Easy Carrot Cake
Updated Apr 02, 2026
Super easy homemade carrot cake with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, shredded carrots, baked in a 9x13 pan with a 4-ingredient cream cheese frosting.
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My Carrot Cake recipe Is Soo simple and so0 Good!
Ok, yes, it’s so good, but I think what’s more important is that my carrot cake is so easy! I love ordering carrot cake at restaurants and can’t resist the fancy two-layer version with cream cheese frosting between the layers. But I knew if I was ever going to create a home version, there would be no time to get that fancy.
So, I developed this 9×13 carrot cake recipe with both you and me in mind, knowing a sheet cake is much more realistic and doable at home. Seriously, I think the hardest part of this carrot cake is just grating the carrots.
Carrot Cake Ingredients
- Carrots: I grate the carrots on the largest holes of a box grater, which helps them hold up in the cake! Pre-shredded carrots are usually too thick and dry for carrot cake.
- Walnuts: I add chopped walnuts to the batter and use some as garnish on top of the cream cheese frosting. Chop them into small pieces so they mix well into the batter. You can also toast the walnuts for more flavor! If you’re not a fan of walnuts, you can leave them out or use pecans instead.
- Raisins: These are classic in carrot cake, but you could leave them out.
- Dry ingredients: You’ll need granulated sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Measure the flour carefully so the cake doesn’t turn out too dense. (I like to spoon the flour into a measuring cup, then use the flat edge of a butter knife to level it off.) If you’re gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend. And if you want more flavor, you can adding up to ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom.
- Wet ingredients: You’ll also need large eggs, avocado oil (or another neutral-tasting oil, like melted coconut oil), and vanilla extract.
- For the cream cheese frosting: Mix together softened unsalted butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, more vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Softening the butter and cream cheese helps the fat blend together more smoothly and evenly. Full-fat cream cheese has the best flavor, but you can use low-fat. And if you only have salted butter, I’d skip the pinch of salt.
How to Make Carrot Cake
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
Easy carrot cake made with fresh grated carrots, warm spices, walnuts, and raisins in a 9×13 pan, then topped with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup avocado oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups freshly grated carrots
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth, then add in both sugars, oil, and vanilla, and combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until no flour streaks remain. Add the grated carrots, walnuts, and raisins, and fold together until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Use a hand mixer and beat together on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and light.
- Once the cake cools, spread the frosting on top and cut into 20 equal squares. Garnish with more chopped walnuts, if desired.
Notes
My Top Tip: Let the cake cool fully before frosting, slicing, and serving. If you cut it when it’s still warm, it is likely to crumble apart. And if you frost it before it’s cool, the frosting will probably melt. Give yourself plenty of time so it can cool completely.
Storage: Store the carrot cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend placing pieces of wax or parchment paper between the layers of cake to prevent them from sticking together.
Freezing: I would only freeze the unfrosted carrot cake. Wrap the cake in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. It’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then frost and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 414kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 303mg, Potassium: 180mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 2916IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Recipe Variations
- Pineapple: For some people, adding pineapple to carrot cake is a MUST! Drain an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple very well, then stir it into the batter. If you do, I recommend using only 2 cups of grated carrots so the cake doesn’t have too much moisture.
- Orange zest: Stir in the zest of one small orange when you add the carrots. It helps break up the sweet flavors and spices of the carrot cake!
- Coconut: For another tropical twist, fold in up to ¼ cup of shredded coconut. You can also sprinkle some on top of the frosting.
Recipe Tips
- Try one or two mix-ins. It’s tempting to try all of the recipe variations, but you don’t want to overwhelm the batter or weigh it down. Try one or two at a time!
- Don’t overmix the batter once you add the flour. You want it to be well combined with no streaks of flour. If you overmix it, the gluten can overdevelop, and the cake will turn out chewy.
- Let the cake cool fully before frosting, slicing, and serving. If you cut it when it’s still warm, it is likely to crumble apart. And if you frost it before it’s cool, the frosting will probably melt. Give yourself plenty of time so it can cool completely.
FAQs
Why is my carrot cake dry?
My guess is you incorrectly measured out the ingredients. If you add too much flour or too little wet ingedients (like oil), you could end up with a dry carrot cake.
Why is my carrot cake dense?
You may have overmixed the batter. When you combine the wet and dry ingredients, make sure you mix until just combined, with no streaks of flour.
Why is my carrot cake falling apart?
You likely cut into it too soon. Make sure you let it cool completely in the pan before frosting and slicing.
Comments
I am making the carrot cake the day before. Should I make the frosting the day of or can I make it the day before and refrigerate?
Hi! You can absolutely make the frosting the day before and refrigerate it. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge, then let it sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before frosting the cake so it softens and spreads more easily. You may want to give it a quick stir or beat with the mixer for a few seconds to make it fluffy again. Hope that helps!
We enjoyed the carrot cake following your recipe, sooooo good.
Aww, so happy you liked it! Thank you!!
Hello, can we use different oil – i.e. extra virgin or coconut oil?
Yes, I think melted coconut oil would give a wonderful flavor! Please let me know how it turns out if you end up trying it.
Can I use flax eggs instead?
Hi there! I haven’t tried this recipe with a flax egg myself yet, but I think it would work well. Please let me know how it turns out for you! Here’s my tutorial for making a flax egg, in case you find it helpful: How to Make a Flax Egg