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This is the best carrot cake that’s moist, tender, packed with crunchy walnuts, fresh shaved carrots and warm spices. Topped with a luscious brown butter cream cheese frosting that adds a nutty flavorโtruly the ultimate carrot cake experience for Easter or any Spring brunch.
I have been a life-long lover of carrot cake. If you’ve ever made my carrot sheet cake, carrot cake cupcakes or my mini carrot cake sheet cake, then this post is for YOU. So many of you asked me “How do I make these into a layer cake.” Well, here it is!
Why You Should Make *This* Cake
- A rich and moist crumb. It’s made with oil *and* butter giving it a lot of flavor. Not greasy but very moist and flavorful.
- Perfect spice level. Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger add flavor and depth but they’re not overpowering.
- The frosting is life-changing. This frosting is adapted from my brown butter frosting from my pumpkin sheet cake. But this has cream cheese and it is just truly next level!
Here’s a review from an ACK reader that made the mini carrot sheet cake:
“YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS!!! I have never written a review for a recipe, ever. I have made this recipe at lease half a dozen times and itโs always incredible.
And donโt get me started on the frosting. This recipe is perfect.” – Jules
Ingredients You’ll Need for the Best Carrot Cake
- Carrots. I love using a thicker carrot and using the large grate on a box grater. I find it adds good texture and moisture to the cake.
- Spices. Ground spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are going to really complement the carrots.
- Oil and butter. I think carrot cake should be mostly an oil-based cake. Mine has a bit of butter for some added richness.
- Cream cheese. We’re browning butter and whipping it with cream cheese. The ultimate combination for the frosting.
- Walnuts. I am a pro-walnut person in carrot cakes. Some people use pecans but I favor this soft-textured nut.
For the full list of ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
How to Make the Best Carrot Cake
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, spices, salt and baking soda.
- Beat together the oil, butter and brown and white sugar, along with the vanilla extract. You want to do this for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Crack in the eggs. And mix.
- It’ll be smooth.
- Rotate between the buttermilk and dry ingredients. I add half of the dry ingredients. And then half of the buttermilk. Mix them in. And then repeat.
- Fold in the grated carrot and walnuts.
- Give it one last mix. I like to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure any flour bits get mixed into the batter.
- Fill cake pans and bake. Divide the batter amongst the three cake pans. If you want even layers, fill each cake pan to 569 grams. They’ll take 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
How to Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth. And then add in the butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla. It should be light and fluffy.
- Decorate the cake. Let the cake layers cool completely. And then add the frosting between each layer. See below on tips on how to pipe on carrots.
Tips and Tricks
- To make this cake ahead. I love freezing cakes. To do so, bake the cake layers, let them cool completely. And then wrap in two sheets of plastic wrap. Stick in the fridge for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter at room temperature overnight.
- Add coconut. Sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut will be delicious; add about 1/3 cup if you’re a coconut-lover!
- Decorating tip. Here’s how I pipe on carrots. I use a Wilton #2 round tip. I do a squiggly line, starting larger and then going smaller to imitate the shape of a carrot. Two tiny lines are the carrot stem. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
- Precise even layers. I like things to be uniform. If you’re like me, you’ll want to place the cake pan on the scale. Hit tare. And then add enough batter until it reads 569 grams. Repeat with the remaining two cake pans.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use milk in place of buttermilk in this carrot cake?
I know not everyone has buttermilk but I do think it adds a nice lightness to this cake. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use 2/3 cup milk and add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let the milk stand for 10 minutes until it begins to curdle and use as is!
How to store this carrot cake?
I like to keep it at room temperature for up to two days. I’ll cover it with a cake stand lid or a colander. If longer, feel free to store in the fridge for up to 4 days, in an airtight container.
How to shred carrots for carrot cake?
I like using a box grater. And I specifically use the largest holes on the box grater. I find that it gives you a good size grate of carrot that adds good texture
Can I make this in different pans?
Yes, absolutely! You can use three 9-inch pans and you’ll have thinner layers. You can also do two 9-inch pans. This is enough batter for one sheet cake (see my carrot cake sheet cake) or 24 cupcakes (see my carrot cake cupcakes).
More Spring Recipes
Quick and Easy
Strawberry Margaritas
Dinner
Lamb Kofta
Desserts
Cadbury Mini Eggs Cookie
Desserts
Mini Strawberry Cake
If you tried this Carrot Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Best Carrot Cake
This tender and delicious three-layer carrot cake is incredibly moist and packed with crunchy walnuts, fresh shaved carrots and warm spices, making every bite rich and satisfying. It's finished with a luscious brown butter cream cheese frosting that adds a nutty, caramelized depthโtruly the ultimate carrot cake experience.
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Layers:
- 2 1/2 (325g) cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg OR ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, (such as avocado, vegetable or canola oil)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade vanilla extract)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
- 2 1/2 cups (250 grams) grated carrots, (from 4 large carrots)
- 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, straight from the fridge cut into cubes
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
To Make the Carrot Cake Layers:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round baking pans. I also like to line my baking pan with a parchment just to make sure nothing sticks.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ginger. Set the dry mixture aside.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter, neutral oil, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract; beat until nice and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Crack in the eggs; beat until combined.
- Alternating between the buttermilk and the dry mix, add them to the butter/egg mixture, until just combined. Lastly, add the carrots and walnuts and mix until thoroughly distributed throughout the batter. Grab a spatula and scrape the bottom of the bowl just to make sure there arenโt any flour pockets.
