Carrot Cake for Easter
Carrot Cake that is moist and the perfect amount of carrots and spices with a thick cream cheese frosting. We make this for Easter every year.
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CARROT CAKE FOR EASTER
Sometimes it surprises me that I have a food blog. But not because of the reasons you think. The thing is, I am a people pleaser to a fault. I’ve always said I couldn’t be a hairdresser because I’m too worried that people wouldn’t like their hair. BUT recipes are the same way. Everyone has different taste buds and some things people either love or hate.
Sometimes I make a recipe that I’ve made a zillion times and it doesn’t turn out. There are so many variables: the butter is too cold, your oven temperature is off, your baking soda is old, you added too much of something. You learn as you go. So I always worry that if it doesn’t turn out for someone else, I feel responsible and I hate that.
But I finally came to the resolution that when it comes down to it, I’m posting recipes that me and my family love. Some people will love them but not everyone will. That’s life.
DIFFERENT CARROT CAKE RECIPES
Full transparency I have three carrot cake recipes on my site. Here’s the breakdown.
This Carrot Cake recipe in this post: Is my go-to. It’s no fuss, always turns out, and is super moist with pineapple in the batter.
Moist Carrot Cake – this is made in a 9×13 and the most pineapple out of all the recipes giving it the most moisture. This is the most popular carrot cake recipe on my site.
Carrot Cake recipe: This recipe is full of spices and has a bigger crumb.
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| And how bad is it that I took this to a party with a piece of cake already cut out. I had to taste it first! |
OTHER EASTER RECIPES:
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
- Easter Bunny Cake
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Watergate Salad
- Carrot Cake
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Funeral Potatoes
Carrot Cake for Easter
Ingredients
- 1 cup neutral flavored oil, (like canola or vegetable oil)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten well
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and grated fine
- 1 (8 ounce can) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour, (replace one cup with whole wheat flour for a denser, nuttier taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans, (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix oil, sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and add slowly to the wet ingredients.
- To make a 9x13 cake, pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish for 45 minutes. To make a 2 layer cake use 2 9-inch round pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If using 2 round pans make sure to really grease or use parchment cut in circles so that your cake comes out clean. Invert cakes into a cooling rack.
- When cake has cooled frost with cream cheese frosting. If layering and piping frosting you may need 1.5x the frosting.
- For the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the bowl often. Frost the carrot cake.
Notes
Source: Camden LeeMaster
I’m excited about making this carrot cake. My Mom made the best carrot cake ever and everyone loved it. She added pineapple, raisins and of course, shaved carrots. She put walnuts on top of the cake in the icing. This will be delicious just like her cake always was. Thank you❣️
A long time ago I had a recipe from one of the respiratory therapists I worked with in Toledo that also used baby food 🥕. For the life of me, I can’t find it 😿. That, and her 6 cheese lasagna were to die for.
I’d like to try this recipe. Ingredients for frosting: 1 lb 4 cups. Does this mean 4 cups total? Or 1 lb plus 4 cups?
Yes, sorry the recipe card had a bug. It’s 4 cups total.
Don’t you need baking powder, too? I used all purpose flour.
Nope. You have baking soda as a leavener.
Can I make this in a sheet pan? Thanks!!
Yes, for sure!
I have been making this from a very similar recipe but to give it an extra kick add 1/2 to 1 tsp almond extract to the cream cheese frosting.
Almond extract is always good.
Hi. The recipe says pineapple undrained. So does that mean the syrup gets mixed in the cake batter? Secondly, if I want to reduce the quantity of nuts, to half a cup, should I increase the carrot by half a cup?
TIA
Yes, the whole can goes in the batter. If you reduce the nuts you shouldn’t have to increase the carrot.
This is my favourite carrot cake recipe. I’ve been making it for over 6 years and it’s always a hit! Literally the most moist carrot cake I’ve ever had. I can’t seem to like any bakery carrot cake since I started making this. I wanted to stop by to say thank you for this!!! 🙂
Thank you so much Ramsha!
I want to make this cake a day in advance..will it stay well overnight in the refrigerator?
Absolutely!
I made this for my moms birthday a couple weeks ago and it was a big hit. My husband has always said he doesn’t like carrot cake but with everyone moaning while eating it and me bullying him into eating it he tried it and of course was surprised by how much he liked it. Success!
Yay! I loved hearing that!
Oh wow, I’m really excited to try this… I just wish you didn’t use the phrase “how ghetto is it” because that’s a classist and racialized statement… maybe sketchy, slapdash, or haphazard would be more appropriate.
This looks amazimg I’m in love with carrot cakes
But we do not have 8 ounce cans of pineapple we only have 16 ounces
How can I measue the requied amount of fruit and juice from the 16 ounces can
You can pour it into an actualy liquid measuring cup or just eyeball it. It doesn’t have to be exact.
i love that you put pineapple in this cake! It makes it soo good its a bummer when people make it without the pineapple, it takes away from the cake i think.
My mom’s birthday is coming up, and while she asked me not to bake her anything, she caved five minutes later and mentioned carrot cake. I will definitely be trying out this recipe, but in cupcake form. Thanks so much for posting this!
could I replace the oil with apple sauce or would that make it too mushie (very technical cooking term)
I’ve never tried it that way but I think it would make it very moist!
