Recipes and Cooking Best-Loved Carrot Cake 4.2 (66) 3 Reviews Our carrot cake recipe is delicious on its own, but it becomes completely irresistible once topped with homemade cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of chopped pecans. Once you've mastered the classic recipe for carrot cake, try the ginger-infused version. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 3, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Jason Donnelly Hands On Time: 30 mins Bake Time: 35 mins Cool Time: 2 hrs Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Servings: 12 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 2 cup all-purpose flour 2 cup sugar 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) ½ teaspoon salt 4 eggs, room temperature ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 cup finely shredded carrot* (lightly packed) ¾ cup cooking oil ½ cup finely chopped pecans, toasted (optional) 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened ½ cup butter, softened 2 teaspoon vanilla 5 ½ - 6 cup powdered sugar Directions Carrot Cake Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans ; line pans with waxed paper and grease the pans. Set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon (if desired), salt, and baking soda; set aside. In another bowl combine eggs, carrot, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans; cool thoroughly. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans over frosting. Cover and store cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cream Cheese Frosting In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. Carrot-Ginger Cake Prepare as above, except omit the cinnamon; add 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger with the eggs, carrot, and oil. Tips *Note The carrots need to be finely shredded or they may sink to the bottom of pan during baking. To Store Your Homemade Carrot Cake After frosting, you can store the carrot cake in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 711 Calories 30g Fat 108g Carbs 6g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 12 Calories 711 % Daily Value * Total Fat 30g 38% Saturated Fat 10g 50% Cholesterol 112mg 37% Sodium 350mg 15% Total Carbohydrate 108g 39% Total Sugars 90g Protein 6g Vitamin C 1.8mg 9% Calcium 60.6mg 5% Iron 1.4mg 8% Potassium 173mg 4% Folate, total 56.4mcg Vitamin B-12 0.3mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.