Best-Ever Homemade Carrot Cake

4.87 from 83 votes

What makes this the best-ever homemade carrot cake? The classic flavor and beautiful addition of candied carrot peels. This is both an easy carrot cake recipe and a showstopper.

This carrot cake is perfectly spiced, moist, and unbelievably good! Using candied carrot peels as decoration (optional), cream cheese frosting, and sweetened shredded coconut, this cake is simply the best — I make it all the time.

My Ultimate Carrot Cake with Candied Carrot Peels recipe is one of my favorites from Zoë Bakes Cakes. I make it a lot. For birthdays, for Tuesdays, for family gatherings, it was the first cake my boys ate, because I could justify giving a baby cake, if it had carrots. I’m not suggesting it replace baby food, but for their first birthday cakes, it was my go-to. I put this cake and many more of my all-time favorites into my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Layers, Bundts, Loaves, and More.

Carrot Cake Ingredients

• Carrots: The star of the show, of course! I use organic carrots so I can candy the peels. It’s a way to use the entire veg without any waste, and they are gorgeous.
• Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg give the recipe the classic carrot cake flavor. If you don’t have all of these spices in your pantry, you can substitute them with 1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend.
• Orange: A little orange zest adds a little extra flavor and makes the cake really pop.
• Shredded Coconut: Adds both texture and a hint of coconut flavor. I use sweetened, but give tips if you want to use the unsweetened version. If you are pressing coconut on the outside, I recommend using the sweetened kind that has more moisture to it.
• Cream Cheese Frosting: The classic frosting. The recipe includes a simple cream cheese frosting that is perfect for this (and other) cakes. Pro Tip: I only use Philadelphia brand cream cheese, and they are not paying me to say that. It has the best texture and flavor. If you have a brand you like more, use it, but it may produce a different consistency. And, do not use low-fat cream cheese for the frosting. This is not a place to skimp on flavor or the creaminess. You’ll find lots of tips and techniques for success in the recipe and in my Carrot Cake video.

How To Use The Whole Carrot, Peels and All

I was inspired to use the whole carrot, including the peels, after making Cenk Sönmezsoy’s Perfect Apple Pie, which uses every single bit of the apple to make the pie. The core, peel, and seeds are all used to extract as much apple flavor as possible. I love that he didn’t waste a bit of the fruit. I usually peel the carrots and toss them away into the composter, which honestly doesn’t cause me too much guilt, but why not use them for the cake? I just washed the organic carrots, peeled them (I love This Peeler ), and candied the peels. They go through several stages while baking. First, they turn to carrot leather, chewy and soft, then they dehydrate fully and turn to a snappy, brittle, sweet, but earthy candy. Delicious.

How to Make Carrot Cake (Video)

Watch my in-depth YouTube video of how to make Carrot Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting, and Candied Carrot Peels from scratch!

Carrot Cake Pro Tips

• This cake works well as a half batch (see me make it in my video!) baked in three 6-inch round cake pans. It’s perfect for two people and will last for a few days. This cake actually gets better after sitting for a day, and you can freeze the layers.

• Use whatever dried fruit you want — this is your cake! I use raisins, apricots, and dried cherries, or you can add craisins or even nuts. Just use the same amounts as suggested in the recipe or it will change the consistency.

• Firmly tap the filled cake pans on the counter to get the batter to spread out and force any air bubbles to the surface. Don’t do this with all cakes, but this carrot cake can handle it.

• Bake the cakes on a baking sheet, which makes it easier to transfer them in and out of the oven. It will also give the bottom of the cakes a little insulation. This will only work with the three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch pans.

• Make your frosting ahead of time if it is quite warm in your kitchen. Sometimes, cream cheese frosting is a little bit loose, and it needs time in the refrigerator to set up. You can even make it a day ahead, and it will be easier to use. The trick to thick cream cheese frosting is getting the temperatures of the ingredients right and not overmixing.

