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Home / Recipes

Mom’s Best Carrot Cake

4.30
/5
50 minutes minutes
44 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 03/10/2016

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Hands down, the BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting I’ve ever had. Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this cake is perfect for your holiday celebrations! #carrotcake #cake #Easter #spring #baking #dessert #dessertrecipe #scratch
Hands down, the BEST Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting I’ve ever had. Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this cake is perfect for your holiday celebrations! #carrotcake #cake #Easter #spring #baking #dessert #dessertrecipe #scratch

Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom’s signature dessert for years!  Try this cake and you’ll immediately know why!

Deemed a seasonal cake, carrot cake has graced many a Spring table.  I’m here to say that this cake, it should be a year-round dessert!  So incredibly soft and moist, and topped with the most luxurious frosting… you won’t want to stop eating it!

The Best Classic Carrot Cake | Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why! | http://thechunkychef.com

For as long as I can remember, my Mom has been making the most delicious carrot cake… I mean this cake is requested for just about every family function.  People rave about it, grab another piece, and continue to rave.  It’s been the iconic dessert of my childhood, and the dessert I still ask for often 🙂

My Mom makes my brother and I dessert for our birthday and always asks us if we have a request… guess what mine almost alllllways is?  Yep, this one!

The Best Classic Carrot Cake | Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why! | http://thechunkychef.com

Okay, so not exactly this one… I did deviate a little from her recipe in that I made it into a two layer cake and to add some toasted coconut, mainly because I have a *slight* obsession with coconut lol.

The Best Classic Carrot Cake | Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why! | http://thechunkychef.com

Now I do know that some people prefer some raisins in their carrot cake, or pineapple… so feel free to add a bit of whatever you love to your cake.  For me, I grew up on this original carrot cake, so I stick to what I’m used to (for the most part) 🙂

I thought this would be a great recipe to share with you all, since it’s coming up on Spring and Easter here soon… but really, this cake is just perfect any time of year.  The rich moist cake combined with the lusciously creamy frosting… it’s definitely a year-round cake!

The Best Classic Carrot Cake | Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why! | http://thechunkychef.com

As far as the toppings on the cake, you could go with the toasted coconut like I did, or some crushed walnuts, or even leave it plain.  Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with this carrot cake!

I really hope you all give this cake a go… I’m sure you’ll LOVE it!

The Best Classic Carrot Cake | Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why! | http://thechunkychef.com

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.

AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

The Best Classic Carrot Cake | Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why! | http://thechunkychef.com

Marsha's Outrageous Carrot Cake

4.30 from 17 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 -10 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why!

Ingredients

  • CAKE:
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 cups finely grated carrots
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
  • CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 - 8oz bricks of cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5-6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

  • MAKE THE CAKE:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottoms of 2 9" cake pans with parchment paper and spray sides lightly with baking spray. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the flour and baking soda and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • To the bowl of a stand mixer, add oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and spices and beat well.
  • Add in flour mixture and beat to combine.
  • Stir in the carrots and nuts.
  • Pour into prepared baking pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Let cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
  • MAKE THE FROSTING:
  • Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy.
  • Add vanilla and salt, beat to combine.
  • Slowly add in powdered sugar, beating well.
  • ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
  • Spread out coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for several minutes, until very lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
  • Spread frosting over the top of one layer of the cake, then top it with the second layer of cake. Spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
  • Sprinkle toasted coconut around the rim of the top and around the sides of the cake.
  • Keep refrigerated until about 30 minutes before serving.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

1. I got this recipe from my Mother, and asked her permission to post it here on my blog. However, I did see that it's similar to King Arthur Flour's recipe, so in the interest of fairness, I've linked to their recipe as well.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did You Make This?Tag @the_chunky_chef on Instagram and hashtag it #thechunkychef so I can see what you made!
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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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4.30 from 17 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. Sherry says

    Posted on 3/22 at 12:10 pm

    Made this cake and it was a hit everyone loved it!

    Reply
  2. Christy says

    Posted on 10/16 at 9:08 am

    Cake flavor was tasty however I think there was too much oil. Loved the spices and flavor but next time will definitely be modifying by cutrung the oil called for in half as it seemed too oily even after baking it. Frosting was delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      Posted on 10/16 at 9:13 am

      Cutting*

      Reply
  3. Juliet says

    Posted on 12/21 at 9:32 am

    Hi. I’ve been making this recipe for years it’s delicious. But I’m curious to know if I can use canola oil instead of vegetable?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/21 at 8:43 pm

      I’ve never used canola oil in this recipe, but I think it would be okay 🙂

      Reply
  4. Melissa says

    Posted on 10/25 at 7:42 am

    This cake is amazing. It actually tastes exactly like oatmeal cream pies. I made it gluten free by using gluten free flour. Excellent cake. I made it in a 9×13 glass dish and baked it for 45 minutes. It was a bit dark but it was caramelized and perfect.

    Reply
  5. Victoria says

    Posted on 9/12 at 2:28 pm

    Can this be made in a sheet pan? Temp and time in oven?
    Thanks
    Vicky

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 9/15 at 8:32 pm

      I’ve not tested this recipe that way, so I can’t say for certain what temp or time or how well that would work.

      Reply
  6. Sally says

    Posted on 4/9 at 9:10 pm

    I made this this morning for our family’s Easter dinner. It was a hit..liked by everyone. I added crushed pineapple drained very well. Loved the frosting too. Would I be able to find the parchment paper in the shape of the cake pans? I only had the sheets on hand which took me a while to get a good cut. Does Hobby Lobby or Michael’s have them? Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 4/11 at 10:50 am

      I’m glad to hear everyone enjoyed this recipe! I believe Jo-Ann has parchment rounds, but am not sure if Hobby Lobby or Michael’s have them (and of course this will vary based on where you live). I do know they’re on amazon though (https://amzn.to/3o2g9d9) 🙂

      Reply
  7. Cara says

    Posted on 4/5 at 10:23 pm

    Hi! Love this cake I make it every Easter! Family favorite! I am making this Friday for Sunday. Any tips on storing? Can I put my cakes in the freezer? Should I just put them n plastic wrap and then keep cakes and frosting n fridge and assemble day of? Thanks!

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 4/6 at 9:24 pm

      So glad you love the cake! You can freeze the cakes (without the frosting), or you can wrap them in plastic wrap, refrigerate, and assemble the day of, it’s all up to you. I would probably just refrigerate, since it’s just 2 days 🙂

      Reply
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