This classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting has a perfectly moist and tender crumb texture, loads of shredded carrots, yummy spices, and creamy frosting on top!
For me, a good carrot cake has to have a few key features. It needs to be soft and moist, have a good amount of carrots (it is carrot cake, after all), a nice combination of spices for that classic cozy flavor, and cream cheese frosting on top is a must!
This easy recipe checks all of those boxes! The topic of what kind of mix-ins are acceptable in carrot cake is highly contested. I personally think nuts and crushed pineapple are okay, but raisins in carrot cake are horrible (IMHO)! For this recipe, I kept it simple with no mix-ins, although you could add nuts or raisins if you are so inclined. My Carrot Cake Scones and Carrot Spice Bread are also made without add-ins but are super delicious!
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⭐️ Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Flavor: Classic spices of cinnamon and nutmeg flavor this carrot cake, and the cream cheese frosting just makes it so tasty!
- Texture: This carrot has such a fluffy yet extremely moist and tender texture, and the frosting is so creamy!
- Method: This recipe uses the reverse-creaming method to incorporate the butter, sugar, and dry ingredients, which achieves a super fluffy and soft texture.
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this moist carrot cake and cream cheese frosting recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: I call for salted butter in this recipe, but see the notes in the recipe card for instructions on the conversion to use unsalted butter instead.
- Sugar: You will need brown sugar (light or dark, either would work) for the cake batter and powdered sugar for the cream cheese frosting.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg make for a yummy spiced flavor!
- Carrots: Well, obviously! I like to use the regular-size grater setting to shred the carrots so that the pieces don't disappear in the batter.
- Buttermilk: The buttermilk makes this cake super moist and soft. If you don't have any, I really like using Beth's guide to making homemade buttermilk!
- Oil: While testing this recipe, I wasn't fully happy with the texture using just butter, so I added just a few tablespoons of oil for a little extra moisture, and it turned out perfect! Butter is wonderful for flavor in cakes, but oil is best for texture, so we use both in this recipe.
- Cream Cheese: Be sure to take the cream cheese out to soften before making the frosting so that it incorporates without any lumps. This recipe makes a classic cream cheese frosting, but you could use the recipe from my Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting if you prefer a brown butter twist!
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until the mixture resembles sand.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the shredded carrots, buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Step 3: Add the combined carrot mixture to the butter and flour mixture and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
Step 4: Smooth the cake batter into a prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200℉ and a tester inserted comes out with only crumbs.
Step 5: While the cake is cooling, mix softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix at high speed for 2 minutes until fluffy.
Step 6: Once the cake has cooled fully, spread or pipe the frosting onto the cake.
💡 Top Tip
Due to the need for cream cheese frosting to be refrigerated, I recommend keeping the cake and frosting separate until closer to when you want to serve the cake. Make the cream cheese frosting right before assembling to serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble, taking it out about 30 minutes before to allow it to soften, making it easier to spread or pipe onto the cake.
❓ Recipe FAQs
If the cake is unfrosted, it can be stored covered tightly at room temperature, but after it has the cream cheese frosting on top, it must be stored in the refrigerator.
Yes. I recommend making the cake and frosting ahead of time and storing the cake at room temperature and the frosting in the refrigerator and just adding the frosting closer to the time you are serving. This cake is made with mostly butter for the fat, which will make it dry out faster in the refrigerator so the longer you can have it out of the refrigerator is best.
While I have not tested this recipe personally with gluten-free ingredients, I think it would work well with using your favorite gluten-free flour mix instead of all-purpose flour.
🌸 More Easter Recipes
Looking for other recipes to make for Easter? Try these:
If you tried this Classic Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 9x9-inch baking pan
- parchment paper or non-stick spray
- mixing bowls
- electric handheld mixer
- measuring cups & spoons
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter:
- ½ cup salted butter * softened
- 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g) spooned & levered
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups shredded carrots *
- ½ cup buttermilk *
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (I use avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- ¼ cup salted butter * softened
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 9X9-inch pan with parchment paper or grease with non-stick spray or butter.
- Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment(s), begin blending the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the mixture resembles sand.½ cup salted butter, 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the shredded carrots, buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the combined carrot mixture to the butter and flour mixture and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix.2 ½ cups shredded carrots, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons neutral oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Smooth the cake batter into a prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200℉ and a tester inserted comes out with crumbs, not wet batter.
- While the cake is cooling, mix softened butter and cream cheese using an electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix at high speed for 2 minutes until fluffy. Once the cake has cooled fully, *(see note) spread or pipe the frosting onto the cake.¼ cup salted butter, 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Video
Notes
- If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter and ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the frosting.
- I like to use the regular-size grater setting to shred the carrots so that the pieces don't disappear in the batter.
- Buttermilk is important for making this cake soft and moist, and to activate the baking soda in this recipe. If you don't have any, try using this helpful guide to make homemade buttermilk with enough acid to be used in baking.
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