Decorating Pro Tips

• I love the candied carrot peels on the outside of my cake, but you could also press coconut or nuts into the frosting for a more classic look or leave it plain and simple.

• For the candied carrot peels: Use organic carrots and wash them well. Use a very sharp vegetable peeler and press quite hard when peeling to get thick strips of peel that will hold up well.

Best-Ever Homemade Carrot Cake

This carrot cake is perfectly spiced, moist and unbelievably good! Using candied carrot peels as decoration (optional), cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut, this cake is simply the best — I make it all the time!

A half batch can be made in three 6-inch round cake pans and it only needs to bake 20-25 mins.

4.87 from 83 votes

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Author: Zoë François

Video

Ingredients

Candied Carrot Peels

• Peels from 2 pounds organic carrots washed – Make sure you get a nice thick peel, if they are too thin, they will fall apart while you candy them. My peeler produces just the right thickness, but you may need to press a bit harder to get a nice peel.
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) water
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract optional
• Pinch kosher salt

Carrot Cake

• 4 cups (450g) loosely packed finely grated carrots
• 2 1/3 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (200g) lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) mild-flavored oil such as vegetable oil
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 large orange
• 1 3/4 cups (150g) sweetened shredded coconut* plus 1 3/4 cups additional for decorating the outside (if desired)
• 1 cup (160g) chopped dried fruit such as apricots, raisins, cherries or chopped nuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

Candied Carrot Peels

• Preheat the oven to 200°F / 95°C. Line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mats.
• In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the sugar, water, orange blossom water (optional), and salt to a simmer. Cook until the sugar is completely melted, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the carrot peels, and let them sit in the hot syrup just until the peels are turning translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the excess syrup from the peels by gently squeegeeing them between your fingers, then lay them out on the prepared baking sheet. (see the YouTube Video)
• Bake until the carrot peels start to curl up, anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending on their thickness. Run the blade of a small offset spatula under the peels and gently flip them over. continue to bake until they are completely dry; this can take several hours. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 48 hours.

  Pro Tip: The candied carrot peels do not do well in a humid environment. If it is humid, they will soften and wilt. This is also true if you put them in the refrigerator.

Carrot Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously grease two 8 by 3-inch cake pans, then line them with greased parchment paper. (or for a half batch, three 6-inch pans)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla, orange zest, 1 3/4 cups / 150g of the coconut, dried fruit, and carrots. Then add the dry ingredients and mix just until uniformly combined.
• Divide the batter into the two prepared pans and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Gently tap the pans on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
• Bake until a tester comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. (or for a half batch, just 20-25 minutes). Let cakes cool completely before removing from the pans. Remove the parchment paper and place one cake layer on a serving plate.

To Assemble the Cake

• Put one of the layers** of cake on an 8-inch Cardboard Cake Circle and then top it with 1 cup of the cream cheese icing. Repeat with the next layers.

  **Pro Tip: The photos above show an 8-inch cake with four layers. I cut the two 8-inch cake layers in half before layering them with the cream cheese frosting.
• Cover the cake with a thin crumb coat (watch video for crumb coat instructions). Then finish with a coating of the cream cheese icing (watch video for smooth icing instructions). You can leave it simple OR press coconut onto the sides OR make the candied carrot peels to decorate the sides.

  Serve cake immediately or store in the refrigerator (***see note about candied carrot peels), covered, for up to 3 days.
  

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Notes

*if you use unsweetened coconut, you’ll want to add the coconut early to the wet ingredients, so it will absorb some of the moisture. The resulting cake will be slightly less sweet as well, so if you want to add a couple Tbsp sugar or honey, you can.

Once you put the peels on the cake, you want to serve it immediately. Refrigerating the carrot peel candy will cause them to wilt.

Golden syrup is like a light caramel but not as overpowering a flavor; it just adds a nuance that is exquisite. Golden syrup is a staple in most British kitchens, but if you happen to find it in your own grocery in the United States, give it a try.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!