Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

This moist and delicious carrot cake is made from scratch with fresh carrots, pecans, raisins and spices, then frosted with a rich lemon cream cheese frosting.

I love carrot cake and this recipe never fails.  Since it’s from scratch, it does take a little time but it’s so worth the effort!

The rich lemon frosting adds a hint of tangy citrus that complements the sweet and spicy cake perfectly.  It’s melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Do I Have To Add Pecans and Raisins?

No, you do not have to use pecans and raisins in this cake, but I highly recommend doing so if you’re not against them.  They add so much crunch, texture and flavor!  You can also substitute walnuts for the pecans.

Grated Carrots Vs Shredded Carrots

I’ve made this cake using both grated and shredded carrots and personally prefer grated over shredded (although it’s still delicious both ways to me).  Grated carrots are smaller and distribute more evenly throughout the cake.  Be sure to wash and peel your carrots before grating.

The cakes will need to cool completely on a baking rack before frosting.  Here is a helpful tutorial on frosting a layer cake if you’re a beginner at frosting cakes.

How to Store

Since this cake has cream cheese frosting, it will need to be refrigerated.  Store in an airtight container (or in one of these handy cake containers).  When properly stored in the fridge, this cake is good for about 4 days.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

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• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12 slices

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Description

This moist and delicious carrot cake is made from scratch with fresh carrots, pecans, raisins and spices, then frosted with a rich lemon cream cheese frosting.

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated carrots (from carrots that have been washed and peeled)
• 1 cup chopped pecans, and additional for topping (if desired) – optional
• 1 cup raisins (brown or golden) – optional

For the Frosting:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 ounces powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from approximately 1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from approximately 1 lemon)

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Instructions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease two 8 inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms of pans with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, sugars and vanilla for approximately 1 minute.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat with a hand mixer at low speed for about 1 minute, or until smooth.
5. Using a rubber spatula, stir in grated carrots, pecans and raisins.
6. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is removed clean.
7. Cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Place first layer (rounded side down) on a plate or cake stand (don’t forget to remove parchment paper from bottoms of cakes).  Spread frosting over the top of the first layer.  Place the second layer on top of the first layer (rounded side up).  Frost side of cake, then frost top of cake.

For the Frosting:

1. While cake is cooling, prepare the frosting by beating cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer until smooth.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar while continuing to mix.  Add lemon zest and juice and continue mixing until smooth.  Store covered in the refrigerator until cake is ready to frost.

Notes

• Time does not include cake cooling time (about 1 hour).
• Walnuts can be substituted for pecans.
• Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Recipe adapted from Chow.com

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: carrot cake recipe from scratch

Originally published December 2014.  Updated with new photographs, helpful tips, recipe slightly revised and republished on April 10, 2020.