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This easy carrot cake recipe is easy, delicious, and perfect for feeding a crowd! It’s ideal for Easter, but tasty all year long!
This easy carrot cake is an Easter must-have. If you’re looking for more, check out our Carrot Cake Cupcakes!
The Easiest Carrot Cake!
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE carrot cake, it’s one of my favorite desserts. While it’s delicious year-round, I especially crave it in the spring and around Easter.
Why we love it:
- Easy. Just simple ingredients, easy prep, and a more-than-satisfactory result.
- The flavor! The spices, moist cake crumb, and tangy cream cheese frosting (preferably lots of it) are all divine, making it a great Easter dessert.
- Feeds a crowd. It’s made in a jelly roll pan – sheet cake style – perfect for feeding everyone!
Carrot Cake Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- salt
- vegetable oil
- sugar
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- sour cream – or greek yogurt
- fresh grated carrots – Freshly shredded carrots are a must. Prepackaged shredded carrots are too dry and crunchy, and won’t produce as good of results.
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- heavy whipping cream
- chopped walnuts – are optional. You can also use chopped pecans.
How to Make Easy Carrot Cake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 13×17-inch jelly roll pan.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat together the oil and sugars until evenly combined. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until no sugar lumps remain.
- You may need to turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- COMBINE. With the mixer on low speed, carefully beat in the flour mixture, followed by the grated carrots. Be careful not to over-mix.
- BAKE. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and if you give the pan a gentle nudge the middle doesn’t wobble.
- COOL. Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat together the butter and cream cheese until very well softened and evenly combined.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. Turn the mixer down to low speed and carefully beat in the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, followed by the vanilla. Beat in the whipping cream 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, or add in a little extra powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- FROST THE CAKE. Frost the cooled cake, then decorate with chopped walnuts if desired.
Pro Tip!
Adding whipping cream will make it more thin and creamy, and adding more powdered sugar will thicken it up. Change this based on the preferred consistency.
Recipe Tips
- Different pan sizes. Insert a toothpick in the center to know when the cake is perfectly baked.
- 9-inch round or square cake pans: Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. (If using smaller pans, a frosting filling can be added between the first layer and the second layer of cake).
- 9×13 pan (with sides at least 2 inches tall): Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes.
- Cupcakes: Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes.
- Mini cupcakes: Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
- Ways to decorate.
- Orange flowers. With a piping set, use orange frosting to pipe on beautiful flowers.
- Frosting carrots. Use a piping bag of orange frosting with a small piping tip and a bag of green frosting with a small tip. Space the carrots so that each square serving has a single carrot in the center, pipe them on randomly, or create other designs.
- Chocolate-covered strawberries. Top with Easter Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
STORING Info
- STORE unfrosted carrot cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, covered with plastic wrap or foil. If it is frosted, keep it in the fridge for up to a week (since the frosting has perishable dairy items in it).
- Store the leftovers in the pan, or slice it up and keep the individual slices in an airtight container.
- FREEZE. This easy carrot cake recipe freezes well, even if it’s iced. If making carrot cake in advance and freezing the whole thing, cover the cooled cake with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil, and place it in the freezer.
- To freeze frosted leftovers, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and foil, or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag for 4-6 months.
For More Easter Sweets:
Carrot Cake Recipe
Classic sheet pan carrot cake is easy, delicious, and perfect for feeding a crowd! It's ideal for Easter, but tasty all year long!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs room temp
- 3 tablespoons sour cream (greek yogurt works too)
- 2½ cups grated carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2½ – 3½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream as needed
- ½ cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 13×17-inch jelly roll pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat together the oil and sugars until evenly combined. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until no sugar lumps remain. You may need to turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, carefully beat in the flour mixture, followed by the grated carrots. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and if you give the pan a gentle nudge the middle doesn't wobble.
- Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan before frosting.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat together the butter and cream cheese until very well softened and evenly combined.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed and carefully beat in the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, followed by the vanilla. Beat in the whipping cream 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, or add in a little extra powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- Frost the cooled cake, then decorate with chopped walnuts if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 224kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 261mg, Potassium: 172mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 2890IU, Vitamin C: 0.9mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This seriously looks delicious and perfect for any function! Thanks, Fiona! For more great recipes from her, be sure to head on over to Just So Tasty.
Such a yummy version of carrot cake! I like the fact that its made In a sheet pan and makes alOt. So moist and love the cream cheese frosting.
I love how easy and delicious this recipe is. It’ll be on my Easter menu this year.
This is my husbands favorite cake. I rarely make it from scratch because it’s such a pain. But this recipe makes it so easy and doable. Thanks!
The easier, the better! Love carrot cake!
This really is so easy!! My family loves this cake! My favorite is the cream cheese frosting. It goes so well with the cake. An Easter favorite!
I’m going to have this soon! We love carrot cake in our home and this sheet pan variation looks amazing!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you!! I hope you do try it soon. I’d love to know what you think!
this is an incredible recipe! i have tried many recipes on different websites but this one was just incredible! if you want a baking project, try this delicious cake 😀
Thank you so much for sharing that! I am glad you liked it!
Yikes…mine is in the oven and just realized the sour cream wasnt used. It’s not listed in the directions. Where was that to go and when?
You know, you are right! This post is from Fiona at http://www.justsotasty.com/. I would leave her a message on her site & she’ll be able to get back to you sooner. I am guessing you mix it with the last ingredients mentioned.
Actually I have saved from your website lot of recipes but today I tried this one! Firstly I was little worried if it wont come too sweet cause of too much sugar. It came incredibly good and tasty! Cake is so moist and the cheese frosting is just amazing! Everybody liked so much! Saved it as my favourite! Thanks!
Love from Turkey xx
I love to hear that. Thank you for trying this! I can’t wait for you to try others 🙂
This was simply the BEST carrot cake ever! So good in fact, that my son and soon to be daughter-in-law want me to make it for their wedding this October. I was wondering how many 9-inch round cake pans this recipe will make. I was thinking three, but I want your opinion. And how long a bake time? Again, I was thinking 30-35 minutes, but again, want your opinion. This recipe is fabulous!
That would be great at a wedding! I am so glad you liked it! I am thinking 3 as well, but I wouldn’t know the exact baking time. I would look on the back of a cake box mix & see the comparisons for the different size pans. I would think 30-35 min sounds close 🙂