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Homemade carrot cake recipe slice with cream cheese frosting, chopped walnuts on top, and visible carrot bits, served on a black plate with a fork.

Carrot Cake Recipe

This incredibly moist, perfectly spiced Carrot Cake Recipe took 15 years to perfect. Using fresh grated carrots, warm spices, and a clever balance of oil and sweetness, it's the ultimate homemade dessert — beloved even by skeptics.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Carrot Cake Recipe, Carrot cake recipe Nigella, Carrot cake recipe vegan, Easy carrot cake recipe without brown sugar, Healthy carrot cake recipe, Mary Berry carrot cake recipe, Simple carrot cake recipe, Tasty carrot cake recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 480kcal
Cost: $11

Equipment

  • Box grater (For freshly grating carrots)
  • Mixing bowls (Large)
  • Electric mixer (Hand or stand mixer)
  • 9-inch cake pans (Greased and floured)
  • Rubber spatula
  • Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 cups Fresh carrots - Grated, not pre-shredded
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Vegetable oil - Or melted coconut oil
  • 4 Large eggs - Room temperature
  • 1 cup Brown sugar - Packed
  • ½ cup White sugar
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract - Pure
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon Fresh nutmeg - Or ground
  • ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon Ground cloves - Pinch
  • 2 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ cup Pineapple juice - Optional, for moisture boost
  • ½ cup Chopped walnuts - Optional
  • ½ cup Raisins - Optional

For the Frosting:

  • 8 oz Cream cheese - Softened
  • ½ cup Unsalted butter - Softened
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 3–4 cups Powdered sugar - Adjust to desired sweetness

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare your cake pans by greasing and flouring them well.
  • Grate fresh carrots and let them sit to release juices while prepping the other ingredients.
  • Whisk wet ingredients, add dry ingredients gradually, and mix until just combined.
  • Gently fold in grated carrots and mix-ins, then divide the batter between pans.
  • Bake, cool completely, then frost with cream cheese frosting and serve.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes.Feel free to add more of your favorite toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 130g | Calories: 480kcal (24%) | Carbohydrates: 55g (18%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 27g (42%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (50%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 70mg (23%) | Sodium: 370mg (16%) | Potassium: 220mg (6%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 35g (39%) | Vitamin A: 6500IU (130%) | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 60mg (6%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)
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