Best Carrot Cake Ever

This carrot cake is the absolute best that I have ever made. I had many compliments on this. The cake is large and serves many. It only took 40 minutes to bake. I used my own cream cheese frosting recipe which I think is much better and has a richer flavor. It is as follows 1/4 lb. soft butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 lb. confectioners sugar. Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla, mix till blended. Add sugar and mix til smooth. Enjoy I do not think you will be dissappointed.

It was great! I baked it in a 9 x 13 cake pan at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

I got rave reviews on this cake ("you should sell this for $8.00 a slice"), but I did mess with the recipe. First, I scaled the recipe to 12 servings because of the comments about how huge the cake was. I used 2 9" baking pans and it made a pretty regular sized cake. I used about 4 cups grated carrots, which was all of the carrots in the bag I bought and 1/2 cup less than called for. I replaced half of the oil with apple sauce and I replaced half of the pineapple with apple sauce. I also used wheat flour for a little less than 1/2 of the flour. I left out the raisins and I added about a tsp each of nutmeg, allspice, ginger and dried orange rind. I also doubled the cinnamon. For the frosting I used 1/4 lb butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 2 tsp vanilla and 1 lb sifted conf sugar. Should probably have refrigerated it to let it set more before I transported it because it got a little slippy but not disastrous. I took it to a 4 person dinner party and brought leftovers to work. People could not get enough. I was pretty happy since I not only never made carrot cake before, I had never eaten it so I wasn't sure how it should taste! Thanks!

My husband said this was the best carrot cake he has ever had!! It was extremely moist and delicious. Here is a little tip: I bought a five pound bag of carrots because I had no idea how many carrots I needed for 6 cups grated. It averages out to about 10 carrots, if that many. Overall, this was an excellent cake and a keeper in our home!

This is the carrot cake recipe I have been searching for. I made the recipe exactly how it was written, and I was able to make 12 cupcakes (35min. at 350degrees), and one 9inch cake (50min.). Thank you Nan.

Wow, this was fabulous! I read a lot of reviews first to see if there were any changes I should make. This is what I did. 1. Used a 13x9x2 glass casserole dish and baked for 55min. 2.Only used 1/2 c. oil along with 1/2 applesauce. -terrific advice!!! 3. Used 5 c. carrots (I used my food processor)4.Added lots of Allspice and nutmeg. I think I added about 1/2 cup extra of flour because the batter looked a little too runny. The end result to this recipe was MMMMMMmmmmmmm!!It truly lives up to it's name. "Best Carrot Cake Ever"

I just have to say I initially signed up to review this recipe! It really is the best carrot cake ever! I made this cake on a Sunday afternoon and it was gone by Tuesday morning! Everyone loved it!! The only things i did differently was i strained the carrots before putting it with the brown sugar also i strained all the juice from the pineapple reserving about 3 tbs for the cake mix! I also hydrated the raisins in warm water for about 45mins. I made a lemon cream cheese for the middle and topping and decorated with chopped walnuts and bits of lemon zest! Yummy!

Great cake! I have gotten so many compliments on this cake. Very dense and stays moist for days after cutting (Providing I ever have any left) Try this variation. Add 1C drained manderin oranges in place of pineapple and 1C grated coconut in place of walnuts. Yum Yum. My family loves it either way. It's always requested at every carry in dinner for work, church, or family reunions. The name says it all! BEST CARROT CAKE EVER! And a hint on the carrots...By hand takes forever, The food processor takes a while too. So I buy the already shredded carrots and toss them in the food processor for a few spins. Works like a charm.

My wedding cake was a carrot cake and each anniversary for the last 17 years, I have been making carrot cake recipes. Through the years, I have tried many recipes but none of them were "THE" recipe - until now!! With the exception of baking the cake in 3 9" pans, I didn't change a thing and the cake was definitely "bakery" quality. The cake is also a very pretty color. A food processor definitely takes the burden out of the grating! I also used 1 1/2 recipes of the cream cheese II frosting recipe and that appeared to be a sufficient amount of frosting.

This recipe is - as it stands - the best carrot cake ever. It has replaced a local (and very good) baker where we used to buy our carrot cake (I now make it for my family). I've baked this at least 5-7 times over the past year (every time after the first time was upon request of my family). I don't think the recipe needs to be modified at all, it's moist, flavorful, and has so much substance as is. I use a food processor to grate the carrots, so prep time for me isn't that lengthy (I wouldn't want to grate those carrots manually). Also, I use the baby carrots that are already peeled and pre-packaged, simply for ease of prep...no adverse impact on the cake. One note: I tried one time using whole wheat flour (I wanted to see if I could get same great taste with a bit of a healthier flare) and it didn't work out...the whole wheat sacrificed some of the moisture, and the cake ended up being a bit too dry.

This is a good carrot cake, but not the best ever. Waaaayyy to much oil. It was very dense, and this may sound wierd, but it was too moist. Almost like it wasn't cooked (& yeah it was). Thanks anyway Nan. ;)

Quite definitely the Best Carrot Cake Ever! I used to buy my Mom a carrot cake, but now this is officially my traditional recipe for Mother's Day, topped with Cream Cheese Frosting II. The first time I made this, I used 3/4 c. oil & 1/4 c. applesauce, and I thought it was a little too heavy & greasy. This last time, instead of 1 c. oil, I used 1/4 c. oil & 3/4 c. applesauce. It was perfect. My other changes were minor...added some nutmeg with the cinnamon, and per another review, I soaked the raisins in water while the carrot/brown sugar mixture set. My mother has always loved carrot cake, and she says mine is the most delicious (ok, she may be a bit biased, but I also think this carrot cake is the BEST ever)

Best carrot cake I've ever had. I did not change any of the ingredients. I add the raisins in with the carrots and brown sugar to soak. (6 cups of carrots = a 2lb bag) I use pineapple tidbits instead of crushed. I pour it all into a 9 x 13 pan and bake for an hour, sometimes 5-10 min longer if needed. Everyone requests it, everyone raves, you are the hero of the day even with people who say they hate carrot cake. That simple.

