Classic Carrot Cake Recipe

Reviewed on Apr. 02, 2013 by BeaDaNurse

I tried this recipe for Easter. It's a great place to start -- but not quite there yet. It was over-the-top too sweet for my taste (and I love sweet stuff). And the carrot flavor got lost in the shuffle. I will be tweaking this recipe and test driving it again in the future by decreasing the sugar to a total of 1 1/2 cups (3/4 c. white and 3/4 c. brown), and increasing the shredded carrots to 3 cups.

As for the frosting, I was very skeptical of using only 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar -- but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and stuck with the original recipe. And I loved it. Using the smaller amount of powdered sugar let the cream cheese flavor shine through. Of course, you could never use it to pipe. (But that is true of all cream cheese frostings.)

I did make this cake in two 9-inch cake pans as written and tested the cake after 30 minutes. It was spot on. I was afraid the cream cheese frosting would melt down the sides of the cake, but it held up fine with keeping it in the refrigerator. My husband can't stay out of it!

Reviewed on Mar. 29, 2013 by jenvaz

best carrot cake ever!!

Reviewed on Mar. 02, 2013 by jackstrat

The cake part was very good--rave reviews at our Church Potluck. However, the frosting, IMHO is off a bit. I used the better part of 5 cups of confectioner's sugar and 3 tsp of vanilla to get it "right". I figure the reviewer who went with 1 pkg cream cheese and 2 cups sugar is probably close to perfect.

Reviewed on Feb. 01, 2013 by danalbell

This is now my go-to recipe for carrot cake. It is unbelievably good!

Reviewed on Aug. 28, 2012 by delowenstein

I definitely am going to try this recipe and then I'll post the results! It sounds delicious! Dawn E. Lowenstein

Reviewed on Apr. 18, 2012 by trevenna

NO FLAVOR..AN FELL IN THE MIDDLE WHEN I TOOK OUT OF THE OVEN...

FROSTING WASN'T VERY SWEET..COULD OF USED LESS CREAM CHEESE AN MORE 10XX SURGAR...

Reviewed on Apr. 07, 2012 by nat.maillet

amazing recipe! everyone loves it! do you think you can make it as cupcakes?

Reviewed on Apr. 02, 2012 by tinker99

This was excellent! Very moist and delicious. I will definitely make this again. Best recipe I've ever had for carrot cake.

Reviewed on Mar. 29, 2012 by Briadona

Sorry but can't agree with most reviewers here. Definitely have much better recipes for carrot cake. Think the dark brown sugar made it too dark and gave it a crumbly texture. Also by the time the cake was done the edges and some of the bottom were slightly burnt. Also too much icing for the cake pan size. Had planned to wow company but had to store buy another dessert in this case.

Reviewed on Mar. 12, 2012 by acashen33

I made this for my daughter's birthday party and everyone loved it!!

I made a couple changes just to make it a bit healthier. I didn't drain the pineapple. i used only egg whites. 1/2 cup applesauce in place of all the oil. I split the flour 50/50 with whole wheat flour and all purpose flour and I used 1 fat free cream cheese and 1 reduced fat cream cheese. I was fantastic!

Reviewed on Feb. 27, 2012 by Colorado_Cookie

How long do you bake it as a 3-layer cake and please let me know if you use 8" or 9" pans.

Reviewed on Nov. 09, 2011 by jkrausz17

This recipe is amazing.....nothing but rave reviews from my family. I added raisins to the cake for a little more flavor!

Reviewed on Oct. 16, 2011 by carolynstowers

I have made 1/2 of this recipe since frist view. It has alway came out delicious except the last time I bake this carrot cake. What I did incorrectly was to beat the ingredients too much and turned the first ingredients to slush. Please, don't over beat. Because, this is a very good recipe.

Reviewed on Sep. 08, 2011 by carollm

This is the best carrot cake recipe I've ever tried. It's fast, easy and best of all, it always turns out. You can make it a day or two ahead and it's even better then.

Reviewed on Aug. 18, 2011 by army_wife

I must admit I made an account on here just to rate this recipe. This is by far the best carrot cake I have ever tasted. The frosting and the cake are both delicious. The only thing I did differently was I did heaping tsps of the cinnamon. but other than that I just stuck directly to the recipe. I highly recommend making this cake. I made it in a bundt pan which took about 10 min longer to cook in my oven. There was a ton of frosting but that was just fine with me because I like my frosting to go on a bit thick. YUM!

Reviewed on Aug. 14, 2011 by s_pants

I made this for a birthday celebration at my sister's work. I personally did not eat any, but she told me that everyone thought this was the best carrot cake they had ever had and even people who don't like carrot cake liked it. I left out the nuts and made it a 3 layer round cake instead. If you want to remove from the pans to frost, make sure you grease well AND FLOUR the pans. The icing tasted really good, but it was difficult to frost between the layers and the entire cake, but my sister said it tasted fine with the amount there was. Just made it tricky to look pretty. Oh, and I added carrot curls in the middle on top for presentation.

Reviewed on Jun. 26, 2011 by TeciaLittia

This is the only Carrot Cake I bake & it stays moist & delicious even after a couple of days, if any leftover. Sometimes I add about 1/4 cup coconut flakes but it doesn't need it.

Reviewed on May. 15, 2011 by DianeBrookbank

This is outstanding. We don't eat nuts - just left them out and it was WONDERFUL!

Reviewed on Apr. 25, 2011 by Janice24

This was a hit for our Easter dinner. I did substitute 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 the oil and it still was delicious.

Reviewed on Apr. 25, 2011 by jenny73

This cake is wonderful. My family loved it!

