This To Die For Carrot Cake recipe receives rave reviews for it’s unbelievable moistness and delicious flavor! Truly the BEST Carrot Cake you’ll ever try! So easy to make and as an added bonus, there’s no oil or butter. I know this cake will quickly become a family favorite! Looking for a layered cake alternative? Check out these Carrot Cake Bars!
Carrot Cake
There is nothing like a cake to transform an ordinary party into a celebration. There’s something so festive about cakes that scream it’s time to PARTY! Today I’m sharing a cake recipe with you all that’s a family heirloom. I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to share this recipe with you!
This is my Nana’s recipe – slightly modified – and it is sooo amazing! I get requests several times a year for this To Die For Carrot Cake and made it just last week for my sister’s birthday. I love this recipe because it’s a one-two-three recipe and that makes it so easy! It also is a one-bowl wonder which I love.
I have made this recipe hundreds of times and all my friends and family love this cake so much so that I get asked to bring it to parties, holidays, potlucks, and BBQs all year long. I just love that it’s SO easy to make and completely foolproof!
Best Carrot Cake Recipe
This carrot cake with pineapple makes it so moist and the addition of coconut adds a sweet, delicate flavor that you’re going to love!
I have many carrot cake recipes on my site – like these Carrot Cake Bars – but they are all variations of this one. There isn’t another recipe that I’ve ever tried that even comes close to this carrot cake recipe for flavor, moistness, and texture. It’s hands down the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Period.
What’s In Carrot Cake
This easy carrot cake recipe with cream cheese frosting stands out from the rest for two important reasons: I use both applesauce (instead of oil) and pineapple for extra moistness. The rest of the ingredients are typical cake ingredients that you most likely already have on hand,.
- unsweetened applesauce or oil (my Nana used oil, I use applesauce)
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- carrots
- shredded sweetened coconut
- chopped nuts optional
- vanilla
- crushed pineapple
Does Carrot Cake Have Raisins?
This is totally up to you. I don’t include it in my recipe because so many in my family don’t like raisins. If you’d like to add raisins to this recipe, add half a cup of raisins in with the shredded carrot in Step 3. Golden raisins are especially delicious in this recipe!
Carrot Cake Frosting
My Nana’s recipe is super simple (as easy as 1-2-3) and tastes incredible but what’s a carrot cake without cream cheese frosting??
Cream cheese frosting is the standard when it comes to carrot cake and with good reason. Soft and gooey with a hint of tang from the cream cheese – it’s the perfect complement!
How To Decorate!
You can decorate the cake however you want and I do it differently every time. You really can’t do this wrong!
- After the cakes have finished cooling, invert one of the cakes onto a cake plate or stand. Apply a generous dollop of frosting and spread to cover. An offset spatula will make quick work of this. Gently place the second cake on top and continue frosting.
- For this carrot cake recipe, I chose to decorate with the nuts. I chopped up some toasted pecans and then inverted a bowl onto the cake.
- Gently spread the pecans around the bowl and you’ll end up with a nice clean circle on the center of the cake. Watch the video below to see how I did it!
- I could have left it like this but my family loves coconut so I filled in the center with shredded coconut. Turned out really pretty!
What a cake!! I’d love for you to give this from scratch carrot cake recipe a try – it really will blow your mind! I like to use light cream cheese frosting and then subbing the applesauce for the oil, well, obviously you can now have two pieces of cake!
Do you have family recipes that the whole family just LOVES like this cake recipe?? I’m so thankful that I was able to get so many fabulous recipes from my Nana. Every time we eat this cake, I think of her and all the yummy times we had together.
Tips for the Best Carrot Cake
- Toasting the pecans (if you’re using them) adds even more amazing flavor to this recipe.
- DO NOT use pre-shredded carrots. Buy standard carrots, peel and grate by hand for the best results. You want the fresh flavor in this cake – it’s what makes it so outstanding!
- I used three 8-inch cake pans in the video. I really like the size of the cake with three layers. These are the pans I used – they’re amazing!
- These cakes are SUPER moist – amazingly so. Make sure to adequately grease your pans before adding the cake batter. My little brother likes to grease his pans, and line them with a piece of parchment before baking. I’m far too lazy for that. Using the pans above, and some baking spray that has the flour added in (like Baker’s Joy or Pam with flour), I have never, ever had any sticking issues.
- I’ve had several requests from people wanting to know where I got my cake serving set from… Amazon, of course!
How To Make Carrot Cupcakes
This recipe can easily be converted into a cupcake recipe. I do recommend that you use parchment liners because this cake is very moist and could stick to regular paper liners.
To make carrot cupcakes:
- Follow instructions 1 and 2 below.
- Place liners in muffin pan and fill two-thirds full.
- Bake at 350F for 18 to 22 minutes.
- Let carrot cupcakes cool before frosting.
Try these cake recipes!