This was AWESOME the best carrot cake I have ever made or tasted!! I didn't have time to make this but I wanted to and I don't have a shredder to shred carrots because I have cut my knuckles too many times making carrot cakes in the past so I had the idea to blend all the ingredients up in my Vita Mix. I just stirred in the chopped nuts at the end so they wouldn't be blended. I also started with all the wet ingredients so it would blend easier and added flour before nuts at end and just made sure it was mixed. I also added a little nutmeg. It turned out so good and my prep time was 10 minutes instead of 1 1/2 hours and my cook time was 25 minutes because I have a convection oven. Also, I cut the recipe in 1/2 because I only wanted a 9x13 cake. I also used the cream cheese frosting recipe on this site under "Paul's Pumpkin Bars" I just can't rave about it enough. My parents loved it and my mom is switching from her long time homemade carrot cake recipe to this one! Thank you so much for this recipe!!

Carrot cake is my weakness and this cake was amazing easily adaptable to be healthy. I cut the recipe in half and made a 2- 8 in layer cake. I used all whole wheat flour, half oil and half applesauce (I think it would taste just as great with all applesauce). With the whole wheat flour, I did use all the liquid from the carrot and added about a 1/4 cup juice from the pineapple. Perfect moist texture. I also like a spicier cake and added more cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. I made half the cream cheese frosting II from the site to with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and 2 T butter. Covered the whole cake with filling. No problems in frosting melting or cake layers sliding. This cake tasted like an old recipe that required 2 cups of oil. I made it for my brother's birthday and my whole family loved it, despite their misgivings about making everything healthier. One word. Decadent.

This is awesome!! I made a few changes and I'll never make another carrot cake recipe again. I used only about 5 cups of grated carrot (use a food processor-very quick) and only 1/2 cup of oil. It turned out more cake-like, not overly wet like some others I've tried. I didn't use any raisins or nuts (want to make for my baby's 1st birthday). I also added a dash each of the following: nutmeg, allspice, ginger and dried orange rind. The flavor is incredible and full. The cream cheese frosting makes it too!! I used regular cream cheese and no nuts! I'm so happy! Try this recipe! I used two 8" round pans it it came out wonderful. I'm going to make cupcakes next time!

I like tweaking recipes. I've made this recipe exactly a couple of times, this last time I made these changes which made it even better. Added two cups of pureed carrots + the 6 cups(I used already chopped julienned carrot which added better texture) To the carrot/brown sugar mixture I added 1/2 cup of Bailey's and marinated for 2 hours instead of 1 hour. I also included the juice from the crushed pineapple instead of draining off. I increased the flour by 1/2 cup and added approx. 1/8 tsp each of black pepper and nutmeg. It went from very good to WOW!!!!! Everyone loved it,even people who said they normally did not like carrot cake.

This is a FANTASTIC carrot cake recipe. Everyone LOVES it. It is somewhat time intensive, but worth it! I have 2 modifications, though. First, I add the raisins to the carrot/brown sugar mix & let all 3 ingredients sit for 60 minutes. Second, because of the massive amount of cake mix, I use 3 cake pans instead of 2.

I made this for my hubby and he agreed with the title--it was the BEST carrot cake he had ever had! I used 1/2 cup of applesauce, 1/2 cup oil, soaked the raisins in warm water first and I also dried the shredded carrots with paper towels first before mixing with the brown sugar. Mine baked in about 50 minutes and it was perfect. It takes a little more time to make, but it is so worth it!

This is a really moist, dense, and flavorful cake. And not too spicy, since some carrot cake recipes call for nutmeg and allspice. I added unsweetened shredded coconut too and made it in a 13X9X2 inch pan, which made it super easy but added about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Okay, I haven't made this cake yet, but it sounds fabulous. I want to make it as a layer cake -- any warnings for me? Should I change any amounts or anything to make it hold up/stand up better?

First attempt at 'from scratch' carrot cake and it was FABULOUS! Made into 3 8" layers, and only other things I did different from recipe was to drain off the excess juice from the carrots after sitting in the brown sugar (no need to get all technical, and squeeze, etc, just tip the bowl with a plate over the edge and let most of the juice go right down the drain) and I soaked the raisins in the juice drained off the pineapple to plump a little while the carrots were soaking in the brown sugar. This cake was very moist, but not mushy or soggy. I loved it, only thing else I might change next time is maybe add a little nutmeg. Great recipe!

WOW. This is AWESOME. I took the advice of several other reviewers and made the following changes: cut white sugar down by 1/4 cup, cut oil down by 1/4 cup, doubled the vanilla, and added TONS of cinnamon and about a tsp of nutmeg and cloves. I also used 1/2 whole wheat flour and half AP flour and added about 1/2 tsp more baking soda. I made 3 8" pans expecting to make a triple layer cake, but they cooked up so big that I think I'll make a double layer and then freeze the third cake. I am making this for a dinner party and was nervous about bringing an awful cake, so I also took one ramekin and made myself a little cupcake to taste before I officially committed to bringing the whole cake. MAN. It is TASTY! Mine came out very spicy becuase of all the extra cinnamon and other spices, and I plan to use Cream Cheese Frosting #2, which I expect to be smooth enough to compliment the spiciness a bit.

