This amazing carrot cake recipe has it all! With a half-pound of carrots, pineapple, coconut, pecans, it truly is a fully loaded carrot cake. Give it a try–it may just be the best carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that you’ve ever made.
Carrot cake is one of those desserts that I believe is very underrated. It’s not overwhelmingly sweet, is super moist, and can sneakily help you get in a couple of veggies.
-insert joke about how carrot cake has vegetables and therefore it is good for you-
Jokes aside, this beautiful cake has a whopping half pound of carrots in it, in addition to pineapple, coconut, applesauce, and pecans too! It’s also spiced with cozy flavors such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and wrapped in a tangy cream cheese frosting. All of this makes the cake super moist, flavorful, and delicious.
While carrot cake can seem intimidating to make (I get that grating a bunch of carrots isn’t the most exciting task in the world), I promise that this recipe is worth it. It’s my favorite carrot cake recipe, which I call ‘fully loaded’ since its jam packed with ingredients.
What Size Carrot Cake Does This Make?
The cake you see pictured is a 3-tier, 6″ cake. If you’d prefer a wider cake, you can instead make a 2-tier, 8″ cake. The batter is also enough for 24 cupcakes if that’s more your speed!
Ingredients for Carrot Cake
Here is everything you need to make the best carrot cake with some explanations and substitutions thrown in there as well!
For the Cake
- Vegetable oil: you can also substitute avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- Unsweetened Applesauce: this ingredient is key to adding moisture and softness to the carrot cake without making it too oily. Applesauce is a common substitute for oil in baking and it works perfectly in carrot cake. We’ll be using equal parts applesauce and oil in this recipe.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda & baking powder
- Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
- Grated carrots: see section below on how to grate carrots
- Crushed pineapple: you can find this with the rest of the canned fruit at the grocery store. Make sure it is crushed pineapple in juice (not syrup) and that you do not drain it before using.
- Shredded coconut: either sweetened or unsweetened works here
- Chopped pecans
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese: make sure to use the cream cheese sold in a block, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
- Cornstarch (optional): since cream cheese frosting isn’t as thick as buttercream frosting, adding some cornstarch will help make it luscious and perfect for frosting a cake.
It may seem like a lot of ingredients but gracious does it make for a flavorful carrot cake. Try to use everything listed if possible–hang in there with me everyone! I promise I’m not a crazy person dumping a bunch of stuff into a bowl!
How to Grate Carrots for Cake
This recipe calls for 2 packed cups of carrots, or roughly ½ pound (226 grams). This equates to around 4-5 carrots, depending on size. Think about using half of the 16 oz bags of carrots that you can buy at the grocery store.
To grate the carrots, peel them first using a vegetable peeler. Then, use either a box grater or a food processor. Do not use store-bought shredded carrots (a tempting shortcut that leads to overly chunky and crunchy cake). If you are using a food processor, cut the carrots into pieces first, and then briefly pulse them a few times so that they get chopped up but not puréed.
Tips & Ideas
Here are some tips for making carrot cake!
Use room temperature ingredients
This means the applesauce, eggs, pineapple, flour (yes I know some people who keep their flour in the fridge)–everything should ideally be at room temperature. This helps the ingredients incorporate better and yields a better crumb on the cake itself.
Don’t Overmix the Batter
Mix the dry ingredients in until they flour is just combined to prevent overmixing. Then, when adding the carrots, nuts, and coconut, use a flexible spatula to gently fold them in rather than running your mixer. Overmixing will result in a tough and chewy cake, which is the opposite of what we want.
Toast the Pecans and Coconut
Want even better flavor? Toast the nuts and coconut in the oven for a few minutes to bring out their flavors more. Line a cookie sheet with foil, spread the nuts and coconut in an even layer on top, and put them into the oven for 3-5 minutes.
Add Raisins
Even more ingredients? How about adding half a cup of raisins in there? I personally don’t love raisins which is why I left them out, but I hear they are lovely in carrot cake!
How to Store Leftover Carrot Cake
Wrap leftover cake in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. It is important that you keep the cake cool, since the fresh carrots and cream cheese are prone to spoil and/or get moldy if left out.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, a rating, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your carrot cakes!
Not ready to cook yet? No problem! Pick your favorite image from this post, hover over it (tap if on a mobile phone), and click the pin icon to save it to Pinterest for later.
Explore more cake and cupcake recipes here. I’d also love to connect with you on Instagram or Pinterest!
Anyways, happy baking my friends! Until next time.
Fully Loaded Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Three 6" round cake pans
- Vegetable Grater
- Stand/electric mixer
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp crushed pineapple, undrained
Dry Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Add Ins
- 2 packed cups grated carrots
- ½ cup shredded coconut, either sweetened or unsweetened
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese (from block), softened
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp cornstarch*, optional
Instructions
For The Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare the cake pans by greasing liberally and/or lining with round parchment paper liners.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and eggs together on medium speed until light yellow and fluffy. Then, add the applesauce, vanilla, and undrained crushed pineapple. Continue beating until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt until combined. Add this to the wet ingredients in your stand mixer, beating on low speed until flour is just combined. Then, using a flexible spatula, gently fold in the carrots, shredded coconut, and pecans.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans (use a measuring cup to help portion it out). Bake for 35-40 minutes if using 6" pans, or until the cakes are set and a toothpick comes out clean. It may take longer depending on your oven. If using larger pans, increase bake time.
- Place the pans on a wire rack to let the cakes cool completely. I would recommend chilling the cakes before frosting as well.
Frosting & Assembly
- To make the frosting, start by beating the butter and cream cheese together with a pinch of salt in your mixer until they are combined. Then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high as the sugar incorporates, beat the frosting until it's light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cake: place one layer, flat side up, or a cake stand. If your cake has a small dome on top, use a serrated knife to horizontally cut it off so that you have a flat surface. Use an offset spatula to spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat. Then, place the third layer on top and spread frosting evenly on top and round the cake.
- Garnish with more chopped pecans and enjoy!
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