The best carrot cake recipe that is easy, moist and tender!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best carrot cake, carrot cake recipe, moist carrot cake
Servings: 16servings
Calories: 630kcal
Author: Nikki Gladd
Ingredients
For the cake:
2cupsgrated carrots(about 3 large peeled carrots)
2cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1 ½teaspoonsbaking soda
1 ½teaspoonssalt
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
2cupsgranulated sugar
1 ½cupscanola oil
4large eggs
8oz.can crushed pineapple, drained
1cupsweetened flaked coconut
½cupchopped walnuts or pecans(more for decorating sides, if desired)
For the cream cheese frosting:
8oz.cream cheese, at room temperature
½cupunsalted butter, at room temperature
1teaspoonvanilla extract
3 to 4cupspowdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Adjust oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350˚F. Grease bottom and sides of two 9-inch cake pans (I use Baker's Joy) or butter and flour them.
Shred enough carrots on smallest teardrop holes of box grater or with fine shredding disk in a food processor to measure 2 cups.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, oil, eggs, carrots, pineapple, coconut, and walnuts.
Evenly divide batter between cake pans and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a thin plastic knife around edge of each pan and invert layers onto rack to cool completely.
For the cream cheese frosting:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn the speed to low and stir in 3 cups of the sugar and vanilla. Continue to mix until reaches a smooth spreadable consistency. Add more sugar as needed. (If frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk until reaches desired consistency.)
Once cakes are completely cooled, place one cake layer bottom side up on a cake plate and spread with a layer of frosting. Top with remaining cake layer right side up and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Decorate as desired.
Notes
Nutrition information is an estimate only based on frosted cake without decorations.