Delicious! Next time I might add a little of the pineapple juice to make it more moist....

This really is the best carrot cake ever. Not too spicy, not too sweet, just perfect. The first time I made it I didn't soak the carrots in the brown sugar or add the pineapple and it wasn't that good. This time I followed the recipe exactly and it was excellent. I frosted the cake with the cream cheese frosting II. Perfect. Tastes like the carrot cake at Whole Foods which is my favorite.

Delicious. This is my new carrot cake recipe. I followed a couple of the suggestions: adding about 1/2 cup more flour, some nutmeg, and a tsp. of baking powder. I did everything else exactly according to the recipe, and the result was a dense, beautiful, amazing cake.

I found this recipe about a year ago, and made it for a friend's birthday. She LOVED it! In the past year I have made this probably 10 times, and have had people offer to pay for the ingredients so I can make it again and again! :) While, I LOVE this website, and have found MANY wonderful recipes, I have to say this is one of the BEST recipes I have come across. Thank you so much Nan, for sharing this fantastic recipes with all of us!!!

Excellent flavor (not too sweet and multi-dimensional) and texture. Thanks for the recipe! Frosted with Philadelphia Cream Cheest frosting found online. I picked up a few tips from earlier reviewers, like straining the (measured) shredded carrots in cheesecloth, increasing cinnamon (to 5 tsp) and adding 1/4 tsp each of allspice, clove, ginger, and nutmeg. Served cupcakes to a crowd of 22, aged 3 to 86. Every single one yummed it up!

Super moist and very tasty. I suggest using more spices like other reviewers. Definitaly use at least a tsp. of nutmeg and at least 1/2 tsp. of ground cloves. The pineapple is a nice touch as well and you can't even taste it (for those who are wondering).

This absolutely deserve 5 star recipe. this was my 1st carrot cake trial so i decided to try a smaller version by taking half of every ingredient and making it in one pan...just to test the results. 1)i have added 1/2 tsp of each nutmeg, ground clove, and ginger. 2)i didn't pat dry the carrots and i added them with the drained brown sugar liquid but i made sure pineapples are drained perfectly, and the cake was moisty but not soggy at all. 3)i soaked the raisins in warm water till they became soft (and this is really important as you don't want hard chewy thing in this mosity cake) 4)in one of the reviews they called for NO over-mixing and that's what i did, i mixed the ingredients until just combined and directly took it to the oven. 5)it took 50 mins exactly in the oven to be completely done and very moist. 5)made the cream cheese frosting of 8oz cheese, 2 tbs butter and 1 cup conf. sugar and covered the cake, colored part of the frosting in orange to make the carrots and part with green to top the carrots and the result is ...YUMMY

So delicious. SO very moist. I've been looking for the perfect Carrot Cake recipe, and this one has undoubtedly ended my search. Makes great cupcakes too; add a standard issue Cream Cheese Frosting on top and you're in HEAVEN. Also, to save work grating carrots, bust out the food processor and feed the carrots through on the "Grater" blade...reduces the work to mere seconds!

This is a GREAT recipe, I added 1/2 tsp each of ginger, nutmeg and cloves. I also left out the raisins, bleh. The whole family loved it, even the carrot haters.

Wowser! This is one is a doosey! I read the reviews and followed the advise not to keep all the liquid after the carrots were macerated. Also I pushed the pineapple into a seive to drain extra juice out. It still came out incredibly moist with alot of flavor. I added coconut to the recipe, adding 1/2 cup coconut and reducing the raisins to a 1/2 cup. I also put coconut between the cake layers with the frosting and people loved it. Thanks for the great recipe.

FINALLY...after a long search for the perfect carrott cake recipe...I've found it. As the name says this is "THE BEST CARROTT CAKE" recipe I have ever tasted. Definitely worth the work getting 6 cups of grated carrott. (I used a mini food cuisinart, and it saved me quite a bit of time) The cake is so moist and delicious. It is dense, but I love it that way. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I topped it with a cream cheese frosting recipe found in this website.

This sure lived up to its name. I made it for an Easter meal with friends. Everyone loved it. I layed the cakes and used the Cream Cheese II frosting recipe with real cream cheese. I shredded my carrots in a food processor. This was and awesome cake. I can't wait to make it again.

This was a good recipe, however, I compared this to the one I usually make, Carrot Cake III from this site, which I think is somewhat better. Carrot Cake III is a five star with over 3,000 reviews. Look it up, you may like it.

I left out the raisins, pineapple and walnuts. But even without those ingredients, this cake was amazing! I baked it twice so far for my family, and then I baked one for one of my friends, and EVERYONE loves it! It's mouthwatering and moist, and so good. I will continue to use this recipe. Thanks!

Couldn't resist trying a recipe with so many 5 star ratings. Made a couple of adjustments due to my personal preferences. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar for the cake batter. I used CRYSTALLAUREY's suggestions to drain off the excess liquid, and hydrating the raisins, but instead of just using water to hydrate, I used 1 cup warm water, 2 tbsp rum, 1/4 tsp of Grand Marnier and simmered for 15 mins. I also used MelanieDC increased spice amount, since I love heavily spiced cake. And finally, I used DESSERTMAKER2's cream cheese frosting recipe, except I added 6 ounces of melted white chocolate. Finally (as if this wasn't enough decadence, I used the rum sauce submitted by KDA949, but used 3 parts heavy cream, 1 part 2% milk and added 1 tsp of Grand Marnier. I tasted the cake by itself and it is worthy of eating it that way. Simply fabulous! When the remaining ingredients were added, it simply elevated it beyond my expectations. I made this cake for a co-worker who was going through rough times; one of those "life's curve balls" that we do not expect and fortunately things will be just fine. I just wanted to make something for her to remind her that she has people at the office that are also thinking about her.

