Best Carrot Cake Ever

Name: Best Carrot Cake Ever
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 335 min
Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour; 1 teaspoon Baking Soda; ½ teaspoon Salt; 1 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon; ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger; ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg; 1 cup Brown Sugar; 1 cup Mayonnaise; ½ cup Apple Sauce; ½ cup Water; ¼ cup Maple Syrup; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 2 cups Carrot (finely shredded); 1 Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This might go down as the best carrot cake ever. It is made with a super secret ingredient that is untraditional but makes for the best carrot cake you've ever tasted. It is moist, fluffy and most importantly, downright delicious.

If you are looking for a recipe for a moist carrot cake, then you have found it, and I guarantee you that this will be your new favourite go-to carrot cake.

This is an easy recipe using only staple ingredients that you will already have in your kitchen!

The best carrot cake ever on a white cake stand.

This beautiful carrot cake is perfect for springtime and a super-popular Easter dessert recipe, just like my festive Mini Egg cookie bars.

If you love delicious cakes (who doesn't?) that are perfect for spring or summer then you have to make my dalgona coffee cake and my raspberry lemon loaf, too!

Jump to:

Carrot Cake Ingredients
Special Diet Substitutions
How To Make The Best Carrot Cake Ever
Making The Cake Layers
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting For Carrot Cake
Storing The Leftovers
FAQ's
More Spring-Inspired Dessert Recipes
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Carrot Cake Ingredients

See the recipe card for quantities.

Special Diet Substitutions

Vegan - you read that right, this recipe can easily be adapted to make a vegan carrot cake! For the cake, all you have to do is substitute the regular mayonnaise for a vegan-friendly mayonnaise. For the frosting, you will need to use vegan butter (my favourite is Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks), vegan cream cheese, and plant-based milk. My recipe for cream cheese buttercream frosting can be easily adapted using these substitutions.
Egg Free - to make this carrot cake with no egg, replace the regular mayonnaise in the recipe with vegan mayonnaise.
Gluten Free - for a gluten free carrot cake, use a gluten-free baking mix, such as Bob Red Mill's 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Do not use almond flour as a substitute, it will not be stable enough.

How To Make The Best Carrot Cake Ever

Now you might be wondering how to make a carrot cake moist. Well, I have a secret ingredient that will make this the most moist carrot cake recipe you have ever tasted, guaranteed!

The Secret Ingredient

I already know what you're thinking... the secret ingredient is NOT pineapple. This is a pineapple-free carrot cake.

Ready? Drumroll, please... the secret ingredient is mayonnaise!

Ok, stay with me here. I know I might have shocked or maybe even scared you telling you to use mayonnaise in a cake, but hear me out!

Mayonnaise already has all the fundamental cake ingredients. It has eggs, oil, spices and lemon juice already all mixed in at the perfect ratios.

Don't believe me? Try it! I guarantee you that this will be the richest and most moist-tasting carrot cake you have ever had.

Making The Cake Layers

The recipe makes a 2 layer carrot cake that is covered in the most scrumptious cream cheese buttercream frosting.

This is an easy carrot cake recipe that can be achieved by any level of baker.

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In a separate large mixing bowl, stirring together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

Step 1- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir to just combine and set aside.

Adding the brown sugar, mayonnaise, water, apple sauce, maple syrup, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.

Step 2- In another large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, water, apple sauce, maple syrup, and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, whisking together the brown sugar, mayonnaise, water, apple sauce, maple syrup and vanilla.

Step 3- Whisk vigorously to combine.

Adding the shredded carrots to the wet ingredients.

Step 4- Add the shredded carrot into the wet mixture, stirring to incorporate.

Adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Step 5- Add the dry ingredients.

Stirring the wet and dry ingredients together to make a thick batter.

Step 6- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the dry ingredients, creating a thick batter.

Pouring the batter evenly between two lined cake pans.

Step 7- Divide the batter evenly between two greased and lined 9" cake pans.

These cake pan liners are perfect and highly recommended. If you do not line the bottom of the cake pans, you will run the risk of your cake sticking to the bottom and breaking apart.

Removing the two baked cakes from the oven and turning out onto cooling racks.

Step 8- Bake the cakes in a preheated 350°F oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Carefully turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and let them cool completely before assembling.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting For Carrot Cake

To go along with the best carrot cake ever, you are going to need the best carrot cake frosting, too!

And the best frosting for carrot cake is, without a doubt, cream cheese buttercream frosting! It is thick and stable enough to decorate with and use as a filling in between layers.

A dollop of icing on top of a piece of carrot cake.

Step 9- Once the cake is completely cool, transfer one layer to a cake board, or flat plate.

Add a generous dollop of cream cheese buttercream frosting on top and spread it out in an even layer using an off-set spatula (or a regular spatula will work too).

Placing the second layer of cake on top of the icing.

Step 10- Add the remaining cake layer on top of the frosting layer.

Complete carrot cake frosted with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.

Step 11- Cover the carrot cake in cream cheese frosting.

You can do this however you like, either by frosting it simply like I have done above or doing a crumb coat and then using a piping bag with piping tips attached.

Here are a few options for decorating a cake.

Storing The Leftovers

Leftover carrot cake can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed for up to 4 days.

Wrap the cake lightly and carefully with plastic wrap, focusing on wrapping the open crumb or spot where it was cut. The icing will help form a sort of "shell" to help keep the moisture in the cake, so it is not super important that it is wrapped well.

FAQ's

Can I make this into a carrot cake loaf cake?

Yes! You can easily use this recipe to make a carrot cake loaf cake. Half the recipe to make one loaf cake, or keep the recipe as is to make two! After the loaf cake is cooled, top with a generous serving of cream cheese buttercream frosting!

Can this recipe be used to make Carrot Cake Cupcakes?

Absolutely!
Be sure to pour the batter into cupcake liners and adjust the baking time as necessary. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Use my cream cheese buttercream for the perfect pipeable frosting!

Can I make cake pops with this recipe?

Yes! Head over to my homemade cake pops to learn how to easily make this carrot cake into delicious cake pops!

A slice of carrot cake on a white plate with the rest of the cake on a cake stand in the background.

More Spring-Inspired Dessert Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this carrot cake that are perfect for spring? Try these:

If you made the Best Carrot Cake Ever or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!