Easy Carrot Cake

You can’t beat a slice of classic carrot cake. Packed full of grated carrots, chopped nuts and grated orange zest, this easy carrot cake recipe is delicious, moist and full of flavour. 

Carrot cake is one of the few cakes that I simply can not resist. 

Put a slice in front of me and it will be gone before you have time to blink.  I love it.  This is exactly why I hardly ever make it! 

This is an easy and simple carrot cake recipe that you will turn to time and time again. It’s one of my go-to recipes for Birthdays, parties, or for those times when you just need cake to bribe someone with!…not that I’ve ever done that….;-)

After trying a slice, someone always asks for the recipe. Several people have told me they make this cake often – and if that isn’t the sign of a good recipe, I don’t know what is!

Why you’ll love this easy carrot cake recipe

• It’s an incredibly quick and easy recipe – all the ingredients are mixed together in just one bowl.

• You don’t need any fancy equipment to make it either – just a bowl, a wooden spoon and a box grater for the carrots! Obviously, you can use an electric hand mixer if you prefer. 

• Several of my friends and family members have made this cake and they all love it. Once you’ve tried it, I’m sure you will too!

Do i need to peel the Carrots for carrot cake? 

It all comes down to personal preference. It’s not strictly necessary to peel the carrots, but some people prefer to do so. If I’m using organic carrots, I just give them a good scrub. 

Can I make this cake as a layer cake? 

Yes! You can bake this cake in two 20cm round sandwich tins instead  – they will take around 35-40 minutes to bake.

When the sponges are cold, sandwich them together with the cream cheese frosting. Don’t forget to leave some frosting to decorate the top of the cake. 

recipe notes

• This is a very straightforward recipe – all you need to make it is a large bowl and a wooden spoon (although you could use an electric hand mixer if you like!)

• There is no creaming butter and sugar in this recipe – simply place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until you have a smooth batter. Too easy! 

• Take care not to over-mix the batter – stop as soon as the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

• This is a fairly deep cake and takes a while to bake (60-75 minutes.) 

• If the top of the cake looks like it’s browning too quickly while baking, cover the top with a piece of tin foil.

I’m allergic to nuts.  Can I leave them out?

Yes! Omitting the nuts will not affect the recipe. You can leave them out or add an extra 25g sultanas or raisins if you like. Dried cranberries are also good in carrot cake.

How long does carrot cake keep? 

An undecorated carrot cake will keep for up to five days, although it will begin to become a little drier after day three. If the cake is decorated with cream cheese frosting, it should be refrigerated. The decorated cake will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. 

Can i freeze this cake?

Yes. Wrap the completely cold and undecorated cake in a layer of baking parchment and tightly wrap in cling film before freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake thoroughly before icing and serving. 

If the carrot cake has been decorated with cream cheese, it is not suitable for freezing.

looking for a traybake recipe?

Try this carrot cake traybake with cream cheese frosting recipe!

If you prefer cupcakes, you might want to have a look at my carrot cake cupcakes recipe.

Looking for more delicious, easy cake recipes?

• Coffee and walnut cake 

• Jam Swiss Roll

• Easy Victoria Sponge Cake

• Lemon Drizzle Cake 

• Orange Marmalade Cake

• Apple Crumble Cake

• Easy Banana bread

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Easy Carrot Cake

Yield: 12 slices

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

You can't beat a slice of classic carrot cake topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting. Packed full of grated carrots, chopped nuts and grated orange zest, this easy carrot cake recipe is delicious, moist and full of flavour.

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Ingredients

• 200g Carrots, scrubbed (and peeled if necessary) and grated
• 250ml Sunflower, vegetable or light olive oil
• 4 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 225g soft light brown sugar
• 100g raisins or sultanas
• 100g chopped walnuts or pecans
• Finely grated zest of one large orange
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 325g self raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 200g icing sugar
• 50g soft unsalted butter
• 100g full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• To Decorate:
• about 7 walnut or pecan halves, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350f./gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a deep 20cm (with a depth of at least 3 inches) round cake tin.
2. Place all the ingredients for the cake into a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric whisk until well combined. Pour the cake mixture into the tin and bake for 60-75 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed, the sides are shrinking away from the edges of the tin and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake emerges clean.
3. Leave the cake in the tin for around 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.
4. When the cake is completely cold, make the topping. Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl and add the cream cheese, soft butter and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon, beat until just combined and smooth, keeping in mind that the longer you beat cream cheese icing, the runnier it gets.
5. Using a palette knife, spread the icing over the cold cake and decorate with walnut or pecan halves if desired.

Notes

This carrot cake can also be made in two 20cm round sandwich tins. They will take about 35-40 minutes to bake.

You could add pistachios or chopped brazil nuts instead of walnuts or pecans.

Feel free to omit the sultanas if you aren't a fan of them.

The decorated cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in a cool room or fridge.

If you want to freeze the cake, do not ice it first. Wrap the cake in a layer of baking paper and cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 470Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 550mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 4gSugar: 50gProtein: 8g

Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.

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