My All-Time Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
28 mins
Rating
4.43 out of 5 stars
(98)
Ingredients
16 servings
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups peeled grated carrots
- 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces cream cheese, chilled and cut into 16 pieces
- Chopped pecans
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with a round of parchment, grease the parchment, then flour the pans and tap out the excess. Set aside.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined and there are no lumps of brown sugar. Add the flour mixture and, with a rubber spatula, gently stir until mostly combined. Add the carrots, pineapple, pecans, raisins, and coconut and fold together until thoroughly combined.
Step 4
Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 28 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Step 5
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Step 6
Increase the speed to medium-low and add the cream cheese one piece at a time and mix until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 7
Place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread with 1 cup of the cream cheese frosting. Top with a second cake layer and again spread with 1 cup of the cream cheese frosting. Place the final cake layer on top, top-side-down (so the bottom of the cake is actually facing up), then frost the top and sides with the remaining cream cheese frosting and garnish the sides with chopped pecans, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. The cake can be made up to 1 day in advance and leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Step 8
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Chef's notes
Do not use store-bought shredded/grated carrots. They will not impart the necessary moisture into the cake and will result in a less-than-desirable texture.
You can omit the coconut, pecans, and/or the raisins in the cake without making any other adjustments to the batter, but the cake may bake more quickly so start checking for doneness sooner.
Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container (or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and wrapped in plastic wrap up to 2 days before frosting and assembling. The entire cake can be assembled and refrigerated for up to 1 day before serving.
The cake layers can be baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and placed into a freezer zip-top resealable bag and frozen for up to 3 months before thawing in the refrigerator overnight and proceeding with the recipe. The entire cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and frozen for up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
