A gorgeous two layer soft and moist Carrot Cake. You’ll love this one bowl carrot cake made with brown sugar, warm spices and walnuts and covered with a luscious maple cream cheese frosting.
Introducing my FAVOURITE Carrot Cake recipe 🥕
Two layers of soft and tender Carrot Cake filled with fresh carrots, warm spices and chopped nuts. The finishing touch is a generous layer of thick cream cheese frosting.
This gorgeous homemade Carrot Cake is perfect for Easter.
If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that I’ve been working on the perfect Carrot Cake recipe ALL week. It’s a recipe that’s been highly requested by you guys so I’m super excited to share it with you.
When I was developing the recipe, I was torn between making a one layer cake or a multi-layer cake, so I reached out to you on Instagram and I asked what you prefer. The response for a layer cake was overwhelming.
So HERE SHE IS. My two layer Carrot Cake that’s soft, sweet and oh-so-easy to make.
There are a few reasons why this cake is extra special. Apart from the fact that a soft, sweet cake covered in cream cheese frosting is literally heaven on earth. Here are four reasons why you will LOVE this cake ->
- It’s a one bowl cake recipe. You don’t need an electric mixer and any special equipment. Just a bowl and spoon and you are on your way!
- It makes two perfect layers so it will easily feed a hungry crowd
- The frosting is made with just three ingredients and comes together super quick
- Everyone always loves this cake
What makes a moist Carrot Cake?
- Using vegetable oil instead of butter keeps the cake nice and moist, and adding milk also lends itself to a very soft cake.
- I recommend measuring all the ingredients to ensure you don’t accidentally add too much flour.
- Keep an eye on the cakes while they’re in the oven so you don’t over bake the cakes. They will be ready when they spring back lightly to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Tips for making Carrot Cake
- This is a very simple one bowl Carrot Cake recipe. All you need to do is add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- To grate the carrots, you can really grate them is as fine or rough as you would like. Just remember that you don’t need to peel the carrots before grating.
- I use walnuts in my Carrot Cake but you can use pecans or any nut you prefer. Or you can simply leave the nuts out. I like them for a little extra crunch.
How to make cream cheese frosting
- The cream cheese frosting recipe is made using only three ingredients – cream cheese, icing sugar and maple syrup.
- I recommend using a block of full fat cream cheese – not a light or spreadable version.
- The maple syrup adds a little extra flavour, however you can use milk instead if you like
How long does Carrot Cake last?
- Carrot Cake is quite a moist and dense cake so it lasts quite a while. You can keep this cake for up to 3-4 days.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Carrot Cake
A soft and moist Carrot Cake with maple cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Carrot cake
- 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 190 grams (1 cup) brown sugar
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 240 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) milk
- 200 grams (2 cups) carrot*, roughly grated
- 110 grams (1 cup) walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
Maple cream cheese frosting
- 500 grams (approximately 2 and 1/2 cups) full fat block cream cheese, softened
- 310 grams (2 and 1/2 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 55 grams (1/2 cup) walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment or baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a separate bowl, add oil, vanilla, eggs and milk and whisk gently, just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add carrot and nuts to dry ingredients, along with the wet ingredients, and mix gently until combined.
- Pour into prepared cake tins. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Gently remove cakes from cake pans and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined and smooth.
- Add maple syrup and beat again. Spread one third of the frosting onto one of the cake layers. Add the other cake on top. Add remaining frosting on top.
- Sprinkle over chopped nuts. Cut and serve.
Notes
*Carrots: Approximately three medium-sized carrots. You can leave the skin on the carrots before grating.
Jerika says
Jessica’s recipes never fail me! This is THE carrot cake; so soft and moist. It’s honestly the tastiest and easiest recipe I’ve ever come across. I made the cream cheese frosting without the maple syrup and added a stick of butter. Oh so good. Everyone went in for seconds.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Ah this made my day! So glad you loved it Jerika!
Julie says
Absolutely love your cake recipes
Jessica Holmes says
Thank you so much Julie!
Jay says
Hi just wanted to ask if SR flour can be substituted for Plain flour, baking powder & bi-carb soda?
Even when everything is mixed well sometimes there’s that bitter bi-carb taste when using Plain flour, baking pwdr & bi-carb. 😬
Jessica Holmes says
Hello, you can make a simple sr flour substitute using plain flour and baking powder – you shouldn’t need to use baking soda as well. If you use baking soda in a recipe, you need an acidic ingredient to help neutralise the taste, otherwise you will get a metallic or bitter taste.
Preetika says
Hi do eggs need to be room temperature?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, no it’s ok to use cold or room temperature eggs.
Laura says
Amazing!!!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you liked it!
Jacquelyn says
The cake turned out beautifully, but I found the icing too runny, and there was a bit too much of it. I used two 250g blocks of cream cheese; each is a cup, so I used less cream cheese than the recipe called for with 2 1/2 cups of icing sugar.
★★★
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake Jacquelyn. Thank you for your feedback regarding the frosting.
Aminah says
I made this cake twice now. It tastes sooo good and everyone loves it. Only issue I have is with the frosting. Both times I made it, the frosting was too runny. I will most likely use a different cream cheese frosting recipe for this cake
★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed the cake Aminah! Did you use a block or brick-style cream cheese? You could omit the maple syrup and add some fresh lemon zest next time.
Elisabeth says
Hi Jessica, loved this carrot cake recipe, so easy, works perfectly…..
and tastes delicious !
It was a huge success with my girls.
One question , do you use icing sugar mixture or pure icing sugar in your cream cheese frosting ?
Thank you and keep the recipes coming
All the best.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Elisabeth! I’ve actually used both and find they both work fine. Pure icing sugar doesn’t have any cornflour in it, so it tends to be a bit more lumpy, so sifting is a must.
Alison says
Do you think you could bake this in a sheet pan and cut out/assemble similar to the milkbar cakes?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes!!
Jane zumot says
Hi. Can I use white sugar instead the brown sugar i mean put half cup brown sugar and cup white sugar
Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can if you like.