Mom’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

This carrot cake is moist, lightly spiced, and topped with cream cheese icing. The shredded carrots and crushed pineapple provide moistness while the cinnamon and cardamom add a lightly spiced flavor. After the cake is baked and cooled, it all comes together with generous swirls of cream cheese icing. This carrot cake is so good, our mouth is watering just thinking about it…

This carrot cake recipe comes from our mom. It is her famous carrot cake that we devoured time and time again growing up. We never stray from how the recipe is written because it always comes out perfectly. Plus, making the cake couldn’t be easier so even more reason to love this delicious cake. 

Carrot cake comes with some nostalgia in our household. Our parents had a fall wedding and served carrot cake. Since they both love it so much, it was one our mom often made on repeat when we were kids. We crawled up onto the kitchen counter and watched her pull out her yellow baking bowl. Since she almost always baked out of this yellow bowl, it was a telltale sign something delicious was coming out of the kitchen. However, when the bowl was accompanied by a box grater and peeler, it was almost a giveaway that she was making her famous carrot cake.

Mom always started by peeling the carrots. Her hands worked quickly as she skinned each carrot leaving behind the bright orange interior. She then grated each carrot finely by hand. She never ever used the pre-grated kind at the store because she said these were too thick and dry (which to this day is so true- any time we take this shortcut, we regret it). 

After grating each carrot by hand, she added each of the ingredients into the yellow bowl. She did it so quickly and so often, she barely even measured, but some way it always turned out perfectly. She placed the hand mixed batter into greased baking pan and slipped it into the oven. As the cake baked, a silver container of cream cheese and stick of butter were creamed together with vanilla and powdered sugar for the perfect icing. 

Once the cake was golden brown, she placed it on a rack to cool. Our little fingers could hardly restrain taking a hunk as the freshly baked carrot cake scent perfumed the kitchen. Finally, mom touched the cake without quickly removing her fingers which meant the layers were finally cool enough to ice. She placed a generous layer of icing all over the cake and cut each of us a piece. The cake was always moist and scattered with carrots and her secret ingredient – crushed pineapple. Although it sounds like an ingredient that may overpower a cake, the pineapple is what makes the texture of this cake just perfect. It also adds a little acidity and brightness that pairs with the sweetness and spices.

Mom truly mastered the carrot cake. This cake is perfect in just about every way and a recipe we cherish making time and time again. 

Carrot Cake FAQs:

Tips for the Perfect Carrot Cake:

1. Carrots – do not buy the pre-grated carrots. These carrots are too thick and dry for the cake. They will sit inside the cake as a mix-in instead of melting into the cake layers for a perfectly moist carrot cake sponge.
2. Crushed pineapple – we know this sounds like a strange ingredient but trust us, this makes the cake. Buy one of the small cans, drain it slightly, and place the entire contents into the batter. As the cake bakes, the pineapple releases juice and acidity into the cake that makes for balanced, moist layers.
3. Cream cheese icing – yes, you can use other icing here but why would you? Cream cheese is the perfect pairing for a carrot cake. You could also use our brown butter version here.

Carrot Cake Recipe:

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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped nuts or unsweetened coconut optional
• 1 small can crushed pineapple lightly drained (8 oz can)

Cream Cheese Icing:

• 1 stick butter 113 g or 1/2 cup
• 1 stick cream cheese 226 g or 1 cup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon almond extract optional
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar Depending on how stiff you want the icing

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and line a 9×13” pans with parchment paper
• In a large bowl, whisk together oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time until well combined.
• Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Add in pineapple and grated carrots and mix until just combined.
• Pour into prepared pans and bake for ~40-50 minutes (it may take more or less depending on the oven so make sure to cook until a toothpick comes out clean)

Cream Cheese Icing:

• In the base of a kitchen aid or large bowl with a hand mixer, add softened butter and cream cheese
• On medium high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy (around 2 minutes)
• Add salt, almond extract, and vanilla. Whip until combined
• On low speed, add the powder sugar ½ cup at a time
• Once all the sugar has been added, turn up the mixture and whip on medium high until light and fluffy (around 2 minutes)
• Spread icing over the cooled, sheet cake in an even layer. This is a generous amount of icing, so add as much or little as you like

Entertainer’s Note:

We love serving this during the spring at Easter or after a brunch but there is really no bad time of year to include this in your line up! Plus it is one of the few cakes that can be made the night before and still taste just as delicious.