The Best Carrot Cake Ever
Made with carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and spices we think this easy sheet cake topped with cream cheese frosting is the best carrot cake ever.
By Yankee Magazine|Apr 11 2022|
Carrot cake with grated carrots, pineapple, and walnuts.
Photo Credit: Aimee TuckerMade with carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and spices we think this easy sheet cake topped with cream cheese frosting is the best carrot cake ever.
SEE MORE: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield:
About 24 two-inch squares
Cake
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups lightly packed shredded carrots
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13×9-inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, and vanilla just until combined. At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, place onto a rack, and let cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
6 ounces (2 small packages) softened cream cheese
6 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon minced orange peel
2 to 2-1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
For frosting: Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Adjust the amount of confectioners’ sugar, depending on how stiff you like the icing to be.
Now this is real carrot cake! It’s very moist, and the cream cheese icing really tops it off.
Very good and very moist cake.
Saltless butter in the frosting might be better-
Don’t even try to figure the calorie count – just enjoy it!!!!!!
I just love carrot cake and this is so moist, thank you so much!!!
Is it a total of 6oz of cream cheese? Or 12oz?
Jean, good question. I think the “2 small packages” may be referring to a time when you could buy small 3 oz. packages of cream cheese. When I made the cake, I just used 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter and one “modern” package of cream cheese (8 ounces) to keep it easy, and nudged the sugar up a tiny bit. It’s hard to have too much frosting, right? If it seems a little thick you can also add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until the consistency is right. Thanks!
I have been making this recipe for years, and it is by far the best carrot cake ever!!
Recipe is correctly named. Found recipe in a SoCA newspaper and used it since the mid-70’s. Have tried others even the “famous” UCLA recipe but this one is the best. It makes 3 8″ layers. Layers freeze well. Serving one layer at a time helps bring down the calorie count!
I have made this same recipe for 40+ years, and it is a family favorite! It’s flavorful, moist, and oh-so-good!
I too have been making this version for 30+ years; except mine has the addition of 6 oz plain yogurt. So moist and delicious! The best carrot cake you’ll ever make!
Jennifer, the yogurt addition seems interesting, do you add it to the batter or frosting?
Thanks so much !!!!
Reserve the pineapple juice from crushed pineapple to thin the frosting and add half cup shredded coconut to both batter and frosting.
try coconut in the recipe too
Has anyone made this with less sugar and less oil, maybe substituting mashed bananas? Thx!
My aunt gave me this recipe in the 60’s she received from her sister in Anaheim, CA. The recipe I use includes one cup of sugar, and I substitute applesauce for the oil. I peel and chop an apple, usually granny smith, cook until tender, then mash it with a potato masher. It’s chunky, adding moisture, and texture to the cake. It is so popular I am requested to make it for most of our outings.
This receipe is very similar to a carrot cake I’ve made each year for my husbands birthday cake but I add raisins to mine as well and he prefer’s pecans. Yummy for sure!
Sorry for the second comment but I forgot to say I add coconut as well.
Why can’t we read the individual rating reviews?
Could you make this in a bundt pan? Thanks