How to Make the Best Carrot Cake

Loaded Carrot Cake. This is, hands down, the best carrot cake you will ever taste and you don’t need to be a master baker to pull it off. It has the perfect blend of spices, it’s super moist, not overly sweet, loaded with lots of goodies which gives it an amazing texture.  

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If you haven’t been around any bakery’s lately you might be surprised by the prices, especially for carrot cake. It’s outrageous!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how much they were charging, you almost have to mortgage your house to buy one, it’s ridiculous, especially since it doesn’t cost that much to make. I guess it’s the bakery’s way of cashing in on all the people who don’t know that making carrot cake is pretty simple.

I’ve been making this carrot cake since I was first married, I can’t even remember where I got the recipe, I just remember making it, for the first time, as a birthday cake. I knew that my hubby liked carrot cake, but this recipe made him love it, and I’ve been putting candles on it every year since.

Now, this is hush, hush, so please don’t tell, I wouldn’t want to lose my edge. Whenever I need to soften the hubby up for bad news or I need to persuade him to do something, I make this carrot cake. It’s my secret weapon and I only use it in dire situations, like the time I had to break the news that his truck was stolen. The situation was pretty bad but thanks to this carrot cake recipe the reaction was pretty calm.

How to Make the Best Carrot Cake

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. For a 3-layer cake*, grease three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, spray the paper, then dust with flour, firmly knocking out the excess flour. The parchment paper well help keep the cake from sticking to the pan. [Video]

*You can also make a 2-layer cake, just keep in mind that the baking time will increase slightly.

Step 2: In a large bowl, using your favorite electric mixer, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, mix until well combined. 

On low speed, add the oil, eggs and vanilla, as needed, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn the speed of the mixer up to medium and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Fold the carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins and walnuts into the batter until it is completely combined.

*Give your knuckles a break and use the grater attachment on your food processor.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the top of the batter with the rubber spatula.

Step 4: Place the pans in the lower third of the oven. Bake until you can insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out clean, approximately 25-30 minutes.

Remove the pans from oven and place on a cooling rack; let them cool 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. 

To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen. Place the cake back on the cooling rack and let it cool completely before frosting. 

Step 5: Prepare your favorite frosting, like the ultimate cream cheese buttercream frosting, be sure to make enough to cover all of the layers. You’ll need about 1 cup of frosting for each layer and another 2-3 cups for the sides and the top.

*Cream cheese frosting is the standard for carrot cake, but if you want to try something different, but equally as delicious, this coconut buttercream frosting will do the trick.

Step 6: Decorate with crushed walnuts and candied carrots.

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5 from 4 votes

Loaded Carrot Cake

Loaded Carrot Cake. This is, hands down, the best carrot cake you will ever taste and you don't need to be a master baker to pull it off. It has the perfect blend of spices, it's super moist, not overly sweet, and it has amazing texture.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Cake

Servings: 8 -10 Servings

Author: Robin | Fluster Buster

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups carrots grated
• 1/2 cup pineapple crushed
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup walnuts plus more for decorating

Frosting

• Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, using your mixer on low speed, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices, mix until well combined.
• On low speed, add the oil, eggs and vanilla, scraping the bowl as needed. Increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes.
• Fold the carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins and walnuts into the batter , folding until completely combined.
• Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the top with the rubber spatula.
• Place the pans in the lower third of the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
• Cool pans on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
• Frost with your favorite frosting.

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This is one of those recipes that people will compare all other carrot cake to. It is truly the best, give it a try, I know you’ll agree and if you decide to share I bet you’ll hear the word “best” to describe it. I’ve had people offer me money, lots of it, if I would just make them one, that right there tells you how amazing it is.

Do you remember the best carrot cake you’ve ever had? Who made it?

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About the Author

Robin
A mother to three amazing boy, wife to an incredible husband and a former finance manager who traded in her spreadsheets for cookie sheets. I blog about things that make life a little more fun, a bit more manageable, slightly prettier, a great deal tastier and considerably cheaper.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission. I only recommend products or services that I personally believe will add value to my readers. All opinions stated are strictly my own. Read our full disclosure policy for more information. 

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