Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: This carrot cake is perfectly sweet, nutty, and perfectly spiced, while the frosting is rich and tangy.
Texture: Ultra moist and tender with that luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting in every single bite.
Ease: Easier than you might think!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Brown butter really elevates the traditional carrot cake flavors. This might be your new favorite cake!
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After many test batches, I firmly believe I’ve landed on the very best Carrot Cake recipe ever to exist.
Most carrot cakes are too oily, dense, or rubbery, or just plain… forgettable. That’s what led me to experiment with brown butter in carrot cake, and it was just the upgrade I was looking for!
In my recipe, the cake layers don’t require a stand mixer and they’re not overly sweet. Instead, they’re perfectly deeply flavorful and incredibly moist (even the next day).
Recipe Ingredients
All my ingredients are chosen with care and have been meticulously kitchen-tested. Here’s what to know to guarantee success.
Butter: Browning the butter creates a nutty, almost caramelized flavor that truly takes this cake to the next level. Don’t worry about measuring the butter before and after browning, the recipe was engineered to begin with exactly 10 tablespoons (142g) of butter.
Brown Sugar: I prefer this over granulated (white) sugar because of the extra moisture the molasses content adds to the cake layers. Plus, it enhances that caramelized note from the browned butter.
Applesauce: I know, strange! But trust me here, unsweetened applesauce helps create a tender and soft cake without needing extra oil. You won’t taste the apple. I like to buy the small snack containers because I won’t use up an entire jar.
Fresh carrots (important!): Always grate fresh carrots. Pre-shredded carrots are often too dry and thick. I use the medium holes on my box grater. You can also use the shredder disc attachment on your food processor if that’s easier for you.
Nuts: I like to use walnuts or pecans, and I take the time to toast them for about 5 minutes on a dry skillet on my stovetop before chopping and adding to my batter. This brings out more flavor, but is optional. Skip the nuts altogether if you prefer.
Spices: Don’t skip these, and be sure to use fresh spices for best flavor.
Cream Cheese (frosting): Use only full-fat brick-style cream cheese. I prefer the Philadelphia brand (generic brands are often more watery).
How to Make Carrot Cake (Step by Step)
Brown the butter. Use a stainless steel skillet for best results. Learn how to brown butter here.
Combine wet ingredients. Add the carrots. Freshly grate carrots for best results!
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix to avoid a rubbery cake.
Stir in the nuts. Omit them entirely if you’d prefer.
Divide into cake pans. Line your pans with parchment rounds and spray with nonstick cooking spray beforehand.
Bake. Until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
Slice each layer. Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to slice each layer into two equal layers for a total of four.
Assemble. Stack layers with the frosting, using an offset spatula to spread and smooth.
Garnish with walnuts. Toast them before chopping for best flavor!
Serve. Use a large, sharp knife, wiping it between cuts, for clean slices.
Tessa’s Tips
- Use a light-colored metal pan for even baking
- Don’t skip cooling the brown butter — hot butter will scramble eggs
- Grate carrots using the large holes for best texture
- Measure flour correctly (spoon + level) to avoid dense cake
- Don’t overmix once flour is added
- For extra flavor, toast the nuts before adding
- If your frosting is too soft, chill it for 15–20 minutes
- Use a cake leveler for easy, even layers
Storage & Make Ahead
Refrigerator: Store frosted cake up to 3 days
Room temperature: Safe for up to 6 hours in a cool environment.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze unfrosted layers, well wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they’re too dry and thick. Freshly grated carrots provide moisture and a softer texture.
Use a combination of fat (brown butter), applesauce, and fresh carrots. Avoid overbaking, which dries out the crumb. Also avoid over-measuring your flour (a digital kitchen scale is best!).
Yes. Because of the cream cheese frosting, it must be refrigerated after about 6 hours at room temperature. If serving outside, keep the cake well chilled beforehand.
I already have a Carrot Cupcake recipe here!
Yes. Bake the layers, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Absolutely. The cake will still be flavorful — the nuts just add texture contrast.
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups (318 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups (400 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (250 grams) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups (296 grams) finely shredded carrots* (about 4 medium carrots)
- 3/4 cup (84 grams) finely chopped walnuts or pecans
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 24 ounces (680 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, completely softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon
vanilla paste or extract - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 cups (625 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Let cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
- To the browned butter, whisk in the brown sugar, then the eggs. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the nuts.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to wire racks.
- Slice each cake layer in half for four layers using a cake leveler or serrated knife. Place layers in the fridge while you make the frosting.
Make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On low speed, gradually add in the sugar and beat until creamy.
Assemble the cake:
- Place one cake layer cut side up on a cake stand or platter. Spread about 1/4 of the frosting all over the cake layer, pushing it out over the edge just slightly. Repeat with the remaining layers. With an offset spatula, spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the cake, smoothing the edges.
- Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2020 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Joanie Simon.
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Can I leave out the nuts, we are not fans in our household. Is there something I would need to add in place of them?
Sure! You can omit them out completely with no adjustments needed. You could also try adding a few tablespoons of raisins in their place! 🙂
Thank you!
