Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

What Makes This Carrot Cake So Moist

There are plenty of carrot cake recipes out there, but this one is designed to be simple, ridiculously good and extra-moist. A few ingredients do the heavy lifting here:

• Butter + sour cream: Most carrot cake recipes rely on vegetable oil alone, including my original pineapple carrot cake recipe. And oil absolutely makes a moist cake! But I switched things up here with melted butter and sour cream, and the difference in flavor and texture is noticeable. The butter adds richness, while the sour cream keeps the crumb tender and adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness. Use full-fat sour cream and let the butter cool slightly before adding it to the batter.
• Two kinds of sugar: You’ll need both white sugar and light brown sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture along with a hint of molasses flavor that pairs beautifully with the shredded carrots and ground cinnamon.
• Crushed pineapple with the juice: Don’t drain it! I know that feels counterintuitive, but the juice is part of what makes this cake so dang moist. And no, it doesn’t make the cake taste like pineapple. It simply brightens the flavor. You can use crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks, and fresh or canned both work. (And if you love pineapple as much as I do, try my pineapple coconut bread.)
• Freshly grated carrots: Shredding whole carrots yourself is non-negotiable for the best carrot cake. I like to use the small holes of my box grater for fine shreds of carrot that incorporate into the cake. If you have a food processor, the shredding attachment works great, too. Whatever you do, avoid the packaged pre-shredded carrots because they’re thicker and drier (and our goal is moisture!). You’ll need about 4 large carrots for this recipe.

We’ve covered the moisture-makers above, now let’s talk about a few more key ingredients you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour: Make sure you’re measuring your flour correctly by spooning the flour into your measuring cup and leveling it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs in way more flour than you want, which makes for a dense, dry cake.
• Baking soda: This is your leavening, giving the cake its lift and soft texture.
• Ground cinnamon: I like to keep my carrot sheet cake simply spiced with a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon, but nutmeg, ground ginger or even allspice add even more warmth if you love a deeply spiced cake.
• Eggs: Four eggs add structure and richness.
• Vanilla extract: Two teaspoons add lots of flavor. If you have homemade vanilla extract on hand, use that!
• Cream cheese frosting: My #1 tip for smooth, fluffy cream cheese frosting: the butter and cream cheese must be at true room temperature—not just slightly softened. If either ingredient is too cold, your frosting will be lumpy no matter how long you beat it. Use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese, not whipped or spreadable.

Nuts or no nuts? I love adding toasted walnuts or pecans for a little crunch and extra flavor, but they’re completely optional. If you have a few extra minutes, toast them at 350°F for about 8 minutes before folding them into the batter to deepen their flavor.

What about raisins? If you’re firmly on Team Raisins, stir in about ½ cup along with the nuts. Personally, I’m all about carrot cake without raisins!

This is the easiest-ever carrot cake batter. All you need is two bowls, a whisk and a spatula—no electric mixer or stand mixer needed.

Start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until combined. If you’re adding nuts or raisins, fold them in now.

Expect a thick batter. Pour it into a greased 9×13-inch pan, spread into an even layer and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

The hardest part? Letting it cool completely before you frost it. I know it’s tempting to rush this step, but warm cake and cream cheese frosting are not friends. And if cream cheese frosting isn’t your thing, my buttercream frosting would be delicious here, too!

Time to Decorate!

As a mom of four kids under 9, I’ve learned that anything involving “dirt” is an automatic hit. Crushed chocolate cookies on top of a cake? My kids lose their minds. Add candy melt carrots poking out of the “soil,” and suddenly everyone thinks you’re a genius. (If you love the dirt cup concept as much as we do, you have to try my chocolate mousse with strawberry “carrots” next!)

What you’ll need: 1½ cups finely crushed chocolate wafers, 1 cup orange candy melts, 1 cup green candy melts.

Make the candy carrots first. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt your orange and green candy melts in two separate bowls, then transfer each color into its own piping bag or sealable plastic bag with a small corner snipped off. I like to pipe the green stems first, then pipe the carrot shapes with the orange candy melts using a simple teardrop shape that connects to the stems. Let them sit at room temperature until completely firm. I always pipe a few extra just in case one or two break.

Assemble the cake. Spread the cream cheese frosting over your completely cooled carrot sheet cake. An offset spatula or large spoon works great here. Sprinkle the crushed chocolate wafers over the frosting to create the “dirt,” then gently press the candy carrots into the soil or lay them flat on top. I usually space them out so each slice gets a candy decoration.

That’s it! The whole process takes maybe 20 minutes from start to finish, and the result is a super cute cake that’s perfect for an Easter dessert table or any spring celebration.