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Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Moist, Classic & Homemade)

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 16
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup milk room temperature
  • 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
  • 3 eggs
  • 1½ cups brown sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice
Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon powder
Stir-Ins
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 440 g crushed pineapple drained
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut
  • ½ cup walnuts or pecans chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 180 g cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Notes

What You Will Like About This Carrot Cake Recipe
The crumb is super soft and moist due to an oil-based batter plus loads of fresh carrots added into the cake. It has a tender bite without being greasy, and stays in this same moist state for days.
You will also like how simple the ingredient list appears to be. This is an old-fashioned homemade carrot cake recipe made with pantry basics, so you can whip one up at any time-without a last minute dash to the store.
Fresh carrots make all the difference. Pre-shredded carrots are just too dry and thick, but newly grated carrots melt perfectly into the batter giving you that perfect carrot cake from scratch texture.
The cinnamon brings the cozy factor. It’s not overpowering, but it adds the perfect warmth that makes this taste like a classic carrot cake you’d find at a bakery.
And if you are a lover of texture, then optional raisins and pecans will be a game changer. They deliver chewiness, crunch, and that old-school carrot cake feeling.
In the end, it is whipped-style frosting which becomes the star. It is creamy and fluffy-lighter than traditional cream cheese frosting hence making this to be the best cream cheese frosting for carrot cake.
This recipe makes a beautiful double layer carrot cake but works just as well in cupcakes when something quick, party-friendly is needed.