Simple Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

a slice of carrot cake on a white plate.

Simple Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the BEST Simple Carrot Cake Recipe! Moist, tender carrot cake is topped with a rich, fluffy cream cheese frosting and studded with roasted walnuts. It's made from simple ingredients and is the perfect dessert for special occasions like Easter, Mother's Day, or anything in between.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 55

Servings

Calories 905

Author Ashlyn Edwards | Belle of the Kitchen

Ingredients

For the cake

2 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded carrots about 4 medium carrots

For the frosting

16 ounces brick style cream cheese room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

To make the cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the chopped walnuts on a rimmed cookie sheet and roast for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the nuts to fully cool before using.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spray three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, canola oil, and Greek yogurt. Add in the vanilla extract and the eggs and whisk until smooth.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the shredded carrots and 1 cup of chopped roasted walnuts.
Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, or the cakes spring back when tapped gently with the tip of your finger. Let the cakes completely cool before frosting.

To make the frosting

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until creamy and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and pinch of salt.
Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing over low speed to incorporate. After all powdered sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to high and beat at high speed for 30 seconds.

Decorating

Place your first layer of fully cooled cake on a cake stand or large plate. Spread 1-2 inches of frosting on top. Place the second layer of cake on top and repeat the process.
If your frosting is not firm enough, put the cake stand with the frosted cake into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before you place the third cake layer on top. This will prevent the frosting from seeping out the sides with the weight of the cake.
When you have the third layer on top, cover the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. This is the crumb layer.
When chilled, use the remainder of the frosting to cover the whole cake. You can use a knife or icing spatula to smooth out the frosting. Use the remainder of the chopped roasted walnuts to press into the sides of the cake and to decorate the top.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature eggs and Greek yogurt in your cake will help your ingredients to incorporate smoothly. If you haven’t had time to let your eggs come to room temperature, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes before adding to the carrot cake batter.

If your frosting is too runny, you can add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. You can also place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to help it set. To help prevent your frosting from being too runny, try to allow your cream cheese and butter to come to room temperature on the counter and without the use of the microwave. I know, we all need to use it sometimes! And if you do have to go that route, just allow the cream cheese and butter to cool off completely. The heat from the microwave can make your frosting runny.

Don't use pre-shredded carrots. Use a box grater to shred your own carrots, about 4-5 medium sized carrots will do. The pre-shredded ones just don't have enough moisture and can produce a drier cake.

Greek yogurt adds moisture and fluffiness to the cake. The Greek yogurt's acidity helps activate the baking soda and baking powder, which lends to a fluffier cake. This is especially important when working with typically denser cakes like carrot cake. This simple Carrot Cake recipe is much less dense than the typical carrot cake which is why I love it! If you don't have any Greek yogurt on hand, you can use plain yogurt or sour cream instead.

Feel free to substitute pecans for the walnuts. You can also omit the nuts completely for a nut-free carrot cake, or swap the nuts for raisins.

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