This tender and moist carrot cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting is the best I’ve tried. The key to its texture is olive oil, and there’s no white sugar in this recipe.
I’m sharing my recipe for an exceptionally tender and super moist carrot cake topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting. The trick is olive oil. If you’re ready to bake, scroll to the recipe. If you want to understand why olive oil works so well, read on.
This cake is my go-to for birthdays, holidays, or any time I need to use up carrots. It reliably turns out moist with a deep, well-rounded flavor. Rather than using a neutral vegetable oil, I use a light or mild olive oil (not extra-virgin) suitable for baking. These varieties have a higher smoke point and a subtler taste so they won’t overpower the cake.
Olive oil acts as a natural emulsifier, creating a softer crumb and keeping the cake moist without imparting a strong olive flavor. It coats flour proteins and reduces gluten formation, so the result is tender and not dense.
For extra moisture, I made a four-layer cake so each layer can absorb the cream cheese frosting. That requires more frosting than a two-layer cake, so I reduced the sugar in the batter to keep things balanced. The cake is still sweet and satisfying—no one missed the extra sugar.
This was my first layered cake and it’s simpler than it looks. If you prefer, bake it as a single-layer cake or make two or three layers instead. I made four layers because I had a small cake stand and wanted a petite cake that fit it perfectly. Below is the complete, tested recipe for a tender, super moist carrot cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Super Moist Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the moist carrot cake:
- 300 grams or 2 ½ cups flour I used a 1:1 ratio of all-purpose to whole wheat flour
- 150 grams or ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 200 ml or ¾ cup olive oil (pure, light, or mild)
- 250 grams or 9 oz carrots about 3–4 medium carrots, grated
- 50 grams or 1.5 oz pecans
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 300 grams or 1 ½ cup cream cheese
- 120 grams or ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 50 grams or 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8-12 carrot cake decorations or pecans to garnish
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the olive oil. Grate the carrots and fold them into the wet ingredients. Stir in the chopped pecans.
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Preheat the oven to 150 °C (300 °F). Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Transfer the batter to your baking pan. Note: a small 16 cm (6 ¼ inch) form will fit about half the batter, producing two layers; alternatively use a larger pan for two layers or halve the recipe for a very small cake.
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Bake about 1 hour in a small pan or 1 hour 20 minutes in a larger pan. Test with a toothpick—when it comes out clean, the cake is done. Allow the cake to cool, then slice horizontally to create layers. Trim any uneven tops so layers sit flat.
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Prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese, softened butter, honey (or agave), and vanilla extract with a hand mixer or food processor until smooth and spreadable.
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Assemble the cake: place the bottom layer on a cake stand and spread with about one-quarter of the frosting (use more if you have fewer layers). Repeat with remaining layers. For a neat edge, pipe frosting around the rim with a pastry bag if desired.
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Decorate with marzipan or sugar carrots, or scatter pecans on top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
| Carbohydrates: 38 g
| Protein: 6 g
| Fat: 22 g
| Saturated Fat: 10 g
| Cholesterol: 89 mg
| Sodium: 290 mg
| Potassium: 176 mg
| Fiber: 1 g
| Sugar: 17 g
| Vitamin A: 4125 IU
| Vitamin C: 1.2 mg
| Calcium: 60 mg
| Iron: 1.7 mg
Check my cashew carrot bites with honey cream for another carrot-based treat.
Love,
Elena