This is THE BEST from scratch carrot cake recipe, made with chopped walnuts, grated carrots and covered with the most divine homemade cream cheese frosting. You will never find another recipe better than this carrot cake recipe.
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Every year my oldest son asks for a carrot cake for his birthday. It's kind of funny because he doesn't really like cake all that much, but he does like my carrot cake. The real reason he asks for this cake is because he shares a birthday with his grandma (my mom, how cool is that!) and he knows that it's her favorite cake.
If you are looking for a homemade carrot cake, you came to the right place. No other recipe will beat this one!
🍽 Equipment
I do highly recommend having a food processor handy. Using the grating attachment for the carrots in this recipe will save your life... and your whole day! Down below you can check out the food processor I love. These things last FOREVER! My mom has one that was passed down to her from her mom... it has to be about 30 years old and it still works like new.
Click on that food processor! It's time! you need one!
🥕 Ingredients
The ingredients for homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting are:
- all-purpose flower
- sugar
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- carrots
- vegetable oil
- eggs
- walnuts
- cream cheese
- butter vanilla
- powdered sugar
🔪 Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ and butter and flour 2- 9" cake pans.
Get out the grater attachment and grate the carrots.
Sift all of the dry ingredients together. With an electric mixer, add oil and eggs, one at a time. Add the peeled and grated carrots and mix until combined.
Fold in the chopped walnuts and pour the batter into the floured cake pans.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
For the frosting, I recommend a good homemade cream cheese frosting. If you want somethin a little less tangy or lighter, try out my recipe for mascarpone frosting.
Now for this frosting recipe, take room temperature cream cheese and butter. Cream them together with an electric mixer add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well.
When the cakes are completely cooled, removed the first one onto a platter and frost the top with some of the cream cheese frosting. Add the second cake on top of the frosting. Now frost the whole cake, top and sides.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, enjoy!
Check out these other popular desserts!
- Disney Parks Churro Bites
- The Best Peach Cobbler
- Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake
- Baklawa - The Best Lebanese Baklava Recipe
- Brown Sugar Brownies - Chewy Fudgy Brownies
- Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake
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📖 Recipe
The BEST Homemade Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teas baking soda
- 2 teas cinnamon
- 1 ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese
- 1 stick butter
- 1 teas vanilla
- 4- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar or 1 lb.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Grate the carrots using a box grater or a grater attachment on a food processor for more ease
- combine dry ingredients
- With an electric mixer, mix in oil and eggs, one at a time until well combined
- Mix in carrots
- Fold in chopped walnuts
- Pour into 2 greased and floured 9" baking pans
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream room temperature butter and cream cheese and vanilla together until well combined
- Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined
- When the cakes are completely cooled, frost the bottom layer first
- Add the 2nd cake on top and frost the top and the sides. Refrigerate cake
Lisa Maslyk
This looks really good, I will definitely try it!
Yvette
Looks Amazing. My MIL loves carrot cake. I'm going to make this and bring it to her. Thank you!!!
Emily A
yay! Hopefully she likes it!
erin
yum! I've never made carrot cake before, but this looks so good! And what a great idea for a birthday cake!
Cindy
This looks absolutely delicious! I have actually never made a carrot cake before.
Emily A
This is the one to make!
Melissa| It's a Joyous Journey
I've never made carrot cake from scratch, but this looks amazing! I just might need to try it out!
Erin
NOW we're talking!!! I want to eat that entire cake! I've been doing Keto for just over a year. During quarantine, I've gained three pounds, so I'm back on plan. When I have a break though....THIS!!! It looks so decadent and amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Emily A
Thanks a ton Erin!!! Hopefully you can try it soon 😉
Shirley
Oh, yum! Carrot cake is one of my favs so I'm going to try this recipe this weekend!
Emily A
Awesome! Good Luck!
judean
Yum! Carrot cake is something I have to be in the mood for - like now! I have never made carrot cake so with this recipe I can now try it!
Tonya | the Writer Mom
You can't beat homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Mmm!
Eva Keller
I love carrot cake! I don't have it very often and I've never made it because my chocolate cravings usually win out over anything else, but when there is carrot cake I always enjoy it. It has one of the few frostings I enjoy.
Tara
YUM! This sounds incredible. We love carrot cake at our house and I'm always willing to try fun, new recipes!