The 6 cups of carrots made me a bit nervous, but I went ahead and followed the recipe exactly and it was fabulous, just like the reviews I read. Can't go wrong with this one. It's just me and my husband so I made this into 3-9inch pans and froze 2 of them and frosted just one to eat...works out great.

I never made this before and after reading the reviews, I made this recipe with minor alterations and my finished product got RAVE reviews. My husband said it's the best he's ever had! I made 1 and 1/2 of this recipe to make 2- 9x13 cakes and 6 cupcakes. This was for a birthday cake which I frosted with a cream cheese frosting and used in between the layers. I chopped walnuts and stuck them to the sticky sides of the cake. Turned out beautiful and everyone loved it. I used a cheese cloth and squeezed out excess water from shredded carrots. I drained the pineapple juice and added 3 Tbsp back into the shredded carrots for flavor. I greased the pans and used wax paper for the bottom of the pans. They practically fell out of the pans, perfect for making a birthday cake. I 1.5 times the vanilla and cinnamon. I reduced the baking soda by 1/2. When it came time to mix the dry ingredients into wet, I mixed just until it was incorporated, I did not over mix. Once baked, I took the cakes out of the pan and let them cool completely on a rack. I made this 2 nights before I needed it for the birthday party. So I wrapped the cakes in plastic and stuck them in the fridge. Day before the party I took them out and assembled and frosted the cake, back in the fridge for the actual birthday. Day of birthday I let it sit on the counter all afternoon at the birthday party. I swear, the cake weighed 10 pounds. The cake was dense, but moist and tasted PERFECT!!! You've got to try it!!

this is the first time i had ever made a carrot cake ..read all the reviews carefully before starting but eventually followed the exact recipe ...it turned out great ..my home smelled like a gourmet bakery

Substitutions for the health conscious ----- The cake was excellent!!! However, I think that it was a little too sweet for my taste even without any glaze or frosting, this was my first time baking a carrot cake and it was super yummy! Ok, so I made it with white whole wheat pastry flour, instead of all purpose flour. Instead of vegetable oil I used organic coconut oil (warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave to get a liquid consistency) I used half organic coconut sugar and half white, but next time I'd use only coconut sugar and I will use at least 25% less than the recipe calls for, because it was too sweet, the ingredients themselves are sweet, the pineapple, the raisins and of course the carrots are sweet, so for my taste it was too sweet, but still excellent. 5 stars.

This came out AWESOME! Perfect amount of batter for the two 10" cake pans. It was moist, slightly dense and held together when decorating and serving. A big hit and added it to my retail cake recipe collection. For some more body, try adding a little bit of fresh coconut... yum!

Update: I made this cake a second time, and again it was really soggy in the middle and completely undercooked. It had the consistency of a brick. I brough it to a potluck dinner for work and almost no one ate it. I had to throw most of it away, I am no beginner baker! Will not be making this again!! This thing has way too many ingredients, it is so dense, but in a bad way. Very brick-like.

This cake was the best! My fiance asked for a carrot cake for his birthday and I looked at him dumbfounded "why would someone ask for a carrot cake for their birthday?" Turns out to be the best decision ever! I had never made a carrot cake before so it was a learning process but it turned out amazing but here are a few tips. MAKE THE CAKE THE DAY BEFORE! I made 3 8in layers so the time to cook those was about 30 minutes. Also, I only used about 4 and 1/2 cups of grated carrots and grated them in the food processor because it takes forever to hand grate them. I drained some of the carrot juice because of some of the reviews I read about it being mushy but when your only using 4 and 1/2 cups you really need the juice (mine wasnt as moist as I wanted it but it still was moist). I also only soaked the raisins for about an hour in pineapple juice and pineapple rum (execellent). Save a little juice for the cake. Also, I used 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 2 extra tsp of cinnamon and vanilla just a sprinkle of the nuts because I used the rest to decorate the sides. If you love pineapples like me use a little more than the recommended amount because you can bearly taste them in the cake. Also, I homemade the cream cheese icing. It was kind of annoying but here is my recommendation. 1 thing of cream cheese, 1 stick of unsalted butter, and a splash of milk (heat over med heat in sauce pan until stirable). Add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vinalla and 4 cups of conf sugar. stir well. PUT IN FRIDGE so it c

This really is the best carrot cake. And I make a lot of carrot cake. It is my favorite, my Father's favorite and I get a lot of requests for this. Make this cake!

This is an excellent carrot cake recipe. The cake is a moister, denser cake, so it you are looking for a light, cakey cake then this is probably not the recipe for you. I wanted to make a smaller amount so I halved the recipe and baked it in a 13 x 9 baking pan and subtracted approximately 10 min from the baking time. I chopped the carrots in the food processor until very fine instead of shredding them and added 1/8 tsp of ground cloves. I also used the recommendation below to soak the raisins in the pineapple juice, which worked out really well. I then iced the top of the sheet cake with the equivalent of 1 8-oz cream cheese package worth of cream cheese frosting. If you like a very spicy carrot cake I would definitely add more spices. The sheet cake turned out to be about 2 inches deep and I thought it tasted better the next day so this is an excellent recipe to make a day ahead or travel with. It is a very easy cake to make and I will definitely be using this recipe from now on.