- Orange Creamsicle Cake
- Lemon Zucchini Cake
- Best Ever Texas Sheet Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Roulade
- Zucchini Spice Cake
How To Make Carrot Cake
To Die For Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
One
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened applesauce or oil, this is what my Nana used
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
Two
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Three
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup chopped nuts optional
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup Dole crushed pineapple not drained! {use the pineapple in JUICE not syrup}
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- top with toasted pecans or coconut if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine #1 ingredients. Add #2 ingredients. Stir in #3 ingredients.
- Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 , two 9-inch pans or three 8-inch pans. (The cake is very moist so cutting parchment for the bottom of your pans will ensure they don't stick. I prefer to use the non-stick baking spray that has the flour in it for easy cake removal.)
- Bake for 35-40 minutes for the 9x13 and 9-inch pans and 25-30 minutes for the 8-inch pans. You're looking for an inserted toothpick to come out clean.
- Let cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
For the frosting:
- Beat the butter and cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth.
- Invert the cake onto a cake plate or stand.
- Apply a generous dollop of frosting and spread...
- Gently place the second cake on top and continue frosting. Repeat with the third cake if you made three.
- Refrigerate for an hour before serving for best results.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Original post published August 18, 2012. Updated February 27, 2018.
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Lynne says
Made this cake for a co-workers birthday… everyone loved it… even a co-worker who didn’t like cake..have probably made this cake 20 times in the last 2 years. Family and friends request this cake and the recipe. I use applesauce instead of oil!!
Indira says
I made it and it was eaten off in two days by my family and friends.
Ronda says
I love this recipe! I use it for cupcakes and reduce the cooking time. I’ve also made it with a sugar substitute and almond flour and it’s still amazing. I once added ground macadamia nuts to give more bulk with the sugar substitute and it was great!
Thank you! !
Lesley says
Have made this amazing cake several times. Each time a massive success.
I’m wondering if you can freeze the cake?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You can, but not frosted. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil and then place in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. It’ll keep for about 3 months that way.
Janice ! says
I made this for the first time last year for my son’s 34th birthday. I’ve never made a carrot cake before and generally not a fan.
It was a HUGE hit! My son’s fiance said this will be their wedding cake. Everyone RAVES about it! I followed the directions EXACTLY and have only used it with the oil but the next time I make it, I’m going to try the applesauce!
5 stars🙂
Nichole says
This was the weirdest, yet best carrot cake I ever had, lol. I made a couple small changes in that I used 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar. My batter seemed very wet, so I used DRAINED pineapple instead. I chose to use the apple sauce as opposed to the oil. As for the cream cheese frosting, I personally only used 2 cups powdered sugar as I found the cake plenty sweet enough, so wanted a bit more “bite” from the cream cheese. We aren’t coconut people, so I omitted that all together and replaced with golden raisins. I had no problem with it sticking to my pan, I just used plan o’ butter. Im unsure if i’ve ever had carrot cake with pineapple, and I really did love it! Everyone enjoyed it, though it didn’t seem like the “classic carrot cake” we’re used to. This is definitely a recipe to save. I like to call it my “fruit carrot cake”.
Brandy says
Best carrot cake recipe I have came across! Thank you so much!
Marcia Crew says
This is my favorite carrot cake recipe! I use 1 cup applesauce and 1/4th cup oil and
also add a little nutmeg and cloves. I’m making it for my birthday this year. Yummy!
Karen says
BEST Carrot Cake yet!! We have a carrot cake “tradition” at our house for birthdays and this is the BEST one yet. Thank you! I tweaked it a little by adding addtl spices (nutmeg, cloves, allspice) in addition to cinnamon. I also substituted 1/2 orange juice for oil. DELICIOUS! Frosting was great… stopped adding sugar at 2.5 cups and the frosty was smooth, tangy and sweet enough… new family favorite, thank you!
Jillian says
I’ve made this cake several times and have gotten so much praise every time. I do add more spices to the cake mix (nutmeg, clove, a bit of ginger) in addition to more cinnamon to get more of a spiced carrot cake. I would recommend doubling up on the recipe for a massive carrot cake tower. Makes the people go nuts. Great recipe!
leah says
can anyone describe the differences in using oil vs. applesauce? i am so excited to bake this this weekend!!
Maria says
This recipe is a favourite in our home! It’s the best!!
Sarah says
I love your carrot cake recipe. This is go for recipe if i’m craving carrot cake. ever since i found your recipe i never tried other recipe anymore. The best carrot cake i ever had💕💕💕💕💕. saying Hi from Malaysia
Gloria Kourounis says
Okay. It s not necessary to drain pineapple. But it was a bit dense.
Latricia says
Me and my hubs made this yesterday and OMG it’s delicious, I was nervous about the applesauce and pineapple but it was awesome and so extremely moist. We only cooked it for 35min in 2 9in pans. I did add raisins to ours. I’ll definitely make it again.