Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

My mom’s famous carrot cake recipe that makes the BEST carrot cake with creamy, decadent cream cheese frosting.

This easy carrot cake is a family favorite. It’s simple to make, pretty much fool proof, and perfect for parties or potlucks. I can’t wait for you to try it!

Photo of whole carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. - 1

Photo of whole carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. - 2

A couple of years ago, I shared this Small Carrot Cake recipe , which is a miniaturized version of my Mom’s (amazing, wonderful, perfect) carrot cake.

Since that post went live, I’ve had SO many people email me asking for her full-size recipe. And since we’re coming up on carrot cake season, today I’m sharing her version on the blog.

This recipe will make a 9×13-inch carrot cake, and it’s my absolute favorite carrot cake in the entire world.

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe (Perfect for Potlucks)

This carrot cake recipe makes a wonderfully moist and soft carrot cake with just the perfect level of spice and sweetness.

Growing up, it was my Mom’s go-to potluck dessert, and to this day, I maintain that it really is the perfect dessert for parties and potlucks because aside from being irresistible:

You can make it a day or two in advance, and if you bake it in a 9×13 casserole dish with a lid , it’s already packaged for travel. Just pop on the lid and go.
It’s pretty fool-proof and easy. You don’t need a stand mixer, just a whisk, a couple of bowls, and a box grater for the carrots.
Zero decorating skills needed. Just spread on a (slightly excessive) layer of cream cheese frosting and you’re good to go.

Some Carrot Questions

And before we get to the recipe, let’s have a quick chat about carrots, because this is the one place I see people get hung up when making carrot cake.

Do I need to peel my carrots for carrot cake?

Yes! Peel your carrots before shredding them because the skin can have a bitter taste and unpleasant texture after baking.

How to grate carrots for carrot cake?

Use the large-size holes of a box grater to grate the peeled carrots. You can also use the shredding/grating disc attachment of your food processor if you have one.

Bonus tip: When shopping for carrots, try to get medium-to-large carrots as they are much easier and quicker to grate than small skinny ones!

How to measure carrots for carrot cake?

Measure your grated carrots by piling them loosely in your measuring cup. Do not pack them in for measuring.

Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Frosting

Cream cheese frosting for carrot cake is a must, and this carrot cake has some really good cream cheese frosting to top it off. It’s rich, tangy, and everything you could possibly want from a cream cheese frosting.

There are two secrets to getting a perfectly smooth and silky cream cheese frosting:

Start with truly room temperature butter and cream cheese and beat them until smooth before adding the powdered sugar. If your butter and cream cheese aren’t mixing nicely, stop beating and let them sit for another 10-15 minutes before trying again.

If you add powdered sugar before the butter and cream cheese are smooth, you might end up with lumps of cream cheese in your frosting that you won’t be able to get rid of.

Sift your powdered sugar. Lumpy powdered sugar can also lead to lumpy frosting. Though if you don’t mind some powdered sugar lumps, by all means, skip sifting.

Bonus tip: This is quite a lot of powdered sugar to sift, so I like to use a fine-mesh strainer to sift the sugar over a flexible cutting board so I have more space to work with and can sift the sugar more quickly.

Storing Carrot Cake

Before frosting, this cake can be stored covered at room temperature. As soon as it is frosted, if it’s not going to be eaten for a couple of hours, it should be stored covered in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese.

You can allow the cake to sit for about an hour to come to room temperature before serving or serve chilled.

Recipe Notes

This cake contains allspice, which not all carrot cake recipes include. You can omit it if you don’t have any or don’t care for it. If you’re not sure if you’ll like the flavor in carrot cake, smell the spice before adding and skip it or cut the amount in half if it doesn’t appeal to you.

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

▢ 2 cups ( 240g ) all-purpose flour
▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
▢ 2 teaspoons allspice *
▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
▢ 4 large eggs
▢ 2 cups ( 400g ) granulated sugar
▢ 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
▢ 3 cups loosely packed peeled and grated carrots *

Cream Cheese Frosting

▢ 8 ounces cream cheese softened
▢ 1/2 cup ( 4oz ) salted butter softened
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 3 3/4 cups ( 1 16-ounce box) powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

Carrot Cake

Preheat your oven to 325°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
To a large bowl, add eggs and whisk until lightly beaten. Add sugar and vegetable oil and beat until well-mixed. Add flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until just mixed.
Add carrots and stir until evenly distributed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the batter is mixed.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the center of the cake looks set and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan until completely cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well-combined and smooth. Slowly add sifted powdered sugar and beat until all the sugar is incorporated and frosting is smooth and creamy.
Spread frosting over the top of the cake. Chill before serving if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

What to Do With Leftover Half and Half: storage and freezing tips plus recipe ideas to use up the leftovers.

Photo of leftover half and half being poured into a glass. - 8

My “Waste Not” series is a series of posts dedicated to reducing food waste in the kitchen. They’ll give you storage tips and recipe ideas to use up the leftovers so you can toss out less and use up more.

