Layered Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Laylita’s Recipes

Today I’m (finally) sharing my homemade carrot cake recipe. This delicious cake has fluffy layers of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and is decorated with toasted walnuts (or pecans). Carrot cake has been one of my favorite cakes since I was a kid and I remember being so happy every time my mom made it.

Receta en Español

I have been testing and tweaking this recipe for a while now and I feel like it is finally just the way I remember it. Plus, I have received a lot of good feedback and reviews from my taste testers. One of the things that I love about carrot cake is that it is incredibly soft, fluffy, and with the perfect amount of moisture. This is precisely due to the use of carrots. The same can be said for chocolate and zucchini cake or pumpkin spice cake.  These vegetables deserve much more credit than they get for their role in making yummy cakes.

About the Ingredients

• For the cake batter: Carrot cake uses common and easy-to-find ingredients: All-purpose wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves), brown sugar and regular white sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, grated carrots.
• For the cream cheese frosting: I used butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar (also called icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar), orange zest, and vanilla. It’s important to note that not all cream cheeses are the same. In the US, it’s very common to use solid block cream cheese, while in Europe, you’re usually only able to find soft cream cheese in tubs. They have different textures, and for this recipe, I’ve tested the frosting with both options so you can make it successfully with whatever cream cheese you have on hand. Getting the frosting just right was very important for me.
• For decorating: I used chopped walnuts and these adorable decorative fondant carrots. I bought the decorative fondant carrots in the baking section of the supermarket. You can also use caramelized grated carrots or plain carrot ribbons to decorate your cake.

Variations of carrot cake

There are so many variations of carrot cake, here are some of my favorites:

• Classic: This recipe is the classic and simple way to make this cake. But I gave it an elegant upgrade by layering it. For an easier version, you can also bake it in a large rectangular pan and decorate it directly without the layers. Or you can do two simple layers, instead of four, however it is not a lot of extra work to make it with four layers and it definitely makes it look impressive.

• With pineapple: The contrast between the acidity of the pineapple and the sweetness of the carrot is an exquisite combination, and that variation usually uses less oil. For a tropical touch, you can also add grated coconut.
• With nuts and raisins: This version is perfect for nut lovers and those who enjoy different textures. It works best as a loaf cake or in a rectangular pan. Nuts and raisins aren’t ideal if you want to make a layer cake. I prefer to add chopped nuts as part of the optional decoration. This way they can also be omitted if anyone has an allergy.
• With ginger and spices: My friend Pam makes a super delicious version of ginger carrot cake in a loaf pan; the batter includes ginger and spices and she uses super fine grated carrots. It’s perfect with a cup of coffee on a fall or winter day.
• In cupcakes or bars: Individual portions are a great way to share this cake for parties, events or bake sales.
• In cookies: One of the newest trends is to make carrot cake cookies. They can be covered with a layer of cream cheese frosting or made into sandwich cookies.

Tips for Making the Perfect Layered Carrot Cake

• The carrot should be fresh and grated. Avoid blending or grating it on the finest side of the grater.
• Use oil instead of butter. This cake is one of the few that works better with oil instead of butter. The few times I’ve tried substituting one for the other, the result has been a less fluffy cake with a heavier texture that loses moistness faster.
• Use spices. A small amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves add a lot of flavor and that comforting warm touch to this cake.
• Nuts. Lightly toasting the walnuts (or pecans) helps enhance their natural flavor. For this recipe,  I don’t recommend not adding nuts to the batter, as it makes cutting the layers more difficult. But I do recommend adding lightly toasted and chopped walnuts on top of the cream cheese frosting to decorate and add that contrasting touch of texture and nutty flavor.

• Mixture of brown and white sugar. The combination of both types of sugar gives the cake a deeper flavor and a beautiful color.

• Cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting is a must for a truly authentic carrot cake. It’s crucial that the butter is completely softened and at room temperature to achieve perfect frosting. The carrot cake must also be completely cool before adding the frosting.

For this carrot cake, I used two round cake pans (8-inch or 20 cm). To assemble the cake, I sliced each cake into two horizontal layers and assembled a four-layer cake. You can decorate the sides of the cake or leave the side barely decorated with that rustic or ‘naked cake’ look.

You can also make a simpler layered carrot cake with just two layers. In that case, you don’t need to slice the cakes into additional layers. You will also use about 1/3 less frosting to assemble and decorate a two-layer cake.

For the Carrot Cake:

• 3 cups or 375 grams all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• A pinch of ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups or 300 grams granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup or 75 grams brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups or 360 ml neutral vegetable oil I used sunflower oil
• 3 cups or 360 grams grated carrots

For the Cream Cheese Frosting – using solid cream cheese blocks (see Notes below for the frosting recipe using tubs of soft European cream cheese):

• 1 cup or 225 grams unsalted butter softened and at room temperature
• 16 ounces or 450 grams full-fat block cream cheese softened
• 5 cups or 550 grams powdered sugar icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons orange zest optional
• Pinch of salt

To decorate:

• 1/2 cup or 60 grams lightly toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans – add more or less to taste
• Decorative fondant carrots or carrot ribbons, etc

For the carrot cake batter:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. You will use two 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans, grease them with oil, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

• In a bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, then add the remaining dry ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat and mix at a medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.

• Gradually add the oil and continue beating.

• Then add the sifted flour mixture in 2 or 3 batches.

• Continue mixing until you have a smooth batter.

• Stir in the grated carrots and beat on low speed for a couple more minutes until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

• Divide the batter between the two prepared baking pans.

• Bake the cakes at 175°C (350°F) for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

• Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool to room temperature for at least two hours. You can prepare them the day before and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to frost and assemble them.

To make the cream cheese frosting (use regular blocks of full fat cream cheese):

• In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until completely smooth and free of lumps, about 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition to prevent the sugar from flying out of the bowl. Once all the sugar is incorporated, add the orange zest, vanilla, and salt.

• Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

• If the frosting seems too soft to spread, refrigerate it for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up.

To assemble and decorate the carrot cake:

• Remove the two individual cakes from their cake molds or pans. Then use a long serrated knife to carefully slice each cake in half horizontally.

• Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting on top of the first cake layer. If desired, you can also sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top of the cream cheese frosting.

• Then add the second cake layer and repeat the process (spreading more cream cheese frosting and walnuts) until you reach the fourth and final cake layer.

• Decorate the top of the last layer and the sides of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting.

• Add the remaining chopped walnuts to the edges on the top and the bottom of the cake.

• You can also decorate the cake with decorative fondant carrots, candied or caramelized grated carrots, or carrot ribbons.

• Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour to allow the frosting to firm up slightly before serving.

• To serve, use a sharp knife, run under very hot water for 20-30 seconds, dry the knife with a clean kitchen towel, and cut the cake into slices.

*For the Cream Cheese Frosting (for 4 layers) – using tubs of soft cream cheese:

•  1 ½ cups or 160 grams powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar)
• 160 grams unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 800 grams full fat European style Cream cheese (from a tub)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons orange zest (optional)
• Pinch of salt

To prepare the cream cheese frosting using soft tubs of cream cheese:

• Beat the butter (make sure it’s at room temperature) until creamy using an electric mixer.
• Sift the powdered sugar and add it to the bowl with the beaten butter. Continue mixing until smooth.
• Then add the European style cream cheese, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and orange zest. Beat until you have a smooth, homogeneous frosting.
• Store the frosting in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble and decorate the cake.

Photos of the step by step preparation process for layered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting:

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