How to Make Homemade Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

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This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.

This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.

The cake itself is packed with freshly grated carrots, warm cinnamon, and a hint of nutmeg, giving it a tender crumb and rich flavor.

Chopped pecans add a subtle crunch, while a splash of vanilla ties everything together.

The crowning glory is the velvety cream cheese frosting—smooth, tangy, and just sweet enough to complement the spiced cake without overwhelming it.

Made with softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and a touch of vanilla, it spreads effortlessly over the cooled cake, creating a luscious finish.

Whether you’re serving it for a celebration or a cozy afternoon treat, this carrot cake is sure to impress with its homemade charm and irresistible taste. Dust with a little extra cinnamon or top with more pecans for a rustic flourish!

This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.

To begin, you’ll preheat your oven to 350°(F).

In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Give those a stir with a whisk to combine them. Set the bowl aside for now.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Finely chop 2/3 of a cup of pecans (or walnuts if you prefer). You’ll divide these when you use them, but set this aside for now.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Shred 2 cups of carrots. This took me 5 medium carrots, but will vary depending on your carrot size. Set these aside for a moment as well.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

In your mixing bowl, beat together 4 eggs until frothy. Add in granulated sugar, vanilla, and extra virgin olive oil. (See the note in the recipe below.) Beat these until smooth.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Fold the carrots and chopped pecans into the cake batter. Pour the batter into a greased & floured bundt cake pan. (You could spray the pan liberally with “baking” spray that has flour already mixed in instead of greasing & flouring it by hand. That is what I did here.)

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Bake this for 35-45 minutes or until it tests done with a wooden pick.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

When it is done baking, place the pan on a rack and cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

How to make classic Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Once the cake is completely cooled, you can frost it with the cream cheese frosting.

spreading cream cheese frosting on a carrot cake

Once it is frosted, sprinkle it with the remaining chopped pecans.

This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.

Enjoy!

This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.
This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.

Homemade Carrot Cake

Constance Smith – Cosmopolitan Cornbread
This Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist, spiced delight that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake is a comforting classic.
5 from 17 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Cakes, Sweets, Treats & Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 18
Calories 418 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Cake:

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Instructions
 

For the Cake:

  • To begin, you’ll preheat your oven to 350°(F)
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Give those a stir with a whisk to combine them. Set the bowl aside for now.
  • Finely chop your pecans and set them aside for now.
  • Shred your carrots and set them aside for a moment as well.
  • In your mixing bowl, beat together the eggs until frothy. Add in the sugar, vanilla, and oil. Beat these until smooth.
  • Fold the carrots and 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans into the cake batter. Pour the batter into a greased & floured bundt cake pan. (You could spray the pan liberally with “baking” spray that has flour already mixed in instead of greasing & flouring it by hand.)
  • Bake this for 35-45 minutes or until it tests done with a wooden pick.
  • Cool it on a rack in the pan for 10 minutes.
  • Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

For the Frosting:

  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until it is nice and fluffy.
  • Mix in the vanilla.
  • Add in the powdered sugar, mixing slowly at first, and then beating it on high until it is smooth.
  • Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining chopped pecans.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

If you would like to cut the oil in the cake, instead of 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, use 1/4 c of the oil, and 1/4 plain (unsweetened) apple sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 418kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 323mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 1gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 2928IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg

If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.

Unit Conversions:

Unit Conversion for measurements (if displayed), going from US to Metric is an auto-generated conversion. If you are using the metric measurements, please double-check to confirm that these are accurate with your favorite preferred conversion tool.

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This recipe was originally published in 2016, updated in 2025.

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15 thoughts on “How to Make Homemade Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting”

  1. It’s so awesome that this is bundt cake. SO easy to make with all the flavor of traditional carrot cake but not all of the fuss.

    Reply
5 from 17 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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