Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 60 g (2 oz / ¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened; 60 g (2 oz / ¼ cup) cream cheese, softened; 1 ½ cups (195 g) icing sugar / powdered sugar, sifted; 2 tablespoon (40 mL) lemon juice; 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract; ¾ cup (188 mL) canola oil; ½ cup (120 g) caster sugar / superfine sugar; ½ cup brown sugar (110 g), packed; 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 2 cups (260 g / approx. 4-5 large) grated carrots; 1 ½ cups (225 g) plain flour / all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon (16 g) baking powder; 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt; 1 teaspoon (5 g) ground cinnamon

Published: Aug 24, 2020 · Modified: Apr 12, 2023 by Chloe · 37 Comments

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This ridiculously delicious carrot cake only uses one bowl! It's super moist and fluffy with a hint of cinnamon, and is absolutely packed full of grated carrot.

When it comes to carrot cakes, you can't go past cream cheese frosting as the perfect pairing. My staple cream cheese frosting recipe uses half butter and half cream cheese for the best flavour, texture and appearance!

Slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting on cake server.

This carrot cake is also delicious with a cup of raisins or chopped roasted nuts folded through the batter. Either way, it's bound to be a new favourite recipe with everyone who tries it!

Ingredients in Carrot Cake

Canola oil: you can also use any kind of flavourless vegetable or cooking oil (safflower, sunflower etc.). Do NOT use coconut or olive oil (or any other strongly flavoured oil) as you will be able to taste it in the finished cake.
Caster sugar / superfine sugar: finer sugar dissolves more readily into the liquid ingredients and makes the final cake more moist with a crisp crust. You can use an equal amount of white granulated sugar instead, but note that the cake may be a little more dense or heavy.
Brown sugar: brown sugar gives the cake a softer, moister texture and richer flavour.
- Can I substitute the brown sugar with more white sugar? Yes, however note that the cake will be likely be heavier and less fluffy. It will still taste fine!
Vanilla essence OR vanilla extract
Eggs
Grated carrots: you don't need to peel the carrots (as long as you wash them first). Lightly pack the grated carrots into a cup to measure them.
Plain flour / all-purpose flour
- Can I use self-raising flour? Yes. Reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon if you are using self-raising flour.
Baking powder: NOT baking soda. Check that your baking powder is within its expiry date or the cake will collapse and/or taste bitter.
Salt
Cinnamon

How to Make Cake and Frosting

Step by step combining dry and wet ingredients.

1. Combine the canola oil, caster sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs and grated carrot in a bowl.
2. Stir together until well combined.
3. Sift over the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Stir together until combined and smooth. Don't worry about any small lumps in the batter.

5. Pour into a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin lined with baking paper.
6. Bake until golden, evenly risen, and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Step by step making cream cheese frosting.

7. Place room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese in a bowl.
8. Beat until creamy, pale and smooth.
9. Sift over icing sugar. Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until very pale, fluffy and smooth.
10. Slather over the cooled carrot cake. Decorate with chopped nuts if desired.

Top Tips & FAQs

Why did my carrot cake sink in the middle?
- Your baking powder is expired: make sure your baking powder is in date! This is a very common cause of collapsed or sunken cakes.
- You overmixed the cake batter: this is a very forgiving batter, but still try not to overmix the wet and dry ingredients. Small lumps are okay - you do not need to beat the batter until it is completely smooth.
- You opened the oven too early: as a general rule of thumb, don't open the oven door until at least ¾ of the recommended baking time has passed. In this case, don’t open the oven door until at least 35-40 minutes in.
- You left the batter out on the bench too long before baking: rising agents such as baking powder as most effective within 1 hour of being added to cake batters. Leaving the cake batter out for more than 1 hour can affect how well the cake rises.
Why is my carrot cake dense?
- You weighed your dry ingredients incorrectly: when measuring dry ingredients such as flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it is overflowing (do not pack down), then use a flat-bladed butter knife to level off the excess flour.
Can I make a two layer cake?
- Yes. To make this cake two layer, use 15 cm (6 inch) cake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes and check with a skewer. Double the cream cheese frosting recipe to cover the whole cake.
Butter vs oil in carrot cakes.
- Oil will make a carrot cake very moist and rich, like a banana bread. Using melted butter gives you a spongier, lighter cake closer to a white or vanilla cake. I highly recommend using oil for this recipe.

Storage

You can keep the iced cake un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To freeze the cooled (un-iced) cake, wrap tightly in clingwrap and place in a zip-loc or freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 6 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight then top with frosting and serve as normal.

Serving Suggestions

I always serve this carrot cake frosted with the recommended cream cheese frosting. It pairs perfectly with a hot cup of tea or coffee! You can also serve this carrot cake with a my Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or even with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

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