Very good but I think I should have kept with the original recipe.. I listened to others and drained off the carrot liquid...I know it would have been better if I left it as is and hadn't drained off the liquid

Definitely NOT the best carrot cake ever. I already have a great carrot cake recipe but wanted to try this one expecting it to be so much better than my usual one, how disappointing! I followed the recipe exactly and came out with a cake that was basically burnt in the outside and undercooked on the inside. I had to cover it in foil and stick in the oven much longer for it to cook thoroughly. This is a very dense, heavy cake, and the flavor was just ok, nothing extraordinary. I will not be making this recipe again; it was a waste of ingredients and time. Still trying to figure out if I missed anything... Very disappointing!

Perfect name for this cake!! It truly is the BEST! I did soak my raisins in a little rum and OJ for a while and whoo boy that just made it impossible to eat only one slice!

I tried this recipe and was excited by all the great reviews. Boy! Was I disappointed when I tasted the finished cake. It's way too many carrots. I even reduced it to 5 cups. Too many to use with a hand shredder, that's for sure. The cake was too dense and rich. My batter was so orange and full of too many carrots, pineapples, nuts, and raisins. And the cream cheese recipe I found on the site to go with it , was way too sweet. I WOULD NOT recommended this recipe to anyone, it need's alot of reworking to improve it. I 'm glad other's enjoyed it. My family was disappointed. I couldnt give it a way with the way it tasted. I could have bought a store mix and added raisins and nuts and had a better tasting cake.

Read reviews first then followed ingredients as written. Used pre-diced walnuts instead of chopped. Shredded carrots with Super Salad Shooter (quicker than grating). In separate container, soaked raisins in one cup of warmed pineapple juice for one hour. Using stand-alone mixer on low setting, beat (rather than stirred) flour mixture into combined white sugar/oil/extract mixture in 3 portions. Added carrot mixture and nuts reversing Nan’s method; poured wet over carrot mixture - easier stirring with large spoon. Batter was a bit thick (adding 1/4-1/2 cup of juice would have made a difference, but it went down the drain). Poured batter into one bundt pan and one 8-inch round pan, filling each 1/2 full; baked 45 minutes. To use bundt pan, I first grease with veggie shortening making sure all crevices are thoroughly covered. I cut small pieces of cold butter and put 2-3 in narrow crevices on bottom/sides of pan then dab a very small amount of almond extract on top of butter. Cake does not stick to “bottom” when turning upside down on platter. Left icing off, cut cakes in pieces and placed each piece into separate quart size zipper bags. Lined medium-size box with aluminum foil to avoid freezer burns then boxed pieces and froze. Recipe/some reviews placed inside separate zipper bag and taped to box top. Texture is moist and taste is great; in 2-3 days it will be better. Thanks, Nan, for sharing your recipe.

I made this recipe earlier today, pared down to 8 servings. Made cupcakes rather than a cake and they turned out well.A couple of changes: cut the oil to 1/4 cup and added 1/4 cup applesauce; I also cut the salt to a scant 1/8 tsp. and added dashes of nutmeg and allspice along with the cinnamon. Carrots were shredded in my little chopper yesterday; I let them soak overnight with the brown sugar,forgot to add the raisins so threw them in right as I was doing the batter. No pineapple or walnuts,didn't have either. I didn't drain what liquid there was from the carrots as the batter was pretty thick and after I put the carrots (etc)in and mixed them, it seemed just the right consistency. It made 22 cupcakes, I baked at 350 for 25 minutes. A nice result, I would make this recipe again, not only is it yummy,it's easy! Before I did the frosting,I heard the party these are for has been postponed til next week due to the wonderful rain here in California, so I let the c.cakes cool completely and then popped them into the freezer. At least the ones we haven't eaten already!

I made this for my pastors birthday oh boy did everyone love it fantastic recipe . thanks nan

I never knew I liked carrot cake until I made this. It's REALLY good and if you were hesistant about making it, I recommend you'd just do it. So here are some things that may help you out. Firstoff, cut the recipe in half and you have exactly one cake (I put batter in 2x 10 inch pans) I used almost 2 lbs of ungrated carrots to come up with approx. 3 cups of grated and drained about 80% of the liquid as per suggestion of another reviewer. I wasn't sure how this affected consistency because this is my first carrot cake, but it was just the right moistness. If you haven't yet, try some golden raisins. These taste so much better than regular and it'll really help to have them in the cake. I used the cream cheese frosting II on this site and that frosting complements this cake perfectly. The only bad thing about this cake is that it does take lots of effort/time to grate, but the end justifies the means so I'm sticking with 5 stars.

This carrot cake was very moist! It was almost like the melt-in-your-mouth experience biting into this fine use for veggies.! Now, I must inform you reader-of-reviews, I am a very hard critic of carrot cakes, it being my favorite, and this, despite the very high remarks and reviews, was not my favorite. I found it hard to be able to even identify the spices that I so dearly love in this cake. If you are not that in tune with nutmeg and cinnamon and all things spice, then I would highly recommend this cake for you!!! It is very mild in flavour and maybe even a nice cleanser for your palate after a very robust, flavorful meal. The frosting is very light and cool. I even mistook it for the ever-so-common Cool Whip or Whipped Topping. I would have liked to be able to taste more of the cream cheese, as this too is my favorite frosting. Overall, this cake is good and very eatable but I would have liked to find more flavour. Very good still, just not my favorite.

Wonderful recipe. Very hearty (as a good carrot cake should be). I made mine in 2 9" rounds and sliced each one in half horizontally. Layers one and two and two and three were seperated with cream cheese frosting. Between three and four I made an pinapple orange marmalade (just heated smuckers marmalade, added crushed pinapple and corn startch to thicken). Once it cooled, I sppread it between the final layers. The entire cake was then covered in the c.c. frosting and it was truely to die for.