- Divide the batter amongst the three prepared cake pans. If you want precise even layers, you will weigh each one out to 569 grams. Transfer the cake pans to the oven to bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool before adding the frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
- In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, add the cubed butter. Once itโs melted, it will begin to foam up and bubble a bit. Allow it to cook until you begin to see lightly browned specks beginning to form. Give it a stir and cook until itโs browned. You should also start to smell its nutty aroma. Pour it in a freezer-safe bowl and stir to cool it down.
- Transfer it to the freezer to chill, for about 10 minutes. We want it to be around room temperature butter. After it gets to that room temperature butter-firmness (it can be a bit softerโthatโs ok), transfer it to the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or bowl using an electric mixer). Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
- Pour in the powdered sugar and add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat the frosting for about 3 minutes. The fluffiness from the heavy cream really lightens up this frosting so be sure to beat it for the full 2 minutes. If the frosting is too loose, feel free to transfer it to the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes. Then beat it one last time.
To Make Mini Carrots for Decoration (Optional):
- Scoop out about three tablespoons of frosting and add it to a small bowl. Repeat this with another three tablespoons of frosting. You'll have two bowls of frosting.
- Add 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to each bowl (for a total of 6 tablespoons). And mix in it in. This will thicken up the frosting a bit so it's easier to pipe.
- Add two drops of orange food coloring gel to the first bowl. Mix. And then add two drops of green food coloring gel to the second bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the frostings amongst two piping bags fitted with #2 piping tip (a small round tip)
To Assemble the Cake:
- Place the 1st cake layer on a cake stand, cake turntable or serving plate. Add about 1/3 cup of frosting and spread it out evenly. Top with the 2nd layer and add more frosting, and spread into an even layer. Add the final 3rd layer and top with frosting.
- I did a crumb coat where I did a thin layer of frosting all over the outside of the cake and then transferred it to the fridge for about 15 minutes. I then added the remaining frosting to the outside. It doesn't have to be perfect! I made little swoops.
- I then piped on little carrots and stems all over. See the blog post for photos of how I created them. They're super easy–anyone can make them! Slice and serve.
Notes
Tips and Tricks:ย
-
- To make this cake ahead. I love freezing cakes. To do so, bake the cake layers, let them cool completely. And then wrap in two sheets of plastic wrap. Stick in the fridge for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter at room temperature overnight.
-
- Add coconut. Yes, feel free to add shredded coconut to this cake if you like! Sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut will be great.
-
- Decorating tip. Here’s how I pipe on carrots. I use a Wilton #150 round tip. I do a squiggly line, starting larger and then going smaller to imitate the shape of a carrot. Two tiny lines are the carrot stem. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
- Buttermilk replacement. You can use 2/3 cup milk and add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let the milk stand for 10 minutes until it begins to curdle and use as is!
- How to store: Keep at room temperature, covered, for up to two days. If longer, feel free to store in the fridge for up to 4 days, in an airtight container.
- Using 9-inch cake pans. I love the look of 8-inch cake pans but this recipe will work with 9-inch too! You’ll have slightly thinner layers but it’ll still look gorgeous and delicious.ย
Nutrition
Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 32IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!
I made the mini version for Easter brunch. Easy to make & tastes wonderful! The frosting is a major GAME CHANGER, will be remaking on cinnamon rolls soon.
This carrot cake is part of our Easter tradition and it is amazing.
I have made this recipe or the mini sheetcake version for several years now and it is a hit EVERY TIME. I have a family member who is allergic to tree nuts, so I just skip the walnuts and everyone loves it. It is such a foolproof and simple recipe that yields perfect results!
I love this so much! So glad you love it. Thanks so much for the feedback, Miranda. ๐
This cake was ridiculously delicious and cute! I received rave reviews from friends and there was a fight to claim the leftovers! The brown butter in the cream cheese frosting is genius and I will, without a doubt, be making this again this spring.
Hi Joyce! Thank you so much for the review. Love to hear all of this ๐
The cake recipe was so delicious and easy to follow, but it was the frosting that really elevated the cake. Will definitely make this again
Hi Hilda, So glad you loved it ๐ Thanks for sharing it with your friends/family. xoxo
Love to hear it, Hilda!
I made this for Easter and it was a hit! So flavorful and SO moist! I used pecans instead of walnuts and added about 1/2 cup of chopped up fresh pineapple (I was worried it would affect the batter, but it was just fine!) this will forever be my go to carrot cake!
Hi Hannah. YAY!!! I love the idea of adding pineapple. Sounds amazing.
Would I be able to use this same recipe for a 9×13 sheet cake?
Hi Sophia! I would use this recipe: https://www.acozykitchen.com/carrot-sheet-cake
The frosting measurements will be right for the size. This recipe for the frosting is a bit more because it’s a three-layer cake. The crumb will be the same! ๐
In the ingredient list the recipe calls for baking powder, however in the instructions it says baking soda, which one is correct?
hi! can you please do me a favor and empty your cache. it was fixed yesterday so not sure why it’s saying baking powder. it should be baking soda!
in the recipe you list baking powder, yet in the directions/ notes you do not mention baking powder, but baking soda instead. Which one is correct?
sorry about that ahh!! it’s baking soda. ๐ error has been corrected.thanks for flagging!
This cake is my absolute favorite. It’s moist delicious and perfect for any Spring get together. The brown butter cream cheese frosting is for sure the best part of this cake – I hope you all love it!