The Greatest Carrot Cake Recipe EVER

April 3, 2025

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This Carrot Cake recipe with buttermilk is moist with a young chunk and lined in thick do-it-yourself cream cheese frosting. Whipped up in a single bowl, this cake is filled with cozy spice and irresistible taste. One chunk and also you may simply overlook each different dessert exists.

Carrot Cake, Protecting it Easy!

I’m satisfied that for those who don’t like carrot cake, you’re making the incorrect carrot cake recipe. Rising up, I actually hated carrot cake due to the chunks of pineapple. Classically, a carrot cake recipe is made round Easter (or Spring on the whole) and does name for nuts, coconut (typically), and crushed pineapple. Whereas I’ve instructions for including in these substances under, mine is the plain Jane model that includes grated carrot, quite a lot of spices, and probably the most wonderful cream cheese frosting.

Carrot Cake Ingredient Substitutions

That is a straightforward, do-it-yourself carrot cake recipe that may depart you wanting extra. Many of the substances are pantry staples that you simply’ll be capable to discover already at dwelling or on the retailer. Nonetheless, listed below are some useful ingredient substitutions simply in case:

Buttermilk – Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with baking soda to launch carbon dioxide bubbles, which raise the batter and create a delicate, fluffy texture. When you don’t have buttermilk you’ll be able to substitute with an equal quantity of normal milk + 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice.
Cinnamon, Nutmeg + Cloves – all heat scrumptious spices present in conventional carrot cake recipes. I’ve realized from different beforehand printed recipes that cloves could be fairly a controversial ingredient. In case you are not a fan of cloves, simply omit them or scale back the listed quantity by half.
Canola Oil – oil retains the carrot cake good and moist. Any light-colored oil will work like vegetable, avocado, or grape seed oil. Or for those who’re in a pinch, melted butter!
Carrots – I extremely suggest shredding your personal carrots relatively than shopping for pre-shredded carrots. But when all you could have is the pre-shredded sort simply notice that your cake will are usually drier.

Wait, No Eggs?

I believe it’s vital to notice that this recipe *doesn’t* name for eggs. It’s not a typo, of us!! There aren’t any eggs listed within the recipe card as a result of I don’t add eggs to this cake batter. Structurally, it’s superb with out eggs and your carrot cake recipe will prove simply as lovely as mine, pictured under. I promise this cake will prove completely with out the eggs. Dare I say you gained’t even discover? And as an additional bonus, you’ll be able to lick out the bowl with no uncooked egg guilt…not that that ever stops me. Ahem.

Carrot Cake Add-Ins

As I discussed above, the listed recipe under doesn’t embrace all of those extras. If you need so as to add within the coconut, pecans, and/or pineapple, right here’s learn how to do it:

Crushed pineapple: Scale back the buttermilk by 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup additional flour to the batter. Drain one 8 oz can of crushed pineapple. Stir in with the grated carrot. Bake, cool, and frost as standard.
Pecans: Stir in 3/4 cup of toasted and chopped pecans into the batter with the grated carrot. Bake, cool, and frost as standard. Walnuts or almonds are additionally a very good substitution.
Coconut: Stir in 1 1/2 cups sweetened, desiccated coconut into the batter with the grated carrot. Bake, cool, and frost as standard.

When you don’t wish to add within the crushed pineapple however want to add in pecans or coconut, the buttermilk doesn’t have to be decreased since you’re not including in additional moisture such as you could be with the pineapple.

Cake Dimension Choices

This carrot cake recipe will make:

24 cupcakes (350° F for 15-20 minutes)
two 8 or 9-inch spherical desserts (350° F for 20-25 minutes)
9×13 cake (350° F for 25-Half-hour)

No want to alter the frosting recipe, it’s sufficient to frost any of the choices above.

The right way to Make Carrot Cake

No stand or hand mixer is required to make my carrot cake recipe. It’s a one-bowl, tremendous easy recipe that’s practically unattainable to mess up! I promise you’ll adore it. For full particulars, see the recipe card down under 🙂

1. Prep and Preheat

Preheat oven. Line two 8 or 9-inch spherical cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper and put aside.

