Best Carrot Cake Ever Recipe

Review rewritten: I must say, this carrot cake I made turned out to be the best I've ever tasted! It received many compliments and served a large number of people. The baking process only took 40 minutes, making it a quick and easy treat to prepare. I decided to use my own cream cheese frosting recipe, which in my opinion is superior and offers a richer flavor. Here's the recipe: 1/4 lb. soft butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 lb. confectioners sugar. Simply combine the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla, mix until blended, then add sugar and mix until smooth. I'm confident that you'll love it, just like I did. Give it a try – I don't think you'll be disappointed!

I received fantastic feedback on this cake (someone even suggested selling it for $8.00 a slice), but I did make some adjustments to the original recipe. Firstly, I altered the serving size to 12 portions due to comments about the cake's large size. I used two 9" baking pans, resulting in a more standard-sized cake. Instead of the specified amount, I utilized 4 cups of grated carrots, which was the entire bag I had purchased, but 1/2 cup less than required. I substituted half of the oil with applesauce and half of the pineapple with applesauce as well. Additionally, I replaced almost half of the flour with wheat flour, omitted the raisins, and added approximately a teaspoon each of nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and dried orange rind. I also doubled the amount of cinnamon in the recipe. For the frosting, I used 1/4 lb of butter, 8 oz of cream cheese, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1 lb of sifted powdered sugar. I should have refrigerated it longer before transporting it as it became a bit slippery, although it didn't cause any major mishaps. I brought the cake to a dinner party with 4 guests and later shared the leftovers at work. It was a huge hit, and everyone couldn't seem to get enough of it. I was particularly pleased since not only had I never made carrot cake before, but I had also never tasted it, so I wasn't sure about the desired flavor. Overall, a big success! Thank you!

After carefully reading numerous reviews, including those who expressed dissatisfaction, I decided to give this cake a try. While the majority, myself included, thoroughly enjoyed this cake, I acknowledge the value in understanding both positive and negative feedback. For those who didn't find the cake to their liking, I have a few suggestions. Common complaints centered around the cake being too heavy, moist, or "pudding-like." To address this, consider straining the carrots and pineapple more thoroughly before incorporating them into the batter. Although not specified in the recipe, I drained the carrots and pineapple until nearly dry, then added back about 2-3 tablespoons of the strained liquid. Additionally, I soaked the raisins in warm water while allowing the carrots to sit in brown sugar for added hydration. I opted to bake the batter in 3 - 8" rounds instead of the recommended 2 - 10" rounds. This adjustment reduced the bake time to 30-45 minutes and may prevent undercooking issues. Personally, I found this cake to be delicious and well worth the effort. It has received rave reviews from everyone I've shared it with, and I definitely plan on making it again.

It was fantastic! I baked it in a 9 x 13 cake pan at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

After following the tips from CrystalLaurey's review on June 1, 2004, I made some adjustments to the recipe. I drained the pineapple well and removed excess liquid from the carrot and sugar mixture. I added 3 tablespoons of this liquid back into the batter. Using 9-inch round pans, I didn't fill them to the brim (left some batter for a mini loaf pan). The cakes only needed 35 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. The outcome was fantastic! I topped it with a simple icing made of 4 cups of powdered sugar, 8 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of butter, and 1 tsp of vanilla. So pleased with how it turned out!

Here is the rewritten review: "I tried out this amazing recipe and it turned out fantastic! I made sure to squeeze out the excess liquid from the pineapple and only kept two tablespoons of liquid from the carrots. Using freshly grated nutmeg really made a difference! I also prepared a delicious butter cream cheese frosting to top it off. For the frosting, I used 1 brick of very soft cream cheese, 1/2 cup of softened salted butter, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 3 cups of sifted icing sugar (adjust to your preferred sweetness). Simply mix the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed, add the vanilla, and then gradually mix in the powdered sugar until well combined."

I made this carrot cake for a friend who isn't a cook but absolutely adores carrot cake. He regularly orders carrot cake from various restaurants and his favorite bakery. He declared that this recipe surpasses them all! I was initially hesitant about using all the juice from the carrots and brown sugar, but it turned out perfectly. I reduced the white sugar by half a cup, used a standard bundt pan, and the batter fitted just right. For my personal taste, I included a couple of teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in addition to 2 teaspoons of regular cinnamon. Following the instructions, I baked it at 350 degrees in my air fryer/oven, needing an extra 10-12 minutes for the toothpick to come out clean. I topped it with a simple cream cheese frosting and sprinkled chopped walnuts. The cake turned out dense but absolutely heavenly!

I always make this cake for birthdays at work, and it's a hit with everyone. I didn't make any changes to the recipe.

I have made this recipe many times. I also like to incorporate 1 cup of coconut, inspired by my grandmother's carrot cake recipe. I prefer baking it in 3 9" pans as it allows for layering with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting. This cake is always a crowd-pleaser and disappears quickly every time!

I didn't include the pineapple, but it was still amazing!! This was my very first attempt at baking a cake, and it was so easy and delicious! 🤩

Excellent flavor. Can be frozen successfully. I found that using just 1 cup of sugar suited my taste perfectly.

INCREDIBLE!!!!! Only lasted for 2 and a half days with 3 people!!!!!

Review Update: I followed the recipe instructions to the letter - eggs, oil, sugar, drained Pineapple, and carrots with brown sugar mix. However, I mistakenly added the entire can of pineapple instead of just 1 cup. Fingers crossed it turns out alright as I really wanted to surprise my wife with it for the July 4th weekend. Thank you.