If you’re thinking about making carrot cake from scratch, here’s what I learned:
- I skipped the raisins and extra fruit for a simpler, smoother texture
- Used 5-inch pans to make a cute, layered cake perfect for celebrating
- Letting the cake cool fully is key since it’s super moist and prone to sticking
- Whether you make frosting from scratch or use a can, both work great
- It turned out so good, I made one version with pecans and one without just to keep everyone happy
My mom’s favorite cake is carrot cake. With her birthday coming up, I thought I’d find a delicious recipe to try. Spoiler alert, it’s delicious.
I was so hesitant to dive into a carrot cake recipe because it’s very easy to ruin. They can be too dense, too dry, too much carrots (ironic), and full of unwanted fruit. The worst one I had was filled with giant, juicy raisins. Yuck!
Like my recent cake adventures, I made this with my 5-inch cake pan because small cakes are cute and very Instagram-able. You can also use three 9-inch pans, too. I was able to squeeze two 5-inch cakes out; one three-layer (pictured here) and one two-layer without the pecans for Fatima.
Baking a carrot cake from scratch.
I’ve never made a carrot cake from scratch. I think the carrots scare me. I usually do not like fruit or vegetables in cake, but I bend this rule for hummingbird and carrot cakes. Raisins add such a weird texture to cakes, so I avoid cakes with raisins and other odd fruit.
While making this cake, I ran into one issue. The cake stuck to the pan no matter what greasing/flouring method I tried. It’s super moist, so I should have waited a bit longer for the pans to cool before removing the cake. Overall, it was delicious.
I like making frosting from scratch, but frosting from a can is great, too (usually my go-to). When you have the time, it’s fun. But if you have a very involved cake or other things to-do, get your frosting from a can!
Carrot Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50-60 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Description
This homemade carrot cake is moist, perfectly spiced, and raisin-free with a tender crumb that’s topped off with rich cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 8oz crushed pineapple
- 3.5oz flaked coconut
- 2 cups pecans, chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray six 5-inch pans (or three 9-inch pans) with baking spray.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- In another large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla until creamy.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix on low to combine.
- Add buttermilk and mix on low to combine.
- Mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Gently fold in carrots, pineapple, cocnut, and 1 cup of pecans.
- Divide cake batter into the pans.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cakes comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes. Remove them from their pans and cool on wire racks completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add cream cheese and butter to a bowl. Beat together until smooth and creamy.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Start the stand/hand mixer on slow speed and gradually increase the speed. Beat until smooth and creamy (that’s the theme).
- Frost your dessert!