Best Carrot Cake

Truly our best-ever carrot cake recipe, this classic favorite is fit for a crowd, and you might not have any leftovers to bring home. We even tested our recipe against the Queen Elizabeth II's carrot cake, and the Southern version won by a landslide.

This is a cake you can bake for any occasion from Easter to Christmas, or just because you’re craving some carrot cake.

Here, see how to make carrot cake step by step. Plus, learn everything you need to know about carrot cake, including how to store it, how to frost it, and how to make sure it stays moist.

Love the flavors of carrot cake but don't want to fuss with a layer cake? Look no further than our Carrot Cake Bars.

Ingredients for the Best Carrot Cake 

Part of what makes this the Best Carrot Cake are three important ingredients: canned crushed pineapple, flaked coconut, and chopped nuts. Without these key ingredients, we probably wouldn't call this recipe our "best."

• Crushed pineapple: This is the secret to moist carrot cake. You won’t really taste the pineapple in the cake, but it will help keep it tender, thanks to its acid content and natural enzymes. The pineapple’s juice also adds moisture and a touch of extra sweetness. It may seem odd, but this is one ingredient not to skip. If you can’t find or don’t have crushed pineapple, you can substitute applesauce, but it won’t be quite the same.
• Flaked coconut: Coconut in carrot cake is a distinctly Southern touch. It adds both texture to the cake and a touch of sweetness (plus, it beats raisins any day). You can skip it, but the coconut plays well off the tang of the buttermilk and warm notes of the cinnamon. Toasting the coconut before adding it into the batter will only help amp up its flavor.
• Chopped nuts: You don’t have to add nuts to your carrot cake, but we think the best versions do. Pecans are the Southern choice, but walnuts are delicious, too. Whichever you use, make sure to toast the nuts before adding them into the batter to maximize their flavor. 

How To Make the Best Carrot Cake 

Don’t be intimidated by this layer cake; it looks and tastes impressive, but is one of the easier layer cakes to make. 

1) Prepare the pans, and mix the dry ingredients: Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper; lightly grease and flour parchment paper. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

2) Make the batter: Beat eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Fold in grated carrots, pineapple, coconut, and nuts. Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans.

3) Bake, glaze, frost: Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Drizzle the Buttermilk Glaze evenly over the layers; cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Remove the layers from the pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Secret Weapon: Buttermilk Glaze

This cake wouldn’t be our best without the Buttermilk Glaze. This glaze, a combination of sugar, butter, buttermilk, baking soda, corn syrup, and vanilla gets poured onto the warm layers and absorbed, keeping the crumb of the cake extra moist and supple. It adds additional sweetness and a little tang. Trust us, this cake isn’t the same without this glaze. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my carrot cake soft and moist?

Aside from not overbaking the cake layers, using crushed pineapple in the batter can help keep the cake moist, and don’t skip the Buttermilk Glaze–without it, the cake inherently won’t be as moist.

Why is my carrot cake not fluffy?

Carrot cake will never be as light and fluffy as a sponge cake. That said, it can become overly dense.

This can happen for a few reasons, from not mixing the eggs enough to incorporate air to adding in too many mix-ins like nuts, coconut, or raisins that can weigh down the cake batter–don't be tempted to fold in extra mix-ins or even carrots, stick to the amounts in the ingredient list for the best results.

Why do you use oil instead of butter in carrot cake?

Oil helps keep carrot cake extra moist and also helps extend its shelf life. You can use melted butter or a combination of both oil and melted butter if you want that butter flavor, but using only oil will make for a more moist cake.

What is the best way to grate carrots for carrot cake?

Use the large holes of a box grater to grate your carrots. It’s not a fun task, but pre-shredded carrots are too stringy and thick, meaning they don’t yield the right texture. Plus, they aren’t as moist as fresh carrots, so you’ll get a drier cake if you use them.

Does carrot cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes, because of the cream cheese frosting, carrot cake needs to be stored in the fridge. There, it'll stay good for up to five or six days.

Can you freeze carrot cake?

You can't freeze frosted carrot cake, but if you need to get ahead for a party or birthday, you can make the cake layers and freeze them. To do this, cook and cool the cake layers completely. Then wrap in plastic wrap before wrapping in aluminum foil.

Once you're ready to use the cake, just remove the layers from the freezer, and let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Then glaze and frost.

Southern Living Community Tips

If you don’t want to make this cake as a layer cake community member, ‘snapcook,’ says, “I make this every Easter, with 3 layers or in a 9x13 pan. It’s great either way! Rave reviews every time.” As if this cake couldn't get any better, you can customize it to whatever pan you have or how much time and effort you want to put into assembling and decorating.

Editorial Contributions by: Alana Al-Hatlani.