with the top-side-down to create an even frosting surface. Lightly crumb coat the cake with frosting then apply more frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
- Sprinkle remaining walnuts around the edges.*To improve the flavor of walnuts, toast them on a dry skillet, tossing frequently until fragrant then cool and chop.You can also substitute walnuts with pecans.
