B's Birthday Carrot Cake
- Sally Rychlak
- Dec 9, 2025
- 1 min read
I was on a mission to find the best carrot cake recipe. After scouring Pinterest and Allrecipes, I ended up piecing together a mélange of several different recipes—a combination I hoped would produce the most moist, carrot-forward, texture-rich cake possible.
Along the way, I noticed quite a few bakers swearing by add-ins like crushed pineapple or shredded coconut, but I ultimately decided to keep the spotlight exactly where it belonged: on the carrots. I wanted a cake that tasted like the classic—warm spices, tender crumbs, and plenty of fresh grated carrots—without anything distracting from that nostalgic flavor.
The result is this beautifully balanced cake that’s simple, deeply flavorful, and true to its roots.
1
Mix up your mix-ins
Trade walnuts for pecans, or trade your raisins for crushed pineapple. Add in shredded coconut or whatever sounds good!
2
Storage
Store cake in the fridge especially with the cream cheese frosting!
3
Cake decorating
I used walnuts in the cake, but I decorated the exterior with pecans for a deeper brown color.
Notes
1
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease (or round parchment paper) two 8-inch pans, including the sides. *See note for using different sized pans.
2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
3
Add your canola and melted butter and stir or mix well. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla extract.
4
Fold in the shredded carrots, chopped walnuts, and golden raisins into the batter.
5
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly.
6
Bake on 350F for 40-50 minutes. (toothpick inserted in center should come out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs).
7
Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert onto cooling rack to cool completely before covering with cream cheese frosting.
8
Start the cream cheese frosting -- Combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy, well combined, and lump free.
9
Add vanilla extract and sprinkle salt into the bowl.
10
With the mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until ingredients are completely combined (be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula).
11
Once your cake has completely cooled, cover with frosting and decorate as you see fit.
12
STORE THIS CAKE IN THE FRIDGE IF YOU'RE DOING CREAM CHEESE FROSTING :)
Instructions
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Dry Ingredients
1 cup canola (or other) oil
1/2 cup melted butter
4 large eggs
1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt
1 Tbsp vanilla
Wet Ingredients
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup golden raisins
Mix-ins
1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting
B's Carrot Cake
Sally Rychlak
The moistest and most flavorful carrot cake for the carrot lover in your life!!!
Servings :
Calories:
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
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