Carrot Cake for Easter
Carrot Cake that is moist and the perfect amount of carrots and spices with a thick cream cheese frosting. We make this for Easter every year.
CARROT CAKE FOR EASTER
Sometimes it surprises me that I have a food blog. But not because of the reasons you think. The thing is, I am a people pleaser to a fault. I’ve always said I couldn’t be a hairdresser because I’m too worried that people wouldn’t like their hair. BUT recipes are the same way. Everyone has different taste buds and some things people either love or hate.
Sometimes I make a recipe that I’ve made a zillion times and it doesn’t turn out. There are so many variables: the butter is too cold, your oven temperature is off, your baking soda is old, you added too much of something. You learn as you go. So I always worry that if it doesn’t turn out for someone else, I feel responsible and I hate that.
But I finally came to the resolution that when it comes down to it, I’m posting recipes that me and my family love. Some people will love them but not everyone will. That’s life.
DIFFERENT CARROT CAKE RECIPES
Full transparency I have three carrot cake recipes on my site. Here’s the breakdown.
This Carrot Cake recipe in this post: Is my go-to. It’s no fuss, always turns out, and is super moist with pineapple in the batter.
Moist Carrot Cake – this is made in a 9×13 and the most pineapple out of all the recipes giving it the most moisture. This is the most popular carrot cake recipe on my site.
Carrot Cake recipe: This recipe is full of spices and has a bigger crumb.
And how bad is it that I took this to a party with a piece of cake already cut out. I had to taste it first! |
OTHER EASTER RECIPES:
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
- Easter Bunny Cake
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Watergate Salad
- Carrot Cake
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Funeral Potatoes
Carrot Cake for Easter
Ingredients
- 1 cup neutral flavored oil, (like canola or vegetable oil)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten well
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and grated fine
- 1 (8 ounce can) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour, (replace one cup with whole wheat flour for a denser, nuttier taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans, (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix oil, sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and add slowly to the wet ingredients.
- To make a 9x13 cake, pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish for 45 minutes. To make a 2 layer cake use 2 9-inch round pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If using 2 round pans make sure to really grease or use parchment cut in circles so that your cake comes out clean. Invert cakes into a cooling rack.
- When cake has cooled frost with cream cheese frosting. If layering and piping frosting you may need 1.5x the frosting.
- For the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the bowl often. Frost the carrot cake.
Notes
Source: Camden LeeMaster
I’m excited about making this carrot cake. My Mom made the best carrot cake ever and everyone loved it. She added pineapple, raisins and of course, shaved carrots. She put walnuts on top of the cake in the icing. This will be delicious just like her cake always was. Thank you❣️
A long time ago I had a recipe from one of the respiratory therapists I worked with in Toledo that also used baby food 🥕. For the life of me, I can’t find it 😿. That, and her 6 cheese lasagna were to die for.
I’d like to try this recipe. Ingredients for frosting: 1 lb 4 cups. Does this mean 4 cups total? Or 1 lb plus 4 cups?
Yes, sorry the recipe card had a bug. It’s 4 cups total.
Don’t you need baking powder, too? I used all purpose flour.
Nope. You have baking soda as a leavener.
Can I make this in a sheet pan? Thanks!!
Yes, for sure!
I have been making this from a very similar recipe but to give it an extra kick add 1/2 to 1 tsp almond extract to the cream cheese frosting.
Almond extract is always good.
Hi. The recipe says pineapple undrained. So does that mean the syrup gets mixed in the cake batter? Secondly, if I want to reduce the quantity of nuts, to half a cup, should I increase the carrot by half a cup?
TIA
Yes, the whole can goes in the batter. If you reduce the nuts you shouldn’t have to increase the carrot.
This is my favourite carrot cake recipe. I’ve been making it for over 6 years and it’s always a hit! Literally the most moist carrot cake I’ve ever had. I can’t seem to like any bakery carrot cake since I started making this. I wanted to stop by to say thank you for this!!! 🙂
Thank you so much Ramsha!
I want to make this cake a day in advance..will it stay well overnight in the refrigerator?
Absolutely!
I made this for my moms birthday a couple weeks ago and it was a big hit. My husband has always said he doesn’t like carrot cake but with everyone moaning while eating it and me bullying him into eating it he tried it and of course was surprised by how much he liked it. Success!
Yay! I loved hearing that!
Oh wow, I’m really excited to try this… I just wish you didn’t use the phrase “how ghetto is it” because that’s a classist and racialized statement… maybe sketchy, slapdash, or haphazard would be more appropriate.
This looks amazimg I’m in love with carrot cakes
But we do not have 8 ounce cans of pineapple we only have 16 ounces
How can I measue the requied amount of fruit and juice from the 16 ounces can
You can pour it into an actualy liquid measuring cup or just eyeball it. It doesn’t have to be exact.
i love that you put pineapple in this cake! It makes it soo good its a bummer when people make it without the pineapple, it takes away from the cake i think.
My mom’s birthday is coming up, and while she asked me not to bake her anything, she caved five minutes later and mentioned carrot cake. I will definitely be trying out this recipe, but in cupcake form. Thanks so much for posting this!