For the latest post in this series, we’re going to chat about Half and Half.

Previous Waste Not Posts

What to Do With Leftover Egg Yolks & Egg Whites
What to Do With Leftover Pesto
What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream
What to Do With Leftover Buttermilk
What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste

What is Half & Half?

Half and half is cream with a milk fat content of 10.5–18%. Not to be confused with whipping cream (30–36% fat) or heavy cream (36%+ fat).

It’s the lightest of the available cream options in the US and is a good option for adding creaminess to coffee and sauces without the heaviness (and calories) of heavy cream.

You’ll typically find half and half sold in pints, but many recipes call for only 1/2 to 1 cup of it, so it’s good to know your options when faced with the inevitable leftovers.

Storing Leftover Half and Half

Refrigeration

How long will half and half keep in the fridge?

Half and half will stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 to 7 days.

How to tell when half and half has gone bad?

Like with milk, you’ll know it’s gone bad if it develops an “off” smell or begins to curdle or separate.

Freezing

Can you freeze half and half?

Yes! Half and half can be frozen to be used in baking and cooking recipes just fine. It may separate slightly when frozen, but just give it a good shake or whisk once defrosted and it should come back together enough to be used in recipes.

However, because of this tendency to separate, I don’t recommend freezing half and half to use later as coffee creamer since the slight change in texture might be noticeable.

How to Freeze Half and Half

To freeze half and half, pour into freezer-safe containers, leaving at least 1 1/2 inch headspace (it will expand as it freezes) or pour into freezer-safe plastic bags and freeze on a flat surface like a baking tray or cutting board.

Once frozen, bags can be stored upright or wherever they will fit in your freezer.

How long will half and half keep in the freezer?

Frozen half and half will stay fresh for 2 to 3 months in your freezer.

Uses for Leftover Half and Half

Before we get to the recipes, here are some general things you can do with half and half without a recipe:

Use it as coffee creamer
Use it in mixed coffee drinks and hot chocolate—replacing some of the milk in these recipes with half and half will give you a much richer and creamier drink (try it with a Homemade Mocha and Easy Hot Chocolate ).
Make scrambled eggs—replace the milk you would normally use in scrambled eggs with half and half for an extra rich and delicious scramble.

Recipes to Make With Leftover Half and Half

Below are some of my favorite recipes to make with half and half. Some use as little as 1/4 cup all the way up to a full pint, so matter how much half and half you have, there should be something that works for you.

Photo of chicken in cream sauce made with half and half in a bowl with orzo. - 9

Easy Chicken in Cream Sauce for Two

(1/4 cup) Chicken and Broccoli Orzo
(1/3 cup) Quick and Easy Fettuccine Alfredo for One
(1/2 cup) Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta for Two With Oven Roasted Tomatoes
(1/2 cup) Easy Chicken in Cream Sauce for Two
(1 cup) Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Dinner for Two
(1 1/2 cups) Lightened Up Copycat Carmela’s Chicken
(2 cups) Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta With Bell Peppers
(2 cups) Easy Fettuccine Alfredo With Broccoli

This Bailey’s Cookies and Cream Milkshake is deliciously decadent and boozy but incredibly simple to make.

Bailey's oreo shake in a glass cup on a plate. - 10

Hey, it’s Saint Patrick’s Day this week, so let’s make something fun and festive. Time to put some Bailey’s in our milkshakes.

Creamy Bailey’s Cookies and Cream Milkshake

If you’ve never tried a Bailey’s cookies and cream shake before, friend, you’re going to love it. Cookies and cream is such a good combo with a bit of Irish cream.

I topped mine with whipped cream and fudge sauce because I had them in my fridge, but dressing this shake up is so not necessary.

It’s just fun.

Bailey's cookies and cream shake being made in a blender. - 11

Bailey's cookies and cream shake being made in a blender. - 12

Making a Shake Without a Blender

And quick note before we get to the recipe: If you don’t have a blender or have already had a little too much Bailey’s and don’t want to operate heavy machinery, 😉 you can actually make this milkshake without a blender . It won’t be as thick and creamy as a blended shake, but it will still be boozy and delicious.

Simply crush the Oreos in a plastic bag with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
Scoop your ice cream into a large (quart-size works well) mason jar or other microwave-safe jar with a lid.
Microwave ice cream for just 15 to 30 seconds (WITHOUT THE LID) until it is softened but not fully melted. Then add the milk and Bailey’s, screw on the lid, and shake shake shake until blended.
Add cookie crumbs and use a spoon to mix, and to smoosh any stubborn remaining bits of ice cream.
Then drink (responsibly!) and enjoy.

Bailey's cookies and cream milkshake with whipped cream and fudge sauce. - 13

Bailey's cookies and cream milkshake with whipped cream and fudge sauce. - 14

More Milkshake Recipes

Oreo Milkshake
Chocolate Milkshake
Strawberry Milkshake
Banana Milkshake
Caramel Milkshake

Bailey's cookies and cream shake with whipped cream and fudge sauce. - 15