This exceptionally Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is my family’s new favorite dessert. The blend of cinnamon and nutmeg in the cake and the fluffy cream cheese frosting makes it so inviting and yummy that you won’t be able to stop at just one piece!
Simply Classic
My husband requested carrot cake for his birthday, but he is very particular about what does and does not go in it. So, I made this simple version without adding in pineapple, raisins, nuts, or any other traditional carrot cake ingredients. It was so good that no one at the party missed them. In fact, the rave reviews sealed its fate as the next addition to the blog.
How to Make This Easy Homemade Dessert
Cake Ingredients
Raw carrots: The carrots will need to be grated. You can do this by hand or using a food processor.
Eggs: You will need large room temperature eggs for the batter to be the right consistency.
Sugar and Brown Sugar: I love the combination of the two types of sugar. The brown sugar adds a little extra flavor and helps create a moist cake.
Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg: A great flavor combination! This is what gives this cake it’s wonderful aroma and characteristic taste.
All-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Vegetable Oil: I prefer to use vegetable oil in this recipe because it will provide the moistness that we want without adding any other flavors to the cake.
Frosting Ingredients
Cream Cheese and butter: both should be softened.
Vanilla
Half and Half: You can substitute milk, but I like the creaminess that the half and half adds to the frosting.
Confectioners’ Sugar
How to Make the Cake
Beat the eggs until frothy
Then beat in the sugar, vanilla and vegetable oil and mix in the dry ingredients.
Fold in the carrots.
Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.
How to Make the Frosting
Cream the cream cheese and butter.
Add the vanilla and half and half.
Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy.
Baking Tips
Start by using room temperature ingredients (eggs, cream cheese, and butter). The ingredients will emulsify and blend into a much smoother batter and frosting.
Measure the flour by spooning the flour into a measuring cup and leveling it off with the back of a knife. This is important to make sure that you don’t pack the flour in the measuring cup resulting in more flour than you need for the recipe.
Adding the vegetable oil in a slow stream is key to ensuring that it completely blends into the batter.
Don’t over bake the cake. Ovens tend to heat differently, so start checking the cake for doneness at 30 minutes and add more time if a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake does not come out clean.
Variations and Add Ins
This is an incredibly moist cake and and delicious cake as is, but why not try some tasty add ins. If you really want to spice things up, you can add some ginger or cloves to the cake batter, making this truly a spice cake.
Of course, pineapple, raisins and nuts are classic ingredients in carrot cake and would be perfect in this cake. For something a little different, try adding in chocolate chips, coconut, mashed banana, or diced apples? These are just some of the possibilities that will make this your family’s favorite cake.
FAQ
Yes, it is best to store the cake in the refrigerator. Take if out of the refrigerator an hour or 2 before you will be serving it and let it come to room temperature if you don’t want to eat cold cake.
Generally, it is safe to leave any cake with cream cheese frosting at room temperature for up to 2 hours. You should not leave it out overnight as the frosting may spoil.
You most certainly can freeze this cake. Wrap it in plastic wrap and then put it in a freezer bag or wrap it in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you are defrosting a single piece, you can let it thaw at room temperature but if you are defrosting an entire cake, it would be best to let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
More delicious cake recipes for you to try:
The Best Polish Pound Cake – Easy Homemade Recipe
Apple Cinnamon Cake with Streusel Topping
Other fall inspired dessert recipes
Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups Flour All-purpose
- 1½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1½ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 Eggs Large
- ¾ cups Sugar Granulated
- 1 cup Brown Sugar Packed
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 cups Carrots Grated
Frosting
- 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Half and Half Or Milk
- 4¾ cups Confectioners' Sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and Flour two 8" or 9" round cake pans.
- whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer set on medium high speed until they are frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, brown sugar and vanilla and mix at medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- With the beater running, add the vegetable oil in a slow stream, until it is fully combined in the batter.
- Add the dry ingredients and continue to beat, scrapping down the sides until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the carrots until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, dividing it evenly between the two pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy about 2 minutes. Then add the vanilla and half and half and beat until it is combined.
- Add the confectioners sugar and beat until the frosting is creamy and smooth. about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
What I love about this is I usually will have most of these ingredients on hand so it’s fast and easy and everyone loves these spices especially heading into Fall.
Looks very good. Please send me the website thank you
Moist is an understatement. Amazing.