Our Top Carrot Cake Recipes (2024)

Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

From fancy layer cakes to simple sheet cakes and muffins, we've got the best carrot cake recipes for any occasion.

Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Zucchini makes a brilliant addition to carrot cake, adding a verdant note to the sweet carrot.

Layered Carrot Cake

Layered Carrot Cake Recipe

The star of this classic carrot layer cake is the thick sweetened cream frosting that you spread between the cake layers and on the top and sides of the cake. The cake gets extra sweetness from the addition of crushed pineapple to the batter. You can also use this same batter to make Carrot Cake Muffins.

Carrot Ginger Tea Cake with Lime Glaze

Carrot Ginger Tea Cake with Lime Glaze Recipe

Taking a cue from our favorite juice bar combos, this dense, not-too-sweet cake gets loads of moistness from both carrots and carrot juice, and a hint of heat from two kinds of ginger. The lime glaze adds a tangy kick.

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

The Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe

These layers are tender, so remove from pans carefully!

Spiced Apple Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting

Spiced Apple Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting Recipe

Switch it up with this fun twist on standard carrot cake! We used goat cheese as a gourmet substitution for cream cheese in the frosting. The sweetened cheese adds an amazing depth of flavor and complements the richness of the cake.

Mama Dip's Carrot Cake

Mama Dip's Carrot Cake Recipe

This recipe from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, restaurateur Mildred "Mama Dip" Council is one of the best carrot cakes we've tested. The cake layers can be made ahead and frozen up to one month.

Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

A smear of cream cheese frosting is the ideal topper for warm spiced carrot cake.

Best Carrot Cake

Best Carrot Cake Recipe

We don't call it the best for no reason! This indulgent carrot cake is truly a classic that is so delicious you will never have to worry about leftovers.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Recipe

This lightened recipe features a tender cake packed with grated carrot, flaked coconut, and chopped pecans. Just like a traditional carrot cake, this one is topped with a thick cream cheese frosting.

Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

The secret to the moist texture of this cake is pureed baby food carrots. Top with toasted coconut for the perfect dessert. If you're lucky enough to have any leftovers, this cake actually freezes quite well.

Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake

Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake Recipe

Top a showstopping crown of mascarpone frosting with swirls of apple cider caramel sauce and a scattering of salty-sweet spiced pecans. Caramel sauce, rather than frosting, sandwiches together the moist cake layers, creating a picture-perfect dessert.

Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Not a big-time baker? Sheet cakes are a quick and easy way to get all the flavor of a layer cake without all the work. Not to mention this carrot cake received our Test Kitchens' highest rating.

Orange-Carrot Cake with Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

Orange-Carrot Cake with Classic Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Bring some citrusy zing to traditional carrot cake by adding orange zest and orange juice to the batter before baking. For an extra punch of flavor, try adding some zest to the homemade cream cheese icing as well.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Recipe

Just because you're gluten free doesn't mean you can't indulge from time to time! This yummy carrot cake starts with GF boxed yellow cake mix and is chock-full of carrots, nuts, and raisins.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies Recipe

We toss shredded carrot with a little sugar and let the mixture stand for a few minutes. This tenderizes the shreds--important here because, unlike with an actual carrot cake that bakes for a while, these cook for only 11 minutes, not much time for the carrots to cook to softness. To bake a second batch, mix up and bake two separate batches of cookie batter instead of one large batch. You can make just one big double-batch of the cream cheese filling, though.

Carrot Cake Muffins

Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

Turn a timeless carrot cake into individual-sized treats with this muffin recipe that will make for a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack. Top with cream cheese icing for a sweeter "cupcake-like" dessert.

Classic Carrot Layer Cake

Classic Carrot Layer Cake Recipe

The warm spicy flavor of this cake makes it feel like the perfect slice for fall. Cinnamon, allspice and cloves work well with the sweet cream cheese icing that has an almost caramel-like flavor.

Super Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Super Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Browned Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Browned Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze Recipe

Old-school form meets new-school flavors in this twist on carrot cake. Browning the butter intensifies its flavor, making it nutty and caramel-rich. The Bundt cake form makes for a much easier—but still delicious—dessert, freeing you from the fuss of stacking and frosting layers. We call for shredding the carrots on the smaller holes of a grater for more delicate strands that incorporate better into the batter. You can bake the cake ahead and freeze it, unglazed; wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in a ziplock plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months (glaze the thawed cake).

Carrot-Walnut-Coconut Sheet Cake image

Shortcut Carrot Sheet Cake Recipe

Thismoist,delicious carrot cake has traditional ingredients likecarrot, pineapple, and walnuts, with the addition of toasted coconut flakes to dress up cream cheese icing. Theease of assembly is the kicker here: abox mix enhanced with fresh ingredients comes together in minutes and is sure to impress guests.

Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Recipe

You’ve got dessert duty? We’ve got you covered with this lightly spiced sheet cake that serves a crowd and travels well too. Why choose between carrot cake and coconut cake when both flavors work so well together?