Reviewed on Apr. 22, 2011 by trujinx

Great recipe ! Everyone at work loved it and even took pieces home for their dinner dessert ! ( I cheated and used canned cream cheese frosting only because I ran out of time.. but still tasted FABULOUS !! )

Reviewed on Apr. 02, 2011 by jax4787

The cake was pretty good. I do not know if I would make it again, I might try a different recipe. I did not like the frosting and it made way to much for the cake.

Reviewed on Apr. 01, 2011 by RuthStew

I am like a previous reviewer, weirich. I would like to know the nutrients.

Ruth

Reviewed on Mar. 27, 2011 by itsnanayall

I made this cake several times, but I make it in 3 layers. I even entered it in a company bake contest. I won 1st prize. Thanks for this easy cake recipe. I serve it with sliced assorted cheeses.

Reviewed on Mar. 20, 2011 by weirich

I would like to know the nutrients for this receipt. I have changed some ingredients to make it more diabetic friendly, but am still worried about the total carbs.

Reviewed on Mar. 17, 2011 by gk33061

I made this cake for a co-worker's birthday. The entire staff loved it. The cake is very moist and the frosting is wonderful. The recipe is easy to make. I'll definitely make it again.

Reviewed on Feb. 03, 2011 by Ubaldo

I love this recipe, very moist and delicious. I kept to the recipe as it was except for the frosting. For the frosting I used:

-1 package cream cheese

-1/2 cup of butter

-3 tsp of vanilla extract

-2 cups of confectioners sugar

I changed the frosting because my wife doesn't like it too cream cheesy. If you do, then keep it just the same, it was delicious.

Reviewed on Jan. 31, 2011 by skm59

This is a excellent recipe. very moist cake and frosting isgreat!. Everyone loved the cake. will be making again.

Reviewed on Nov. 23, 2010 by jessiefl245

This is absolutely the best carrot cake ever. I made it for a co-worker and everyone was eating it, even the ones that said they didn't like carrot cake. They said it was the best they have eaten also.

Reviewed on Nov. 02, 2010 by Greta's Granny

Easy - moist - delicious. Cake and frosting rock! Made it once and was thrilled. Made it several times since then and thrilled a lot of folks... Good choice!

Reviewed on Jul. 07, 2010 by lindadale

I give this recipe 5 stars! The best Carrot Cake I have ever made. The icing is the best as well.

Reviewed on Jun. 25, 2010 by Gypsy Rose

I Made this for my Mom for Mother's Day, She is picky about her Carrot Cake, as her favorite was from a restraunt called Bakers Square, since the nearest one to us is out of business I had to find a recipe that might compare! This Was wonderful I added a Cup of Raisins to complete it, and some " Nut topping" on top and She and the Whole Family loved it! This is the First cake I have ever baked from scratch and it was soooo easy, and turned out nice and moist!!!! And the Recipe for the Cream Cheese Frosting was perfect!!!

Reviewed on Jun. 24, 2010 by carolynstowers

Every carrot cake I've made from scratch came out tasting like a spice cake except for this recipe. This cake taste like the ones you order in a 4 star restaurant. I'm making 1/2 of the recipe this time and baking in a loaf pan. My husband and I are the only ones left at home and the 12 serving cake is just too much. I am adding pecans instead of walnuts and raisins to the recipe. Anyone wanting to try this recipe you will not be disappointed. HAPPY COOKING

Reviewed on May. 13, 2010 by k_homola

I found this recipe while searching for a carrot cake I could make with ingredients I already had in my house. It was absolutely amazing! It is so moist and delicious. My family requests this for almost every party we have. Absolutely my favorite cake!

Reviewed on May. 09, 2010 by brenda.kho

this cake is fantastic...I add another 4 ounce of rasing...which it turns out very good & moist.I would suggest to reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup......love it very much!!!

Reviewed on Apr. 04, 2010 by Kdeluca88

The cake came out so moist. It was easy to make. The only problem I had with baking it was that I had to cook it about 55 minutes. At 35 minutes the center of the cake was like jelly. Other than that this cake was a hit. I would definitely make it again! Love it! :)

Reviewed on Apr. 02, 2010 by Coupon_Queen

This carrot cake was amazing. The pineapple made it super moist and delicious. I used 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. This will be my permanent carrot cake recipe!!

Reviewed on Mar. 30, 2010 by Miss Mianna

A very good carrot cake, everyone enjoyed it and so easy to make.

Reviewed on Mar. 02, 2010 by lindadale

This is the BEST Carrot Cake recipe I have ever tried! Thanks for posting this.

Reviewed on Jan. 27, 2010 by jodil

I really love this cake! It is not too heavy and has a bit less oil than some other carrot cake recipes. I may try adding little nutmeg or allspice next time.

Reviewed on Apr. 30, 2009 by smfeldner

Hi JanisRobinson,

Try these two lighter versions of Carrot Cake:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Makeover-Moist-Carrot-Cake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Gluten-Free-Carrot-Cake

Happy baking!

Reviewed on Apr. 01, 2009 by JanisRobinson

Do you have a light version of this recipie?

Reviewed on Mar. 15, 2009 by judy1957

Has anyone cooked this cake in a bundt pan? If so,any special directions???

Reviewed on Mar. 06, 2009 by jodybaker

This is the first carrot cake i ever attempted to make, and it was awesome. It will be my go to dessert from now on.

Reviewed on Sep. 03, 2008 by dryanre

WE ALWAYS LOVE COSTCO'S CARROT CAKE, BUT NEVER AGAIN!...

THIS CAKE GOT SCREAMING-RAVE REVIEWS EVEN FROM MY 8 GRANDCHILDREN!

Reviewed on Apr. 03, 2008 by llafontaine80

The cake itself was good, but the cream cheese icing was AWESOME!