If you’ve been searching for a carrot cake that’s actually moist and not just a spice-heavy brick, this is the one. It uses a clever pantry shortcut and applesauce to keep things soft and flavorful for days!
What makes this recipe great
I used to think a full-on carrot cake was way too much work for a random Tuesday, but this recipe changed my mind. It’s my absolute favorite to bring to a potluck or make for a family birthday because it always gets raves, and I don’t have to spend forty dollars on individual spice jars to get that perfect flavor!
- The Spice Shortcut: We’re using pumpkin pie spice. It sounds weird but trust the process. It’s literally just the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger we’d be measuring out anyway, but in one handy jar.
- Insanely Moist: Thanks to the combo of oil and applesauce, this cake stays soft for days in the fridge — if it lasts that long.
- Foolproof Texture: Using a box grater gives you the perfect bite — no weird chunks of vegetable, but still clearly identifiable as carrot cake.
Let’s see how we make this:
Ingredients we’re going to use
This is about swaps and notes – jump to the ingredient list for the measurements etc.
The Carrots: Do yourself a favor and buy whole carrots to grate yourself. Those pre-shredded bags are way too dry and thick. Use the regular “large” grates on your box grater; it might look like a lot of carrot, but they basically melt into the batter.
The Applesauce: Use the smooth, unsweetened kind. It replaces some of the oil to keep the cake light but still keeps it from drying out. If you only have sweetened, just use it — it won’t hurt anything!
The Cream Cheese: You must use the bricks, not the spreadable tub kind. The tubs have too much air and water, and your frosting will end up as a puddle on the plate.
Recipe walkthrough
This is about tips and hints, and the process photos if you need a visual guide. Jump to the instructions for the precise steps.
1: The grate.
When you’re grating the carrots, use the coarse side of the box grater. I was skeptical at first because the shreds looked so big, but they actually create the best texture once baked.
2: The wet ingredients.
Whisk your wet ingredients in a big measuring jug first to get all those brown sugar lumps out.
We fold the shredded carrots into the combined wet ingredients to get the best distribution without any flour weirdly clumping up on them!
3: The batter.
When you combine the wet and dry, put the spoon down the second you stop seeing flour. A few lumps are totally fine — over-mixing is the enemy of a fluffy cake.
4: The bake.
If you have springform pans, use them! It makes getting the cake out so much less stressful. Otherwise, just make sure you use parchment paper on the bottom so you aren’t left with half a cake stuck to the pan.
5: The frosting.
I find the frosting with 4 cups very sweet, but it’s needed to build a stable cream that holds up on the cake.
If you’re planning to serve carrot cake plain with a dollop of frosting instead of stacking it into a layer cake, you can get away with 2 cups of powdered sugar.
6: Build your cake!
Make sure your cakes have cooled completely before you assemble them with the frosting. Else, it will be a melty mess!
Pack as much as you want into the middle, whatever is left goes around and on top of the cake 🙂 Chopped pecans are a lovely garnish!
7: Serve.
This cake is actually better after it sits in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let the frosting set. It’s perfect served as is, but my kids have been known to sneak any extra frosting to pile even more onto their slices!
Tl; dr: All the important stuff at a glance
If you read nothing else in this post, this is what you need to know:
- Don’t overmix: Stop as soon as the flour disappears for a light, tender crumb.
- Grate your own carrots: The box grater is your best friend here.
- Cool completely: Never frost a warm cake, or you’ll have a melting cream cheese disaster.
- Quick recipe rundown: Grate carrots. Make batter. Bake, cool completely. Whip up frosting, assemble cake, decorate, chill and serve!
FAQs
Can I leave out the nuts?
Absolutely. If your kids are picky or there’s an allergy, just skip the pecans. You can swap them for raisins if you’re into that, or just leave them out entirely.
Does it have to be refrigerated?
Yes, because of the cream cheese in the frosting, you’ll want to keep this in the fridge. It actually tastes amazing cold!
Can I make this as a 9×13 sheet cake?
I have a recipe just for that! Try my Carrot Sheet Cake for an easy crowd pleaser for Easter.
If you need more easy bakes for the weekend, you have to try my one bowl strawberry bread, the BEST easy banana bread or those lemon crinkle cookies for a bright, citrusy treat!
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2-½ cups all-purpose flour (2 cups scooped or 310g weighed out)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix (yes! Really! It’s exactly the same spices that go into carrot cake! Alternatively, use 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 1-¼ cups packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup smooth unsweetened applesauce
- 1-½ teaspoons vanilla extract
To fold in
- 1 cup chopped pecans (plus more for garnish if desired)
- 3 cups (not packed) coarsely grated carrots ((about 3-4 large, 300g; grated on a box grater))
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 (8-oz) bricks cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- 1 stick unsalted butter (that’s ½ cup or 8 tablespoons, softened at room temperature)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (Note 1)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup full fat sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with baking parchment and grease with nonstick spray (this cake also works in 9-inch springform pans, I actually find them easier to release.)
- Assemble dry ingredients: Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.2-½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Assemble wet ingredients: Whisk together all wet ingredients in a large measuring jug until smooth, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar if needed until dissolved.1-¼ cups packed light or dark brown sugar, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 large eggs, ½ cup smooth unsweetened applesauce, 1-½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Assemble cake batter: Stir the chopped pecans into the dry ingredients and the grated carrots into the wet ingredients. Then, pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold together using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula JUST until combined – do not overmix, there should be no dry flour left but a few lumps in the batter are fine.3 cups (not packed) coarsely grated carrots, 1 cup chopped pecans
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out without raw batter attached to it (moist crumbs are fine.)
- Cool: Once done, remove the cake pans from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 30-60 minutes (in a regular cake pan, 60 minutes is better; from a springform pan, it’s easier to release the cake and I usually take it out after 30 minutes.) Release the cakes from the edges with a blunt knife, remove from the pans, remove the parchment paper and finish cooling completely on the cooling rack.
- Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter together using a handheld or stand mixer on medium-high speed until fully combined and smooth – 2-3 minutes.Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat very gently on low speed until the powdered sugar has been moistened, then beat on high speed until smooth and creamy – another 2-3 minutes.Fold in the sour cream, if using.2 (8-oz) bricks cream cheese, 1 stick unsalted butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt, ¼ cup full fat sour cream
- Assemble the cake: If needed, level the top of the cakes with a large serrated knife. Place one cake on a cake stand or serving platter and cover with a generous 1 cup to 1-½ cups of frosting.Place the second cake on top, then frost the top and sides. Any remaining frosting can be piped on top as a garnish using a piping bag with a star tip. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Note 1: 4 cups powdered sugar makes a very sweet frosting, but it’s needed to create a stable enough frosting to assemble a layer cake. If you prefer to serve the carrot cake plain with a dollop of frosting on the side, 2 cups of powdered sugar makes the frosting plenty sweet – it’s just a lot softer in texture.
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