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Carrot Cake as served, showing the finished dish

Dessert recipe

Carrot Cake Recipe

A practical, source-aware recipe for carrot cake, with the history kept close to the method.

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Carrot Cake. Photo: Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Developed by the Recipe Desk. This original editorial recipe uses measured ingredients, explicit timing and yield, allergen notes, storage guidance, and step-by-step visual cues. Use the stated doneness and texture cues because ingredients, ovens, and kitchen equipment vary.

Recipe card

Carrot Cake

A practical, source-aware recipe for carrot cake, with the history kept close to the method.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Yield
12 Servings
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • ½ cup (75 g) golden raisins (optional)
  • 3 Tbsp. dark rum (optional)
  • 1 cup (113 g) chopped walnuts
  • 1 lb. carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt
  • ¾ tsp. baking soda
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (packed; 150 g) dark brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Generous pinch of kosher salt
  • 4 cups (454 g) powdered sugar
  • Candied Carrot Coins (optional)

Method

  1. Cake for Carrot Cake, showing the ingredients and preparation at this stage
    Step 1: Cake for Carrot Cake.
    1

    Cake

    Cake

  2. Cream cheese frosting and assembly for Carrot Cake, showing the ingredients and preparation at this stage
    Step 2: Cream cheese frosting and assembly for Carrot Cake.
    2

    Cream cheese frosting and assembly

    Cream cheese frosting and assembly

Storage

Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat only when the texture benefits from it.

Allergens

No major allergens identified from the listed ingredients. Always check product labels for cross-contact.

Why this dish belongs here

The history behind the method

This dessert builds on the history of the fascinating history of carrot, linking the dish to carrot’s longer story in food culture.

Explore the ingredients

Carrot history

Trend and context sources

  1. [1]Original Carrot Cake recipe — Bon Appétit
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Written by The Foods That Shaped Us Research Desk

The Foods That Shaped Us Research Desk is the publication byline for collaboratively maintained food-history articles, Case Files, Trend Desk analysis, and original Recipe Desk development. Historical work is grounded in cited sources. Recipes use measured formulations and receive an editorial consistency, safety-note, and image-provenance review before release.

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