2. Make Carrot Cake Batter

In a big bowl, measure out all dry substances and whisk collectively to mix. Create nicely within the middle of the dry substances and pour within the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir till simply integrated. Add in carrots and stir once more.

3. Bake + Cool

Divide batter evenly between baking pans and easy the tops. Bake 20-25 minutes or till set. Take away from oven and funky till pans are simply heat. Invert desserts onto cooling racks, take away parchment paper and funky utterly.

4. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Whereas desserts are cooling make the cream cheese frosting. Place cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into a big bowl. Stir with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) till utterly mixed, thick and easy. Scrape the perimeters and stir once more briefly to make sure a easy frosting.

5. Enhance Carrot Cake

Place one cake onto a cake plate or serving platter. Unfold about 1 1/2 cups of frosting onto the cake evenly (doesn’t must be precise) being certain to push frosting proper to the sides of the cake. High with the opposite cake spherical. With the remaining frosting, frost the cake exterior. This may be completed with easy instruments just like the again of a spoon, butter knife, or an offset spatula.

Enhance with something from chopped pecans, coconut shreds, sprinkles, and even coloured frosting within the form of carrots. Glad baking! 🙂

Make-Forward Choices

This carrot cake recipe is a superb make-ahead dessert, particularly across the holidays. Due to that, I’m going to stipulate three choices on how one can make this cake recipe forward of time.

1. Make and Retailer Individually

Bake and funky your cake layers utterly. Cowl in plastic wrap and retailer within the fridge. You may also make the frosting forward of time and retailer it within the fridge (lined). When prepared to embellish the cake, let your frosting come to room temperature (quarter-hour) then give it a fast combine to loosen it up once more.

2. Make, Assemble + Retailer

It’s fairly self-explanatory. Make your cake, frost it, after which retailer within the fridge for as much as per week. Ensure that to cowl nicely.

3. Freeze (Frosted or Unfrosted)

This carrot cake could be frozen for as much as 3 months! To serve, switch your frozen carrot cake to the fridge to thaw in a single day. Then let it come to room temperature in your counter earlier than adorning or serving.

Love Carrot Cake? Attempt These:

Buddies, I could have an issue. I really like carrot cake a lot, that I’ve developed fairly a number of recipes impressed by it!

The printable recipe card is under! Have a terrific day, buddies!

When you make this recipe, I might actually admire it for those who would give it a star ranking and depart your overview within the feedback! When you’ve got an image of your completed dish, put up it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

Carrot Cake Recipe with Buttermilk

Spicy, moist, delicate and scrumptious, this Carrot Cake Recipe with buttermilk and a thick cream cheese frosting will develop into your go-to favourite cake!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 8 or 9-inch spherical cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper and put aside.
In a big bowl, measure out all dry substances and whisk collectively to mix.
Create nicely within the middle of the dry substances and pour within the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir till simply integrated. Add in carrot and stir once more.
Divide batter evenly between baking pans and easy the tops. Bake 20-25 minutes or till set.
Take away from oven and funky till pans are simply heat. Invert desserts onto cooling racks, take away parchment paper and funky utterly.
To make the frosting, place all substances into a big bowl. Stir with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) till utterly mixed, thick and easy. Scrape the perimeters and stir once more briefly to make sure a easy frosting.
Place one cake onto a cake plate or serving platter. Unfold about 1 1/2 cups of frosting onto the cake evenly (doesn’t must be precise) being certain to push frosting proper to the sides of the cake.
High with the opposite cake spherical. With the remaining frosting, frost the cake exterior. This may be completed with easy instruments just like the again of a spoon, butter knife, or an offset spatula.
Enhance with something from chopped pecans, coconut shreds, sprinkles, and even coloured frosting within the form of carrots.

Notes

See full weblog put up for a number of variations and ideas for achievement.

Diet

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