Easy Carrot Cake is a really simple cake to make from scratch. It's moist and flavorful with fresh shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and lots of pecans. Topped off with a simple cream cheese icing. Easy enough for anytime of the year and delicious enough for holiday gatherings.
Even though I have a major sweet tooth, I am not a fancy baker. I love easy desserts that I don't spend hours baking and decorating but are still are going to taste delicious.
If it's a layer cake, I'm pretty much out on baking it. Desserts have to be simple like this Lemon Pound Cake or this Strawberry Slab Pie , which is so easy with no pie dough to roll out. I like to bake delicious desserts with very little effort and that's what I love about this carrot cake.
How to Make an Easy Carrot Cake
I used the mixer but you could totally just stir this cake up by hand.
- Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add eggs, vegetable oil, shredded carrots, crushed pineapple (drained) and vanilla. Fold in pecans.
- Pour into a well greased 9 x 13 - inch baking pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely on a wire rack.
- Make the icing by beating cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Spread over cooled cake.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.
- Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Tips for making carrot cake
- Use freshly shredded carrots, not the pre-shredded from the grocery store or you will lose the moisture from the carrots and your cake might be dry.
- Drain the pineapple well.
- Use room temperature eggs.
- Toast the pecans before baking.
- Make this cake a day in advance to allow it to completely chill before serving for the best flavor.
Recipe Variations
- Use walnuts in place of pecans or omit the nuts if you prefer.
- Add 1 teaspoon ground ginger and ½ teaspoon nutmeg for more spice cake flavor.
- Mix in 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut.
- Bake in a bundt pan or two 9 -inch round pans, adjust cooking time accordingly.
Store carrot cake in refrigerator, covered for up to 4 days.
This cake makes a great addition to your Easter desserts table and is also great for summer cookouts and barbecues. Chilled cake makes a great summer dessert, especially with cream cheese icing.
We also love this old fashioned Oatmeal Cake with broiled icing for an easy homemade dessert.
Easy Cake Recipes for any day of the week. These delicious desserts are simple to make without a lot of fuss or time for decorating. This is one of my favorite desserts. It comes together so easily with just a few ingredients and the taste is out of this world! A classic pound cake made with browned butter that takes this cake to a whole new level of deliciousness. A great dessert for any occasion. This simple sheet cake is so flavorful and delicious. Make it festive with your favorite sprinkles! This spice cake is a family favorite. It's probably the cake I make the most often. It's so quick and easy and I always have the ingredients. Made with fresh strawberries, this cake is crazy- delicious. Great for any celebration or every day occasions. This cake is a classic for picnics and barbecues. A satisfying chocolate cake with an easy icing that will have you going back for seconds .Easy Cake Recipes
Add this easy carrot cake dessert to your baking list, it really couldn't be any easier!
If you love this Recipe as much as I do, please leave a comment and a five star review, and be sure to help me share on Pinterest!
Easy Carrot Cake
Easy Carrot Cake is a really simple cake to make from scratch. It's moist and flavorful with fresh shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and lots of pecans. Topped off with a simple cream cheese icing. Easy enough for anytime of the year and delicious enough for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups finely shredded carrots
- 20 oz crushed pineapple, well drained
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups chopped, toasted pecans, divided use
For the icing:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, oil, shredded carrots, drained pineapple and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix well. Fold in 1 cup chopped pecans.
- Pour into a well greased 9 x 13- inch baking pan.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the icing by mixing cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Spread over cooled cake. Top with remaining toasted pecans.
- Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 604Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 263mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 2gSugar: 45gProtein: 5g
Nutritional calculations are estimated and may not be accurate.
Sue
High altitude adjustments?
Milisa
Hi Sue,
We used to live at 3500 feet in Wyoming and I never had to adjust recipes for the altitude, so I am not an expert on adjusting baking recipes. I did find this article from Wilton that might help you out. https://blog.wilton.com/high-altitude-baking/
Thanks for reading and let me know if you try this carrot cake and make any adjustments.
~ Milisa