Oh my dear God, this cake is divine. If you're a carrot cake fan, try this out. This was my first personal attempt at carrot cake, and it is the best one I've ever tasted!

I followed the modifications/advice of other reviewers... draining carrots, pineapple; adding spices. Only down side was the amount of time it took. Makes me think I really do need a food processor... Didn't bother making frosting. Good & sweet enough without it!

this was a HUGE hit! i made it for my husbands birthday and he can't stop talking about it. i followed the recipe exactly as it says except i used 2 9x13 cake pans and i thought maybe the layers would be on the thin side but that was not the case at all. this recipe makes 2 huge 9x13 cakes that would be plenty big on their own but stacked they make a HUGE DELICIOUS CAKE!

I found this to be an exceptional carrot cake recipe! So moist and delightful, you cannot say enough good about this recipe. I would cut back slightly on the amount of grated carrots, but even if you follow the recipe exactly, it will be a keeper!

This was my first time making a carrot cake and it was the best carrot cake ever! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great. Will make it again and again and wouldn't change a thing.

Nan, this truly IS the best carrot cake recipe EVER! It is sublime in every way! Ever since my friend made a "from scratch" carrot cake for me the year my son was born, (30 years ago now), carrot cake has been my absolute favorite cake. The heck with chocolate or some fancy torte or well... pretty much anything and everything.. even red velvet! Give me a good carrot cake and a fork and let me at it! My daughter made this recipe for me last year, and I swear, I've never had any better, not even from the fancy Carytown bakery, Jean Jacques! She makes a couple of tweaks to it though! First, she soaks the raisins in rum, she uses fresh pineapple, and she toasts the walnuts. I was in heaven at first bite! Thanks so much Nan! This year my darling daughter is repeating the performance and I am sure that it is now my "birthday tradition." In fact, a friend of mine once said that after 50 you don't have to have birthdays anymore. If it weren't for this carrot cake, I'd take her up on that one! Thanks so much~

Very good! I cut recipe down to half and baked in a 9 inch square pan. I added 1 tsp of baking powder in additon to baking soda and it rose high. I added a lot more spices like others suggested. I soaked golden rasins in some brandy and drained pineapple juice. When I drained this I reserved 3T to put back into the cake batter. This is a very moist and dense cake with excellent flavor. It has a wonderful homemade taste. I make my own cream cheese frosting ( I do not use a actual recipe as I just dump in the ingred. and beat,then taste as I go (I put lemon juice in my frosting too) I will make this cake again for sure! I just wanted to add that after a few days this cake gets more moist and delicous as it ages.

This is a really good cake.The raisins added alot to the cakes flavor.I made it for my aunt's birthday and a month later people are still raving about it.

This is an excellent recipe. I made it for a ladie's birthday at work and everyone loved it. One lady told me that I am now the official cake maker for our office. It is rich moist and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and I wouldn't change a thing (I did use a 9X13 pan instead of 2 10" pans). I highly recommend this recipe!

WOW!!! Yummy! I scaled this down to 12 servings because I didn't want to overflow my pan. I used whole wheat flour because it's a dark cake anyway, who's going to notice? and I cut the sugar back by about 2/3 cup because I don't like my cake insanely sweet. Also followed other reviewer's advice and used 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 oil. I toasted the walnuts before using them and it gave them a great flavor. If you like citrus flavor, it might be a good idea to add some grated lemon rind to the batter. Anyway, sorry to ramble, but this really is the BEST carrot cake ever. Texture and taste is perfect. And if you are seeking a perfect cream cheese frosting recipe, I recommend Cream Cheese Frosting II from this site.

I made this cake a day ahead of time because I believe cakes taste better the next day. It was wonderful! I will say that I added 1/4tsp of ginger in addition to the cinnamon and I squeezed a good portion of the juice out of the carrots prior to adding the brown sugar. Once the carrots rested for the hour there was just a little juice that accompanied the carrots and I wasn't afraid to add the entire content of the bowl to the cake. The texture was wonderful and I don't see why I would need to make any additional changes. This was a moist and flavorful cake that would satisfy any carrot cake craving.

Very moist and good. Used Cream Cheese Frosting from Janni. Found on this site. Maybe I will also try some of the things that others have tried in the reveiw section of this recipe but, I liked it just as it was.

This is the best ever!!!! I have made it many time, it is always requested from everyone that has had it. I will be making this this summer for our state fair cake contest, I will let you know if it wins, by the way I don't change a thing except I cook in 3 9in. pans, and I use cream cheese frosting 2 from this site. THANK YOU NAN!!!!

The name says it all......This is the BEST carrot cake....EVER!!!!! I had rave reviews when I made this for my parent's 60th birthday celebration. It was absolutely incredible!! Very moist and decadent!

The title says it all! I made this recipe for Easter, and my entire family couldn't stop raving about it (or eating it!) I substituted 1/2 cup of applesauce for 1/2 cup of the oil, and didn't add the raisins. I also used a lighter cream cheese frosting so it wouldn't cover the flavor of the cake. Absolutely delicious! This has become THE family favorite!!

This is a fabulous recipe. My twist on it is to soak the raisins in rum, halve the cinnamon and add a teaspoon of nutmeg and one of allspice. After chopping the walnuts and separating out the larger pieces to put in the cake, I was left with a good amount of powdered nut. Normally I would keep it to add to my apple bread recipe, but I decided to swap two tablespoons of the powdered nut for the same of flour. I figured it couldn't hurt and you can't let a good nut go to waste. I used Kitchen Aid's cream cheese icing, which is great; in the future, though, I will use a lot of icing between layers so it bulges out the side and just a dollop on top, but place a bowl with the remaining icing alongside the cake for hardcore icing lovers. The cake itself is just so good on its own and I think it's overkill to cover it completely. Again, a great recipe.

