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–+ servings
Slice of homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on top, served on a white plate.

Carrot Cake Recipe

This carrot cake recipe, passed down from Great-Aunt Betty and perfected with Grandmother Margaret’s secret “mayo trick,” creates a moist, spiced cake that stays tender for days. With fine-grated carrots, warm spices, and cream cheese frosting, it’s the version people remember and request again and again.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling 2 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups All-purpose flour - sifted
  • 2 cups Brown sugar - packed
  • 1 cup Vegetable oil - or melted coconut oil
  • 4 large Eggs - room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon Baking powder -
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda -
  • 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon -
  • ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg -
  • ½ teaspoon Salt -
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract -
  • 3 cups Carrots - finely grated
  • ½ cup Raisins -
  • ½ cup Walnuts or pecans - chopped
  • ½ cup Crushed pineapple - well drained
  • 8 oz Cream cheese - room temperature
  • ½ cup Unsalted butter - room temperature
  • 3–4 cups Powdered sugar - sifted
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract -
  • 1 pinch Salt - optional

Equipment

  • 2 9-inch round cake pans (Greased and lined with parchment)
  • 1 Box grater or food processor (For finely grating carrots)
  • 1 Wire cooling rack (For cooling layers)
  • 1 Electric mixer (Hand or stand mixer)
  • Various Measuring cups & spoons (Standard set)
  • 2-3 Mixing bowls (Large for wet, medium for dry)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven & prep pans
  2. Mix dry and wet ingredients, fold in carrots
    Mixing bowl of carrot cake batter with shredded carrots, pecans, and creamy mixture being stirred with a spatula.
  3. Divide into pans & bake
  4. Cool cake completely
    "A close-up of a freshly baked carrot cake in a round metal pan, golden brown with a slightly crisp surface, dotted with raisins and grated carrot pieces."
  5. Make frosting & assemble cake
    Slice of homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on top, served on a white plate.

Nutrition

Serving: 120gCalories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 5gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 310mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 6000IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 1.5mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes

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