Easy Carrot Cake Sheet Cake
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Save some room for the Best Sheet Cake Carrot Cake you’ll ever taste. It’s easy, foolproof, and has been in my family for over 20 years. It remains my absolute favorite carrot cake recipe EVER.
In my opinion, a simple carrot cake is the perfect ending to any Easter feast of Honey Glazed Ham and Scalloped Potatoes. It can certainly hold its own next to any holiday pie around Thanksgiving, and it even makes for a solid breakfast (I’ve definitely turned this recipe into carrot cake muffins).
This cake has been in my family for years, buried deep in one of my dad’s old cookbooks. It’s stellar as is, but who wants to deal with stacking cake layers? Not me, so I turned this baby into a sheet cake.
It’s so much easier, and the extra flat surface let’s you really pile on the cream cheese frosting.
For a little New England flair, I like to sprinkle on some maple walnuts as a crunchy topping, but my mom usually goes for toasted coconut. However you serve it, it’s delicious and a classic for a reason!
Why This Is The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
- The cake batter comes together quickly, with no stand mixer or complicated instructions. It’s perfect for beginners!
- No complicated cake layers here! This carrot cake sheet cake is baked and frosted in a 13×9″ baking dish, making it easy to transport—perfect for potlucks and family gatherings.
- The cake is super moist, flavorful, and make ahead (it tastes better the longer it sits).
- Carrot cake isn’t just for Easter! Its warm spices make it perfect for winter holidays, or as an easy and delicious birthday cake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The cake is adapted from the “Carrot Top Carrot Cake” from the New York Cookbook
Carrot Cake Ingredients:
- Grated Carrots – Wash, peel, and grate fresh carrots for the best texture and moisture—do not use the pre-shredded carrots!
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder– Baking powder gives the cake batter a necessary lift due to the moisture from the carrots. Don’t confuse it with baking soda!
- Ground Cinnamon + Ground Nutmeg
- Coarse Kosher salt – Kosher salt is less salty than table salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount by half.
- Vegetable Oil – or other neutral oil like canola oil
- White Sugar
- Large Eggs – room temperature
- Vanilla Extract
- Chopped Maple Walnuts – optional, for decoration. I like using the maple glazed walnuts to play off the spices in the cake, and to add a crunchy New England touch. You can use store bought or make your own candied walnuts.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese – use full fat cream cheese, softened
- Unsalted Butter – softened to room temperature
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Orange zest – optional, but highly recommended to bring out the flavor of the carrots and add a little tang to the frosting.
Note: This icing recipe is similar to the cream cheese filling I use for my Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. I add slightly more butter for structure, and a little orange zest and sour cream for extra flavor.
How To Measure Carrots For Carrot Cake
For best results, spoon grated carrots into a dry measuring cup, lightly packing them in. Keep the measurement as level as possible—but no worries if a few stray carrots stick out!
How To Make Carrot Sheet Cake
This is an overview of the complete directions found on the recipe card. Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements and detailed instructions.
Make The Carrot Cake:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 13×9″ baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
FYI: Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF if using a dark coated pan.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
Step 3
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until halfway combined. Lumps and streaks of flour should be visible.
Add the grated carrots and continue folding the batter until fully combined, and the carrots are evenly distributed.
Hint: The carrot cake batter will get more fluid once the carrots start releasing liquid. So don’t worry if the batter looks too thick at first.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish
Bake 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool while you make the frosting.
Make The Cream Cheese Frosting:
Step 1
Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or on a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Step 2
Add the powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla to the bowl.
Mix on low speed for 15-20 seconds, then switch to medium speed and beat for two minutes until light, fluffy and smooth.
Chill the frosting for 20-30 minutes while the cake is cooling.
Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting over the top of the cake in an even layer.
Sprinkle on chopped maple walnuts if desired, and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Top Tip
For best results, make the cake at least 6 hours ahead or 1-2 days before you need it. The flavors get so much better the longer it sits.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap 1 cup of the white sugar for 1 cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar.
- Omit the nutmeg if you’re not a fan, or add in a ¼ teaspoon of other spices like ground ginger, allspice, or a pinch of cardamom and cloves for extra flavor.
- Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts to the cake batter.
- If you don’t like walnuts, top with other nuts like toasted hazelnuts or pecans, or toasted shredded coconut.
- If you like your carrot cake icing without cream cheese, top it with vanilla buttercream instead. I love the buttercream from my Sugar Cookie Bars , just make a double batch!
Tips & Tricks
- You’ll need about 3 large or 4-5 medium carrots to get 3 cups of grated carrots. Be sure to wash and peel them well.
- Wait until the carrot cake is completely cooled before icing it. Otherwise the frosting will just melt off.
- Grate the carrots yourself, either by hand on a box grater or with the grater attachment on a food processor. Do not use pre-shredded carrots- they’re too thick and won’t make the cake moist.
- Chill the frosting before icing the cake to make serving easier.
How to Serve
I like to serve slices of this carrot cake with coffee and a scoop of ice cream on the side. My favorite flavors for it are my Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream or Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream (around Thanksgiving time).
How to Store Leftover Carrot Cake
Store leftover cake in the fridge for up to 5 days. This cake is amazing because it tastes better the longer it sits!
You can also freeze leftover cake (frosting and all) in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw fully in the fridge before eating.
FAQs
If you’ve iced the cake with cream cheese frosting, then yes it does.
Yes! Divide the batter between two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans. The baking time will be shorter, so start checking for doneness around 20 minutes. For layer cakes, consider increasing the frosting recipe by 25% to ensure you have enough to frost the layers and sides of the cake generously.
I don’t recommend it. Matchstick carrots are too thick here. You’ll need to run a knife through them to make them small enough for the cake.
Yes! You can make this cake 1-2 days in advance, and the cake actually tastes better as it sits. Make sure to store your cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
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The Best Sheet Cake Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For The Carrot Cake:
- 3 cups grated carrots *see note
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons of chopped maple walnuts for garnish (optional)
For The Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz 1 block cream cheese, softened
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest optional
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 13×9″ baking dish. * Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF if using a dark coated pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine the oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs in a medium sized bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until halfway combined. Lumps and streaks of flour should still be visible.
- Next, add the grated carrots and continue folding until the carrots are evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick, but will loosen up once the carrots start releasing liquid.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set the cake aside to cool.
- While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese icing.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and butter together on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 20-30 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 15-20 seconds, then switch to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until light, fluffy and smooth.
- Chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before using and spread the icing on the carrot cake once its completely cooled.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with chopped maple walnuts, and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- Grate the carrots yourself. You’ll need 3 large carrots or 4-5 smaller carrots for this recipe. The carrots should be peeled and washed well before grating.
- Make the cake 6 hours or up to a day in advance. The texture and flavor get better as it sits.
- Leftover cake with cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated.
Has anyone tried substituting coconut oil instead of vegetable or canola oil? It’s what I have on hand but I’m not sure if it could be substituted the same
Both will work! Use refined coconut oil if you don’t want the cake to have a coconut flavor!