Very moist, quite tasty. A bit too much oil, though. I made the cake again with just half the oil and it was still plenty moist.

I rescaled this recipe to 12 servings to make two 9" layers which needed to bake about 40-42 minutes. I used applesauce in place of half of the oil. The cake turned out very good, but I am not sold on the process of the carrots sitting in brown sugar for an hour. My observation was that the carrot shreds went from plump to shriveled, tougher pieces in a pool of their juices. I thought the texture of the carrots deteriorated by doing this. The recipe depends on the liquid that is extracted from the carrots so that cannot be modified in this recipe. No one else seems to comment on this, so maybe it's just me? Otherwise, it seems like a nice cake that could use just a little other spice besides just cinnamon.

Excellent. I added 1/3 cup water to make more moist, and baked in 13x9x2 pan at 350 degrees for 55 min. Perfect!

I made this completely as directed... it was the most delicious Carrot Cake i have ever tasted, and it recieved so many compliments on my mum's birthday from all the guests. If you are not looking for a really super dense moist carrot cake, then look elsewhere - but for those of you that can't resist the heavenly moist cake that this recipe will give you - then go for it! You wont be dissapointed by the result. Seriously, i cant give enough compliments! Thanks for the great recipe!

This is a very dense rich cake that easily serves 16. I reduced the raisins to 1/2 C. and chopped them because my husband doesn't like whole raisins in cake but he likes the flavor. I increased the vanilla to 3 t., added 1/2 t. ground cloves, 1/4 t. nutmeg and 1/4 t. allspice and it turned out great. It's excellent with Cream Cheese Frosting II (the one with 2 C. powdered sugar) from this site. This recipe is definitely a keeper and very appropriately named!

Yum, I will definitely make this recipe again! After first reading many of the reviews, I decided to make cupcakes on my first go around. I used 5 cups of carrots instead of 6. Since I was making cupcakes and wanted them to be a little puffy, I added 1/2 tsp of baking powder with the flour mixture. I strained the carrot - brown sugar mixture reserving 3 Tbs, which I then added back into the batter. I had pecans on hand which I used instead of the walnuts. I will definitely be sharing this recipe with all friends and loved ones. This recipe netted me 14 large cupcakes.

Excellent carrot cake. Much better than Carrot Cake III. Everything you expect in a carrot cake. I made it in 9.25 in pans in three layers and it, of course, baked quicker and made a beautiful cake. This cake replaces all other carrot cake recipes that I have used in the past. I made it exactly as the recipe called and had no problems with it being too moist or not cooking evenly. I think making it in three layers helps remedy this problem.

Made this for my dad (carrot cakes' biggest fan). He loved it! I ended up making a few changes, mostly because I was so short on time. I used a bag & a half of "matchstick" carrots - about five cups. Gave them a rough chop & soaked them with the raisins in pineapple juice, brown sugar and about 1/4 cup rum for an hour. While everything was soaking, I prepared the batter. Added a 1/2 tsp of baking POWDER and substituted 1/2 cup apple cinnamon applesauce for 1/2 cup of oil, as suggested. Omitted walnuts b/c my dad can't eat them. The batter was so thick that it was slowing down my mixer! I added all the liquid that was left in the carrot-soaking bowl (about a cup), which made the batter quite runny. Folded in the carrots, pineapple & raisins. Baked for about 50 minutes in two 9 inch rounds. Came out perfectly. Super moist & full of flavor. I also had enough batter to make six (heaping) cupcakes. I baked those for about 20 minutes. Used the cream cheese frosting recipe found on this site for the frosting. Will make this again & again. Thank you!!

I added dried cranberries (1/4 c) & 1/2 coconut. Two layers is much too heavy and makes for ridiculous serving. 9 x 13 much more sensible. Unless you're a glutton.

The name says it all with this cake. I made these into cupcakes along with my own cream cheese frosting and decorated them with marzipan carrots. I halved the recipe, because I only had enough carrots for 3 cups. It made 18 regular sized cupcakes. My husband took them to his office and said they were gone before the morning meeting. It received nothing but rave reviews. It is a very dense, moist, flavorful cake, which I love! Other than halving it, the only thing I did different was to add a couple more spices to it, like nutmeg and allspice. Follow the mixing instructions, and you won't be disappointed.

I have to give this recipe the full 5 stars. One of out guests actually said (without any prompting) "This is the best carrot cake ever"! There were still raves a few days later. I thought I already had the best recipe but having misplaced it, had to go on a search for another - this recipe was the result. I needed carrot cake as it was our birthday person's favorite. I've never liked the idea of putting pineapple in carrot cake but it worked perfectly with this recipe. I don't use walnuts and subbed with very finely cut pecans. The author's note said it made a lot of cake - and it does - so I baked it in a bundt cake pan and had enough left over to also make a small loaf, which I iced and put in the freezer for another time (always good to have extra for emergencies). This recipe is the one I will go to in future.

This cake is wonderful! Everyone loved it, including my kids who don't like most of the things in it. I followed the suggestions in previous reviews, and only added 5 cups of carrots instead of 6. I also cut the veg. oil back to 2/3 cup. In addition to the cinnamon, I added 1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves and ground ginger. The only thing I found confusing was wether or not to add the liquid that came off the carrot and br. sugar mixture after sitting for one hour. I decided to add half of it, and the cake could not have been better! Frost with cream cheese icing, and decorate with some extra chopped walnuts....YUM! Thanks for the recipe!

