Best Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe

Close up view of the side of a slice of 3-layer homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and white marble background.

Best Homemade Carrot Cake Recipe

This is the Best Homemade Carrot Cake recipe because it is a sweet, moist, and dense Carrot Cake made from scratch with pineapple, raisins, and pecans. When you want a dessert that everyone will love, make this cake!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword best carrot cake, best homemade carrot cake, carrot cake, homemade carrot cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 22

Total Time 37

Servings

Calories 585kcal

Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

2-1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (8 oz can) crushed pineapple drained
3/4 cup raisins

Caramel Syrup

3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting

2-1/2 (8 oz packages) cream cheese softened
1 cup butter softened (2 sticks butter or 16 Tbls)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar sifted
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare either two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8" cake pans by 1) lining them with parchment paper, or 2) Spray with baking spray and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the sugar, milk, vegetable oil and eggs together. Add in the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients (eggs, sugar, etc.) and mix until combined. (Don't overmix)
Fold in the carrot, pineapple, raisins and pecans and stir.
Divide the batter evenly and pour into the prepared cake pans.
Place into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Place the cakes on wire racks to let them cool.

Caramel Syrup

As soon as the cakes are finished baking, make the caramel syrup.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and butter over medium heat. Whisk constantly so that the sugar does not burn on the bottom of the pan.
Once the butter has melted and the sugar has started to melt into the butter, turn to medium-low heat. Continue to whisk and let the sugar continue to melt for 2 minutes.
Add in the corn syrup and whisk for 30 seconds. Add in the baking soda. Continue to heat over low heat and whisk for another minute or until the mixture starts to turn a caramel color. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Once the syrup is made, pour over the warm cakes. If the mixture is too thick, spread it around the top of the cakes with a rubber spatula or back of a spoon.

Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cakes are cooling, make cream cheese frosting.
Combine all of the frosting ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until a smooth frosting has formed.
Remove one cake layer from the pan and place it onto a cake stand or plate.
Using an offset spatula or a rubber spatula, spread about ¼ c of cream cheese frosting on top of the first layer. Place a second layer on top of the frosting. Spread another ¼ c of frosting onto the second layer. Top with the final layer of cake. I like to put the last layer on bottom-up so that it is smooth and flat.
Frost the top and sides with all but ⅓ c of frosting if you would like to pipe some frosting on top of the cake. If you do not want to decorate the top with frosting, use all of it on the top and sides.

Decorate The Cake

To decorate, sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the cake.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with remaining ⅓ c of frosting.
Pipe little swirls in a circle by place the piping tip almost directly on top of the cake. Apply a little pressure to the piping bag until frosting starts to come out. Lift up and release pressure to finish off the swirl. To achieve a fairly even circle, I like to pipe on swirl, pipe another one directly opposite of the first one. Continue around the cake doing the same thing.
Once the cake is frosted, slice, serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Use quality cake pans to bake the cake. It truly makes a difference in how well and how evenly the cake cooks. It is true. The folks at Bakepedia have actually tested cake pans and found this to be true.
Use parchment paper at the bottom of the cake pan to make it easier to remove the cake. Place a cake pan on top of the parchment paper, draw a line around it with a pencil. Then cut the parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the cake pan.
Make sure the baking powder and baking soda you are using are fresh. I've made this mistake before. If they are not fresh, your cake may not rise.
Be sure not to over-mix the batter! It is easy to do. The reason that you don't want to over-mix it is because too much air can get into the batter and cause the cake to fall when it cools.
Make it easy on yourself and make the cake and frosting the day before you want to serve it. That's right. It will still be good.
Cover the cake and keep it at room temperature overnight, and refrigerate the frosting in an air-tight container.

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