The Ultimate Carrot Cake

5 from 7 votes

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

This little guy was absolutely dreamy. I've always been a fan of the classic carrot cake, yet the extra dose of grated carrots and graham crackers added flavor and moisture that won me over immediately.

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Slices

Calories: 869kcal

Author: Emily Laurae

Equipment

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

1 cup All-Purpose Flour
¾ Cup Graham Crackers crumbs, ground up in food processor
¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¾ teaspoon Sea Salt
¼ teaspoon Allspice
¼ teaspoon Cloves
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
¾ teaspoon Ground Ginger
¾ cup Granulated Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar
¾ cup Light Tasting Olive Oil or Canola Oil
3 Large eggs
3.25 cups Carrots Peeled and Grated

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ Cup Butter
3 Cups Cream Cheese
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Carrot Cake

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
1 cup All-Purpose Flour, ¾ Cup Graham Crackers, ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Baking Powder, ¾ teaspoon Sea Salt, ¼ teaspoon Allspice, ¼ teaspoon Cloves, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ¾ teaspoon Ground Ginger
In another large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, and eggs until the batter is smooth and no sugar lumps remain.
¾ cup Granulated Sugar, ¾ cup Brown Sugar, ¾ cup Light Tasting Olive Oil or Canola Oil, 3 Large eggs
Stir in the grated carrots and pour into the flour mixture.
3.25 cups Carrots
Mix together all your ingredients well until well combined.
Spray/grease and flour the bottom of your cake pans. Pour the batter evenly between three six-inch cake pans and bake each layer for about 30 minutes.
If you don't have six-inch cake pans, feel free to distribute the batter evenly in your preferred pans and bake until your cake has passed the toothpick test!
Let the cake rest in the pan for about 15 minutes on a cooling rack before removing each layer from their pans.
Make sure that each layer has been cooled completely before starting the frosting process.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and somewhat fluffy.
¾ Cup Butter, 3 Cups Cream Cheese
Scrape down the sides, then add in the powdered sugar slowly and vanilla paste - you're now prepared to frost your cake!
3 Cups Powdered Sugar, 1 tablespoon Vanilla Paste
After frosting, add walnuts, flowers or even extra graham crackers as decoration! Make sure to chill your cake in order for the frosting to set before serving. I prefer putting the frosted cake in the fridge overnight for the tastiest results.

Notes

Adapted from the lovely Smitten Kitchen

Baking tips and tricks

To ensure the cake doesn’t stick - Thoroughly grease the cake pans with cooking spray. Next, sprinkle a little flour on the bottom and/or around the sides of the pans. If you want to go a step further, add a parchment paper circle to the bottom.
Cooling is crucial! Make sure each cake layer has completely cooled before starting the frosting process. Otherwise, the frosting will melt right off!
Chill the cake before serving - Place the frosted cake in the fridge to set before serving. I prefer to leave it overnight for the tastiest results.
More carrot cake add-ins - For added texture, you can stir walnuts, raisins, pecans, or fresh pineapple into the cake batter when you add the carrots.

Frequently asked questions

Can I turn this recipe into cupcakes? Yes! This recipe should make about 12 cupcakes. Make the batter as normal and pour it into a lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350ºF for 14 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Why is my carrot cake dry? This can happen for a few reasons: either you overmixed the batter after combining the wet and dry mixture, you didn’t use enough oil, you used storebought pre-shredded carrots instead of shredding them yourself, or the cake was overbaked.

I don’t have a 6-inch cake pan. What else can I use? If you don't have 6-inch cake pans, feel free to distribute the batter evenly into the baking pan(s) of your choice. Bake at 350ºF until your cake has passed the toothpick test!

How do you store carrot cake? I recommend storing the individual slices or the entire frosted cake in the fridge for about 5 or 6 days.

Can you freeze carrot cake? You can! Leave the cake unfrosted and wrap the baked layers in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months and let them thaw in the fridge before frosting.

Nutrition