OUTSTANDING! This cake gets rave reviews. I am allergic to walnuts, so I used pecans and it's wonderful. Notes: 7-8 large carrots is about 6 cups; and it fits perfectly in a 9 x 13 pan, baked at 325 for 50 minutes; use half of the recipe for the frosting if making a single layer in the 9 x 13 pan. You will love this cake!

Absolutely delicious! Marinating the carrots and raisins in the brown sugar is fabulous! The reaction is always the same when I make this cake, "You should open a bake shop!!"

This was my first carrot cake. I researched many recipes and tips before deciding on this one, and it came out beautifully! Here's what I adjusted from the original: for 2 9-inch cake pans, I scaled the recipe to 12 servings; by request, I omitted the raisins and nuts; I added ingredients this way: to the carrots & sugars, I added a 20-oz. can of barely drained crushed pineapple (I did not squeeze out or dry the pineapple...I pretty much poured off the extra liquid on top and kept the rest), spices (cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger), and vanilla; I did not drain or strain any of the wet mixture before adding in the eggs, oil, and flour mixture (dry ingredients). I also used a regular buttercream frosting, again by request. The cake's density, moisture, and taste were perfect all the way around, and it was very well received.

Loved it!! My husband practically ate the whole thing within a few days. Carrots do take awhile to grate by hand but I dont think I will do it any other way. I like to grate them super fine. I am making it again today

Since some of the reviewers had mentioned they thought it was a little bland, I added 1/2 tsp. cloves, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. mace. (This last one is optional.) I baked it in a 9 x 12 lasagne pan at 350 degrees for an hour. My husband and I think it's the best carrot cake we've ever eaten! Carole from Monroe Twp., NJ

This was a MAJOR YUM!. But I did make one change. Instead of using 1 cup of oil, I used the drained pineapple juice and oil to equal 1 cup. It was almost equal parts. I had 2 nine inch pans so I also made 6 large cup cakes. Next time I'll make 3 thinner 9 inch layers.

Worth the time and effort! I used my food processor to grate the carrots which saved me quite a bit of time. The cake turned out so moist and yummy! I didn't have enough raisins, so I used some cranraisins, diced prunes and figs. I also substituted a 1/2 cup of the oil for 1/4 cup mashed banana and 1/4 cup applesauce. I made a cream cheese frosting that was on another recipe from this site. It was 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter and 2 cups powdered sugar. In addition, I added about a 1 tsp. lemon juice and a little extra powdered sugar. I whipped it until fluffy. After frosting the cakes, I zested some lemon on top. The cakes looked so pretty and tasted fabulous! I used 2 spring form pans and cut parchment paper to line the bottoms. I think I will bake this in spring form pans again as it made cooling and removal so easy. Oh, I also took the suggestion from another review and added 1/4 tsp of each ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. Loved the extra spices. Thanks for an awesome recipe!

Ok so I've never baked a carrot cake before but I decided I was gonna try to do one for a birthday cake! But there's a few things I removed for allergy reasons and not liking, I didn't add the raisins and the walnuts and I bought grated carrots from the store and soaked them over night in the brown sugar with Jamaican rum for a little ummph,and in the morning I removed them from the liquified mixture of rum and brown sugar and threw the soaked carrots in the blender for a few turns so most of the carrots were extremely grated and some we're not so there was actual pieces of carrots in the cake and the pineapple I threw into the blender also so it was more of a mush.I didn't have the problems of the cake being too moist it was perfect cake consistency.However I had to bake the cake for a little over an hour cause at 50 mins the middle still wasn't completely done and I only used one pan overall and also didn't use the icing cause my family couldn't wait to taste it because it smelled oh so delicious

I bake regularly, so don't think it was just me, but this was not good at all. Way too many carrots and wasn't sweet enough. My son loves everything I bake and he didn't like it at all. I was totally disappointed. I did look up other recipes and compare and they only called for 4 cups instead of 6 cups of carrots. I wish I would have went with my gut on that and cut back the carrots. The cake looked really pretty when I was done though.

My son wanted carrot cake for 19th birthday. Always look at this website for new recipes. This was a great recipe. Time consuming but well worth it. To make it easier baked in 9 X 13 pan and used Cream Cheese Frosting II. Do not need to use all the frosting as it can take away from the great taste of the cake.

I subbed the 1 cup of oil for 1/2 cup of coconut oil, did 3 cups each of shredded carrot and zuchinni and only used 1 1/2 cups brown sugar total. (From Garden of Life on FB)

This cake is amazing; very rich and dense. I cut down on the oil and sugar by using half applesauce and half Splenda. Definitely drain the carrots with either cheesecloth or strong paper towels. I find it best to not squeeze all the moisture out; this leaves the cake moist. The first time I made it with a white chocolate buttercream frosting. 2nd time I just used powdered sugar. I really don't think it needs frosting; it is that good. This cake is a real crowd pleaser. Next time I will try it with all applesauce (no oil) and stevia instead of white sugar.

This cake deserves 5 stars. I have made this cake at least 10xs. Once I got as far as shredding the carrots with the added brown sugar and then had to stop. I placed a lid on the bowl and put it in the frig. I wasn't able to continue til the next day. From that time on, I started marinated the carrots overnight. I soak the raisens and add with carrots and brown sugar. The rest is history, I just follow the instructions. The first time I made it, I swore I'd never make it again. It was so much work. I call it labor of love. I use 9"pans because I don't own 10" pans. It would be good as a 3 tier as some have suggested. No matter what size pans, the cake is the best.

Everyone loved it... it tastes better than any other carrot cake I have had and I am not exaggerating!