This is seriously the best homemade carrot cake you will make! This moist 3 layered cake is covered with the most delicious cream cheese frosting and I promise you, everyone will be asking for the recipe!
Holiday Carrot Cake Recipe
I’m so excited to share this delicious homemade carrot cake recipe with you, it will easily rival any bakery bought cake!
This is a perfect occasion cake to serve up at Thanksgiving or Christmas and it’s perfect for Easter!
Three fabulous layers of the most moist and flavorful carrot cake are covered in my cream cheese frosting for a really indulgent and delicious treat!
If you are a lover of carrot cake, be sure to check out my Skillet Carrot Cake and Gluten Free Carrot Cake Bars.
Why you will love this homemade carrot cake!
- Easy: This impressive cake is actually pretty easy and straight forward to make!
- Moist: The moisture from the carrots and pineapple make for a delicious texture. There’s no dry crumb here!
- Delicious! The cake is perfectly spiced and is balanced by the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. This is a recipe that you’ll make more than once!
How to make homemade carrot cake
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In an elecric mixer, mix the sugars and add in the oil and vanilla. Add in the eggs.
- Slowly fold the flour mix into the sugar and egg mix.
- Fold in the carrots, pineapple and nuts.
- Place the batter into 3 cake pans and bake, then let cool.
- Make your Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Stack the cakes with layers of frosting and cover in a Crumb Coating. Let chill.
- Frost and decorate the cake before serving.
Can you make it ahead of time?
The elements of this cake can be made ahead of time. The carrot cake layers can be made 3 to 4 days ahead of time, wrap them well in plastic wrap AND foil to keep them moist and store in the fridge.
The cream cheese frosting can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and be stored, covered in the fridge.
How long does it keep?
Once the cake is fully frosted, it will keep well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, but I do like to serve it on the day that it’s frosted so that it’s perfectly fresh and moist.
Do you need to use nuts in this recipe?
The nuts in this carrot cake are totally optional, they add a great texture, but can easily be omitted if someone in your family has an allergy.
I like to use either toasted pecans or walnuts to add a nice savory flavor to help balance out the sweetness.
Tips!
- Spray the cake pans with cooking spray before adding the cake batter so that the layers are easy to remove from the tins.
- It’s easiest to use an electric mixer to make the cake batter, but you can mix it by hand as well, it will just take a little longer.
- Let the layers cool completely before stacking and frosting them. If the cake is still warm, the frosting will slide off.
- The carrot cake layers will take about 30-40 minutes to bake. Check they are done by either inserting a toothpick, which should come out clean, or by using an instant read thermometer which should register at 200-205F.
More Cake Recipes
This Carrot Cake is an absolute classic. Once you try it, be sure to also check out these other easy favorites!
Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2½ cups self-rising flour 300 grams
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 5 grams
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
- 1½ cups granulated sugar 300 grams
- ½ cup dark brown sugar 107 grams
- 1 cup vegetable oil 200 grams
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams (or vanilla paste)
- 4 large eggs 200 grams
- 3 cups grated carrots 270 grams (from about 9 carrots)
- ½ cup crushed pineapple 85 grams
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans 114 grams, plus more for decorating (optional)
For the Frosting
- Double recipe of The Best Cream Cheese Frosting click for recipe
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans or one 9×13-inch baking pan. Spray the pan(s) with cooking spray and, if desired, lightly cover the insides with coarse raw sugar.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice, salt, and baking soda; set aside.2½ cups self-rising flour, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the granulated sugar and brown sugar together on low speed. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.1½ cups granulated sugar, ½ cup dark brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 4 large eggs
- Set mixer to low and add the flour in ½ cup increments.
- Fold in the carrots, pineapple and, if using, nuts.3 cups grated carrots, ½ cup crushed pineapple, 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 cake pans or spread in the 9×13.
- Bake, on the middle rack, for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The internal temperature in the middle of each cake layer should register 200°F-205°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Transfer cakes to a wire rack and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and return to cooling racks to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- Make a double batch of The Best Cream Cheese Frosting, <– click for recipeDouble recipe of The Best Cream Cheese Frosting
- Stack the cake layers with about ½-inch of frosting between each layer. Cover the cake with a Crumb Coating (click for instructions) and refrigerate the cake at least 1-2 hours.
- When the crumb coating feels dry, finish icing and decorating the cake as you wish.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Spray the cake pans with cooking spray before adding the cake batter so that the layers are easy to remove from the tins.
- It’s easiest to use an electric mixer to make the cake batter, but you can mix it by hand as well, it will just take a little longer.
- Let the layers cool completely before stacking and frosting them. If the cake is still warm, the frosting will slide off.
- The carrot cake layers will take about 30-40 minutes to bake. Check they are done by either inserting a toothpick, which should come out clean, or by using an instant-read thermometer which should register at 200-205°F.
Nutrition Information
