The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

By Mary Bostow / 28 Comments

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The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting! Moist, delicious and full of carrots and walnuts, the cinnamon gives the cake a warm spicy flavor. The cream cheese frosting makes it decadent!

I’ve been making this carrot cake for 30 years now, and am just now getting around to blogging about it. I was thinking about all the delicious cakes we make our families for holiday dinners. This carrot cake with cream cheese frosting came to mind. I found the recipe years ago in an old cookbook called Grange Cookbook Pennsylvania State. The cookbook is filled with old fashioned recipes that I’ve tried and loved over many years.

Here’s a secret…this is actually easy to make!

This recipe is pretty simple. You want a carrot cake, you’re getting carrot cake. Bonus: you’re getting carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The recipe has 4 cups of grated carrots in it. In my pre-food processor days, I would grate them by hand because I loved this cake so much. I had a lot of scuffed up knuckles back then! But you don’t have to do that now, it’s a piece of cake with a food processor. We’re going to make this delicious carrot cake with cream cheese together so let’s gather the ingredients.

Carrot Cake batter ingredients:

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Teaspoons salt
  • 4 cups grated carrots
  • 2 Teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 11/2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

We start this delicious homemade carrot cake by placing the sugar, vegetable oil and eggs in a large bowl. Beat the ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer for 3 – 5 minutes until the batter is very creamy.

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the sifted ingredients to the batter and beat at low speed for about 1 minute.

Stir in the grated carrots and crushed walnuts or pecans. Spread the batter into a greased and floured 13×9 inch baking pan. Bake the cake at 300 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. It’s time to make the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

  • 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar

We start the frosting by letting the cream cheese and butter come to room temperature. That’s important ok, not just for this cream cheese frosting recipe but for all cream cheese frosting recipes. The two ingredients won’t come together properly unless they are room temperature. Place the room temperature cream cheese and butter into a large bowl. Beat the two together until they are well combined. Add the vanilla extract to the bowl and beat until all the ingredients are well combined.

Gradually beat in the 1 cup of confectioners sugar until the frosting is creamy. Frost the top of your homemade carrot cake. Try to keep your fingers out of the frosting bowl when you do it!

This cake bakes up nice and tall and is loaded with carrots and walnuts or pecans if you prefer. The cinnamon gives it a warm spicy flavor that we love. When you’re thinking about what’s going to go on your dessert table for special occasions or holiday celebrations, think…The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting! Enjoy!

PIN IT FOR LATER

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The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting (11)

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The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 21/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 Teaspoons salt
  • 2 Teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 Teaspoons cinnamon
  • 4 cups grated carrots (not shredded carrots, grated carrots)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans are very good

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • I always double the frosting ingredients, the recipe below is a single batch
  • one 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar

Instructions

  • Combine sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl, beat at medium speed for 3 -5 minutes until the batter is very creamy .

    Sift dry ingredients ( flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon) together. Add to oil mixture and beat at low speed for 1 minute.

    Stir in grated carrots and nuts. Spread batter in a greased and floured 9×13 baking pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour or until it tests done with a toothpick. When cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.

    Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:

    Let cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature. Beat them together and add vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see your pictures on Instagram! Mention @bunnyswarmoven or tag #bunnyswarmoven!

Looking for more carrot dessert recipes, try one of these from other bloggers.

Carrot Cake Monkey Bread

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ABOUT MARY

My children are grown now and I’m a Gramma. I hope you visit Bunny’s Warm Oven and take with you some tasty recipes that catch your eye. I also hope that you will make them and share. Read more...

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Rhonda

3 months ago

The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting (19)
A-maz-ing! Doubled the icing, because it was that good! Easy and probably the best carrot cake ever! I’ve certainly not had any better!

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The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)
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