This looks great!
the recipe does not say what type of oil?
Debra,
I would use vegetable or canola oil. Just don’t use olive oil.
Love this post! We try so hard sometimes to please others. I have finally come to the conclusion that I will cook things they way I like them, since I’m usually the only one who eats my “trial” dishes anyway. Funny though, since I started with this attitude, the less adventurous eaters in my life have become a bit more food fearless.
Can’t wait to try this recipe and many of your other! Thanks
Have baked this cake twice and my family loves it! It was my first time baking a carrot cake and I’m glad I followed your recipe 🙂 I’m just starting to bake cakes from scratch and I still have a lot to learn. The cake tasted amazing but it cracked from the top. Also, I had to leave it in the oven for a bit longer because it seemed uncooked from the middle and cooked from the top and sides. I used one round pan for the cake and the pan was pretty big. Any tips on that from experience would be appreciated.
If you used one big round pan the cooking time will be off and the cakes won’t cook evenly which is why the middle was uncooked. If you use two cake pans they should turn out better.
Can I make cupcakes out of this recipe? Yum!
I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not?
@Lexi,
The recipe says 8 ounce crushed pineapple so buy 2 (4 ounce) cans if that’s all they have.
Is it 4oz or 8oz or pineapple. Our store has only 4oz cans. please clarify. thank you
I love carrot cake when it has pineapple.I’m going to try this one..
I never thought that a cake could contain such healthy ingredients..very nice! I must try it..
I just made this cake tonight, and it tastes amazing. The cake is really dry, but I think that was my fault – it says something that it’s still good when it’s so dry.
I made the frosting x1.5, but with only 3 cups of sugar, since I was making a sheet cake and didn’t need stiff frosting. Instead, I let it go for a while in the stand mixer to beat some air into it, and it’s awesome. Creamy and not too sweet, like cream-cheesy whipped cream.
just made this deliciousness too! referenced you: http://lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com/2011/04/carrot-cake-with-xylitol.html
thanks for your yummy recipes!
xoxo.kristi & kelli
Looks like a greta cake to me! You sould like me when trying to please everyone with food lol. If someone taste something that I made that they dont like I automatically go into super apology mood. Even if its just thier “taste” that doesnt like it lol
Christy, what a surprise today when a friend of mine called me to say she had seen my name and recipe on your blog! Ha! I hadn’t checked. Thanks for the credit. I’m glad you liked the cake–I’m making it this weekend too! I agree with your tip on 1.5x the frosting recipe! I usually do that too–note to self: change the recipe card!
how else are you supposed to try it to make sure it tastes ok? Better to bring a delishus cake with a piece missing, than a whole terrible cake!
i like carrot cake every way i’ve ever had it. so this looks amazing! my dad loves carrot cake so i should be a good daughter and make this for him for Easter. thanks for another great recipe!
Better the missing piece than taking a nasty cake and having no idea it tastes bad until everyone starts to eat it.
Can I tell you I literally LOL when I read you took it to a party with a piece missing!! So funny!! That cake looks sooooo good!
OMG i did that once! i brought a cake with a slice already cut out and it turned out to be one of our friends birthdays so i had to use the cut out cake as his birthday cake! so embarassing!
Yumm! Can’t wait to try it- think this will work for cupcakes? I bought some cute tulip liners that would look so great on the Easter dinner table! So if anyone’s successfully done carrot cake cupcakes or has any suggestions, I’m all ears!
carrot cake never dissapoint and is ALWAYS moist. what can be better than that?!
Perfect dessert for Easter!
I LOVE JEN’S PLACE! And I love carrot cake with pineapple, nuts, and no raisins too! Are we soul mates?
Insider tip, in case you ever make it to Jen’s yourself: while the carrot cake is great at Jen’s, yes, their German Chocolate Cake is tooooo dieeeeee forrrrrr. I also <3 their Strawberry and Pineapple-Upside Down Cakes...and they make an Oreo Cake I've never tried...
Drool.
I’m really picky about carrot cake, too! I actually don’t want raisins, walnuts or pineapple. The cream cheese icing, however, is a big yes!
I dont even know how I like my carrot cake! I’ll have to give all the recipes a try – starting with this one!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! You are right, that people are opinionated about carrot cake. The people in my life generally veto all fruit and nuts in their carrot cake. Yours looks divine. I’ll try it without the pecans! Also, kudos to you for trying a piece before handing it over to the hungry masses. (:
Carrot cake is my favorite Easter food, it’s become a tradition for me to make one every year. I’m not picky at all when it comes to it, serve it to me anyway you can as long as it has that carrot and spice flavor that I love! Your cake looks great, and very moist!
I love pineapple in carrot cake! Makes it so sweet and delicious. Yum!
I’ll definitely be giving this a try. I love carrot cake, and it seems most people I know do, also. I tried a new recipe a couple of weeks ago and took it to a church potluck. Everyone raved on it, and one told me it was the best cake they’d ever eaten, hands down. So…you’d think I’d not want to mess with perfection, but I can never leave a carrot cake recipe untried. Besides, I love pineapple in mine, and the recipe I used didn’t include it.
I am the exact same way. Im such a people pleaser. It kills me when someone doesn’t like something I’ve made. This carrot cake looks divine. Carrot cake is my favorite : )