Super Easy Carrot Cake
This Super Easy Carrot Cake boasts a moist crumb, plenty of warm cinnamon spice, and a fluffy cream cheese frosting. It literally stays tender for days, so you can make it ahead of time. So much easier and just as delicious as layered cake!
Servings: 16
Ingredients
For Carrot Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cup canola or olive oil
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups finely grated carrots
- 10 ounces crushed pineapple, well drained
- ½ cups optional raisins
- ½ cups optional chopped walnuts, plus more for garnish
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cups softened butter
- 16 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold mixture into dry ingredients until fully incorporated; do not over mix.
- Gently fold in carrots, and pineapple. Fold in optional raisins and walnuts, if desired.
- Use a rubber spatula to transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake about 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out almost clean, with a few tender crumbs attached. Let cake cool completely at room temperature.
For the Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, add the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Use electric mixer to beat well. Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until incorporated. If too thick, add small amount of milk. If too thin, add small amounts of sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cake and garnish with chopped walnuts, if desired.
Notes
- If your frosting feels too soft, put it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to let it firm up. Frosting naturally thickens as it sits.
- Be sure to fully drain the crushed pineapple. The juices are delicious, but will leave cake batter too watery.
- Topping Options: I love festive sprinkles for a birthday carrot cake. You can also set aside some cream cheese frosting, mix with orange and green food dye in two Ziploc sandwich bags, cut off a bit of the corner, and pipe little carrots onto the top.
- See original article for substitutions and variations.
- For the ultimate carrot cake decadence, try drizzling some of this 4-Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce over your carrot cake!
- This recipe is part of our Best Spring and Easter Recipes Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 3318IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg