Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Tender, spiced, ridiculously moist carrot cake studded with pecans and raisins, crowned with thick cream cheese frosting. Everyone's favorite spring dessert.
- Total time:
- 1 hr 30 min
- Servings:
- 12
- Per serving:
- 620 kcal
- Cost per serving:
- $1.40
- Difficulty:
- medium
Step-by-step
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch pans.
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt.
Whisk eggs, both sugars, oil, and vanilla 2 minutes until well combined.
Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
Fold in carrots, pecans, and raisins.
Divide between pans. Bake 32–35 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
34 min timer
Cool in pans 15 minutes, then on a rack completely.
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat fluffy.
Frost between layers and on top. Refrigerate 30 minutes before slicing.
Cook's tip
Grate carrots fresh. pre-shredded carrots are dry and woody. Oil (not butter) keeps the crumb tender for days.
Storage
Refrigerate covered 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze unfrosted layers 2 months.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620
- Protein
- 7g
- Carbs
- 70g
- Fat
- 36g
- Fiber
- 2g
- Sugar
- 54g
- Sat Fat
- 13g
- Sodium
- 420mg
Estimates based on USDA FoodData Central. See our nutrition disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
No pecans?
Sub walnuts, or omit entirely. Sub coconut flakes for crunch.
One-pan version?
Use a 9x13 pan. Bake 35–40 minutes. Frost on top only.
Reviews
Aisha K.
2 weeks ago
Loved it but added an extra scotch bonnet — we like it spicy. Recipe scales well, made a double batch.
✓ Would make again
Tola O.
3 days ago
Made this for Sunday lunch — the smoky bottom turned out perfect. Family demolished the pot in twenty minutes.
✓ Would make again
Marcus B.
1 week ago
First time cooking this and the timing notes saved me. Did not lift the lid once. The crust at the bottom was the best part.
✓ Would make again
Reviews shown are illustrative pre-launch. Real user reviews appear here as the community grows.
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