The Best Carrot Cake

I think we can all agree on one thing when it comes to baking: we spend more time searching for that perfect recipe than we do actually baking the recipe. Please tell me I’m not alone!

This Carrot Cake recipe will help you to stop your frantic scrolling through Pinterest, your panicked clicks through food blogs, and your endless page-turning of cookbooks, looking for that perfect Carrot Cake recipe.

This. Is. It.

This is THE BEST Carrot Cake I have ever had. I have truly been ruined because no other Carrot Cake will ever be as good as this one! This is my mom’s world-famous (ok, well more like family and friends famous, but still!) carrot cake recipe and it is absolutely to-die for. It has the perfect combination of moist cake, warm spices, fluffy cream cheese frosting, and delicious walnuts throughout. My mom has made this cake every single Thanksgiving and it has stood the test of time for 23 thanksgivings (and counting)! Everyone devours this cake and we’re lucky to have maybe one slice leftover. Also, a fun fact is that my mom used to make this carrot cake for the downtown coffee shop that my Uncle used to own and it was a favorite among everyone!

This cake is the ultimate crowd-pleasing dessert and is perfect for anytime of the year: Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, YOU NAME IT! It is so simple to make and so delicious.

 

This cake contains walnuts but you can substitute pecans and it will be equally as delicious. You also do not need to toast the walnuts because they will bake in the cake and be in the frosting which makes the recipe even easier and with fewer steps! A WIN-WIN! This carrot cake also has the fluffiest cream cheese frosting and the cake itself is so moist with bits of walnut, aromatic spices, and sweet, shredded carrot throughout. It’s a symphony of flavors in your mouth. Like actually. If Heaven and cake had a baby, this would be it. It’s incredible.

To make the frosting, it is your basic cream cheese frosting but with walnuts added into the frosting. This gives it a great texture and breaks up the creaminess a bit when you bit into a perfectly crunchy walnut.

To decorate the cake, after frosting it, I like to decorate the perimeter and middle with some chunks of walnut but if you’re feeling extra fancy you could separate a bit of plain cream cheese frosting (without walnuts) to pipe some rosettes or fun swirls on the top of the cake. Let your artistic juices flow!

This Carrot Cake recipe will be your new go-to…I guarantee it! (recipe below)

The Best Carrot Cake

(My Mom’s Carrot Cake)

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 cups flour, all-purpose
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 cups grated carrots, (5-6 carrots), I use the shredding attachment on my food processor or you can buy packaged shredded carrots
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped nuts, (walnuts)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup softened butter
  • 1- 16 oz. box confectioner’s sugar (3 3/4 cup)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and cinnamon
  3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, slowly mix together all of the wet ingredients: sugar, vanilla, grated carrots, vegetable oil, and eggs
  4. Once wet ingredients are thoroughly mixed, slowly add in dry ingredient mixture and beat until all combined (about 3-4 minutes on medium speed)
  5. Add walnuts to batter and mix**
  6. Once batter is completely combined, pour into two-9 inch round or three-8 inch round pans which have been greased and floured
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into cake
  8. Cool thoroughly before icing

For the frosting:

  1. Combine all the ingredients and beat with an electric or stand mixer until fluffy
  2. Spread frosting between layers, on top, and around sides to cover throughly
  3. Add walnuts to decorate, icing swirls, or anything else you want! (optional)

**Note: Batter will have a sugary texture but once baked, it is a perfect texture.