I’ve made this A LOT!! It’s by far the best carrot cake I’ve ever tried. However, on several occasions when making the cream cheese frosting I’ve found that it goes quite runny when beating the cream cheese and butter together and then adding the icing sugar. Tried adjusting ratios and using colder cream cheese, made no difference. THEN I did a little research and found out that the icing sugar will draw out the water content from the cream cheese, hence, it goes runny. So the trick is to beat the icing sugar and butter together, as the fat from the butter (which has a higher content than the cream cheese), will coat all the sugar molecules and will prevent it from drawing the water from the cream cheese. I tried it out and it works like a charm!! Just thought I’d share that but if info with you in case others have experienced this same issue!!
Such a great tip, Chris! We’ll have to try this out for ourselves 🙂
Hi , Im super excited to try this recipe for son who ADORES carrot cake! I dont have a stand mixer and I was hoping you could suggest the next best option? I just found your wonderful site today and im beyond impressed! Thank you so much
Hi Lisa! Welcome to Handle the Heat! We hope you enjoy Tessa’s recipes! I also encourage you (if you haven’t already) to check out the pink tip box on each post; it’s just above the recipe, and contains so many tips and so much information that Tessa packs into each post to help our wonderful readers make the most perfect baked goods possible 🙂 You don’t need any type of mixer to make this cake, but the frosting does need some sort of electric mixer. A handheld electric mixer will do just fine. I hope that helps. Let us know what you think of this cake once you’ve given it a try! Happy baking!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and he loved it! I made the layers a few weeks before I needed them and wrapped them in plastic wrap, foil, and stuck them in the freezer. They stacked together beautifully since they were frozen and it was easy to frost. I made the cream cheese frosting, too, and ended up with quite a bit which I’m putting in the freezer for another day. I loved this recipe.
I have a question. The recipe says that the carrots should be “finely shredded”, but in the blog post, you say to make them “coarsely grated”. Can you clarify, please? Because I really want to make this cake
Hi Kathleen! Use the slightly larger holes on your box grater – it’s still considered ‘finely shredded’, just a slightly larger size. I hope that helps! Can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe 🙂
Oh thanks, yes that’s very helpful!
Hi I would love to try this recipe but I was wondering if we should be measuring the butter before browning or after since the gram measurement isn’t the same once it’s browned
Hi Alizeh! The recipe is written to take into account the water content lost through the browning process, so you can weigh your butter, then brown it, and then use the entirety of the browned butter in the recipe. Let us know what you think of this cake once you give it a try! 🙂
Always looking for a good carrot cake recipe. This one was moist with excellent texture, and not soggy as so many carrot cake recipes are. The applesauce is a great way to reduce fat and calories. My only complaint is the strong baking soda taste. There isn’t enough acid in this recipe for 2 tsp baking soda. Though, 24 hours later, I no longer noticed the strong baking soda. The browned butter adds a very nice layer of flavor. I used my own cream cheese frosting recipe, as this one utilizes so much more cream cheese and butter. Overall- a very good cake! I will make again, with adjustments to the baking soda (utilizing baking powder combo).
My first time making carrot cake and it turned out perfectly. This tasted amazing, complex flavors and great textures. One of the few cupcakes that can handle lots of frosting but not be “too much”. I did add an extra 1/2 tsp of cinnamon because we love our cinnamon here.
A…..mazing !! One of the best cakes I’ve ever made ! Our friends that came for dinner rarely eat desserts and devoured it plus took some home , gave some to a neighbour and she said it without exception was the best cake she’s ever had ❤️❤️❤️
I posted a question but it didn’t go through. Hope it doesn’t show up twice now. 🙂 This is the best carrot cake we have ever had!! Even the carrot cake haters loved it!!!! I have a question though… I made the cake in the same cake pan and did exactly as you said. I baked it for 30 minutes and toothpick inserted into center came out clean. But after I took them out of the oven, they sank in the middle. They were cooked all the way through and the edges were more cooked than the inside, a little dryer, but the rest super moist and delicious. How do I keep the middle from sinking? I don’t want to dry out the cake baking it too long.
Hi Diana! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was such a hit with your guests! I would normally guess that your oven temperature may be a little off, as cakes sinking are often due to the temperature being a little too low – but if the cake was definitely fully baked throughout, that’s unlikely to be the cause of the sinking. Instead, I suspect that your baking soda may no longer be active. Tessa has an article here on how to check that your leavening agents are still fresh. A couple other common causes of sinking or collapsing cakes are incorrect measurement of ingredients, or overbeating/overmixing the batter in the last stage. Hopefully something here helps, Diana! Happy baking 🙂
Hi! I just make the cake when I realized I forgot to add in the nuts. Do you think you can add just a little bit of crush walnuts between the layers with the cream cheese?
Sure! Enjoy 🙂
I was so excited and wanted to make this for for my daughter-in-law but she absolutely hates fruit of any sort, including apple sauce. Am I able to leave the apple sauce out? If not, do you have another carrot cake recipe that does not have it in it?
Hi Lisa! Applesauce in carrot cake just helps provide a tender, moist structure. You really don’t taste any apple flavor! If you really don’t want to try it, you could experiment with replacing the same amount of apple sauce with more butter or a flavorless oil (vegetable or canola) – but we haven’t tested that, so I can’t guarantee how that will work out. Alternatively, if you just don’t want to risk it, I’d recommend trying Tessa’s Carrot Cake Cupcakes here instead 🙂 Happy baking!