The Best Ever Carrot Cake Recipe

It may seem audacious to claim this is the best ever carrot cake recipe since it's the first time I've ever made a carrot cake, but I have certainly eaten many many carrot cakes in my life and this one is perfection. I started with this 5 star recipe and read through many of the reviews to gauge the adjustments I wanted to make and the end result was insanely good! Sweet but not overly sweet, and loads of frosting because you should never scrimp on cream cheese frosting! I'm going to go cut another piece to eat while writing this down for you...

The Best Ever Carrot Cake Recipe

Makes a two layer 9" cake

Cake ingredients:

• 1 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 ¼ cups olive oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups grated carrots 

Frosting ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

METHOD:

Prepare the Oven and Pan:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease and flour two 9" round pans. Cut parchment paper rounds to line the bottom of each pan and grease and flower on top of the round.

Mix Wet Ingredients:

• In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, olive oil, eggs, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until well combined.

Combine Dry Ingredients:

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.​

Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures:

• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.​

Add Carrots and Nuts:

• Take the grated carrots and press out any added moisture with a paper towel. Then stir the grated carrots into the batter.

Bake the Cake:

• Split the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.​

Prepare the Frosting:

• In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.

Frost the Cake:

Once the cake has cooled completely (about 2 hours) place one cake round on your cake plate. If the cake has domed a lot you may want to shave the top a bit so it's level and mostly flat. Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top.​ Place the second cake round on top, then frost the entire exterior of the cake. Top with crushed pecans and enjoy!