Learn how to make carrot cake with an easy cream cheese frosting.


Moist Carrot Cake Recipe: How to Make Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is a sweet cake made with shredded carrots that’s typically decorated with cream cheese frosting. In Europe during the Middle Ages, carrots were used as a sugar substitute in cakes when sugar was expensive or hard to come by. In addition to their sweetness, carrots add moisture to this cake recipe.

Make the best homemade carrot cake by following a few simple tips.

1. __Use a food processor__. Grating carrots on a box grater is doable, but you can save time and energy by using the shredding attachment to grate your carrots. You can also grate the carrots ahead of time and refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to a week.
2. __Grease and flour the pans well__. Since carrot cake is very moist, it can easily stick to the pan. The best solution is to grease your cake pans, line them with parchment, grease them again, and then flour them. 
3. __Resist overmixing the batter__. When adding the last ingredients, slow down your mixer or incorporate your carrot cake mix with a rubber spatula to avoid an over-mixed, tough cake.
4. __Cool your cake before frosting it__. Heat will cause the cream cheese frosting to melt, so allow your cake to cool completely before frosting it.
5. __Toast the pecans__. Toasting the pecans will add depth of flavor to your carrot cake.
6. __Swap the oil for brown butter__. Carrot cake is typically made with vegetable oil, but substituting the oil with brown butter (butter that has been heated on a stove until golden brown) will result in a toasty, nutty flavor.
7. __To make carrot cake cupcakes, reduce the cooking time__. You can use any carrot cake recipe to make cupcakes so long as you reduce the baking time to 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin before frosting them.
Learn how to make carrot cake with an easy cream cheese frosting.


Carrot cake is a sweet cake made with shredded carrots that’s typically decorated with cream cheese frosting. In Europe during the Middle Ages, carrots were used as a sugar substitute in cakes when sugar was expensive or hard to come by. In addition to their sweetness, carrots add moisture to this cake recipe.

What Is Carrot Cake?

Make the best homemade carrot cake by following a few simple tips.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Use a food processor. Grating carrots on a box grater is doable, but you can save time and energy by using the shredding attachment to grate your carrots. You can also grate the carrots ahead of time and refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to a week. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Grease and flour the pans well. Since carrot cake is very moist, it can easily stick to the pan. The best solution is to grease your cake pans, line them with parchment, grease them again, and then flour them. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Resist overmixing the batter. When adding the last ingredients, slow down your mixer or incorporate your carrot cake mix with a rubber spatula to avoid an over-mixed, tough cake. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Cool your cake before frosting it. Heat will cause the cream cheese frosting to melt, so allow your cake to cool completely before frosting it. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Toast the pecans. Toasting the pecans will add depth of flavor to your carrot cake. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 6. Swap the oil for brown butter. Carrot cake is typically made with vegetable oil, but substituting the oil with brown butter (butter that has been heated on a stove until golden brown) will result in a toasty, nutty flavor. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 7. To make carrot cake cupcakes, reduce the cooking time. You can use any carrot cake recipe to make cupcakes so long as you reduce the baking time to 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin before frosting them. </li></ol>

7 Tips for Making Carrot Cake

Moist Carrot Cake Recipe

Learn how to make carrot cake with an easy cream cheese frosting.