World's Best Carrot Cake (2024)

Posted on Published: September 28, 2016

Hundreds of have spoken…this is The World’s Best Carrot Cake! Layers of moist flavor filled cake with coconut, crushed pineapple, carrots, spices, and nuts come together with a delectable cream cheese frosting.

I felt like I needed to add more veggies to my diet, so I made my favorite carrot cake! Ummm… Heck yeah! I’m happy to report that about three more slices of this baby and my eyesight should be back to normal!

I’m obsessed with this carrot cake recipe! It truly is the “World’s Best Carrot Cake”! That is no exaggeration. This recipe ALWAYS receives rave reviews! (It makes me look good!)

It’s the perfect balance of everything I love! This cake is bursting with flavor and ultra moist, but not overly sweet like some traditional carrot cakes.

How To Make The World’s BEST Carrot Cake

First you are going to place your wet ingredients into the mixer and blend.

Next add your dry ingredients and mix.

Then add your carrots, pineapple, coconuts and lastly the nuts and mix again. (Nuts are optional)

When you have blended all the ingredients together you’ll have a very thin batter like pictured below.

Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans, or you can do two 8-9 inch cake pans too. I wanted a three layer cake with thinner layers because I love how this cake looks with three layers. It’s a personal choice and totally up to you!

Tip: I only had two cake pans, so I baked two, and then did the third after the first one had slightly cooled, and I could invert it onto my cake plate.

Once you have baked your cakes in a 350-degree oven for about 30–40 minutes, place on a cooling rack and allow them to completely cool in the pans!

The reason for this… remember how I said this cake is “moist”…it’s really moist! I placed mine face down on a cooling rack the first time, and had to carefully lift mine with two spatulas. (It’s a nightmare you don’t wanna live through! Trust me!)Place your cake pan up against your cake plate and invert.

Use your favorite cream cheese recipe (I’ll include mine… I promise)Frost the tops of each cake layer.

I love that this cake is only frosted between the layers. You could go around the outside if you really want to, but Mars and I are not huge frosting fans so this method of just frosting in between the layers and on top is perfect for us.

I don’t do a ton of frosting either, just a nice medium layer. Again this is a personal choice. You can do whatever floats your boat! (Don’t take all your baking advice from me! Lol I’m the lady eating cake to get her vegetable count in!)(wink, wink)

Here is the finished cake. I didn’t go all fancy with piping frosting around the edges or adding any garnish. I really believe sometimes more is just that…more! Not necessarily better.

This cake is so beautiful on its own! It doesn’t need all that “Froufrou”! (I hate my kitchen table and am re-doing it soon!!! Just in case you were wondering.)

I do think it deserves a moment of silence….ticktock…tick-tock….

Okay… enough of that! Let’s get to the good part…the eatin’! Ooooh…so super moist and so yummy! Makes eatin’ your veggies a divine pleasure!

One bite, and you can feel yourself start to elevate to new heights! (I said “heights” not “weight”! This cake has fruit and veggies it cancels out all calories!… You’re Welcome! Lol)

Frequently Asked Questions About Carrot Cake

• Can I use desiccated coconut? Yes you can!
• What is the bake time for a 9 x 13 cake? It’s about the same cook time, but be sure to check the cake and if it springs back in the center it’s done.
• How long should I bake these if I make cupcakes? Adjust the cook time to 18–22 minutes.
• Why did my carrots turn green and is the cake safe to eat? The carrots turned green because they contain pigments that are sensitive to changes in pH balance. When shreds of carrots come into contact with the alkaline baking soda, a chemical reaction takes place that causes pigments to change color. Make sure that the baking soda is well mixed into your batter. The cake is safe to eat. It just doesn’t look super pretty. Side note…I’ve never had this happen. That’s because I mix my flour and baking soda well before adding wet ingredients.
• Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned? YES! Just be sure to pulse in your food processor or chop finely. Reduce amount by 1/4 cup.
• Can I bake this cake the day before or several days before? Yes! Be sure to cover the cake well so that it won’t dry out.
• Can I freeze the cake after baking and frost it later?You can, but I caution that it will be extremely moist and very hard to handle. DO NOT FROST the cake and freeze it.

I made this for dessert the other night and my kids… who both told me they don’t usually like carrot cake…loved it! Mars who has always “Passed” on my carrot cake asked for a slice and then proceeded to “ewww and ahhhh” and ask me why he’s never tried it before? (Mmmmm… That’s a question only the other Martians can answer! Us Venusians eat any carb covered in frosting!)

If you like this Carrot Cake here are some other great Cake Recipes

• Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• The Best Dark Chocolate Cake with Creamy Chocolate Buttercream
• Cake Mix Cinnamon Coffee Cake
• Best Vanilla Cake with Special Buttercream frosting
• Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese frosting
• Best Pound Cake Recipe from Julia’s Simply Southern

The printable recipe is located below.

If you try this recipe… I’d REALLY love to hear from you! I want to know if you love this splendid carrot cake as much as I do.

Have a GREAT day! Happy Veggie Eatin’!