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My Best-Ever Carrot Cake – The Only Recipe You´ll Ever Need!
Easy All-In-One Method
This best-ever carrot cake is one of my all-time favourites. It is great for any time of the year and the cream cheese frosting is delicious! This cake is really good as a Birthday cake and can be made as a traybake (which I highly recommend) or as a round, 2 layered cake. There is a bit of prep required, but once that´s done it used the all-in-one method, so just through everything in a bowl, mix and you are done!
This carrot cake is absolutely amazing, fluffy and moist with an amazing frosting. I do, however, have a different carrot cake recipe, for a round sandwich cake, and has extra fruit and spice, as well as an orange-flavoured cream cheese frosting. If you want to check that out, click here.
Traybake, Sandwich Cake, … – You Choose!
My best-ever carrot cake can be made in all shapes and sizes! My personal preference is a traybake, however, I have also made this as a round cake and cupcakes before, too. For a traybake version, I´d recommend using a brownie traybake tin like this one.
If you make a round cake, I would recommend cutting it in half once baked, or baking it in two separate, shallow 20cm sandwich tins, then also add some cream cheese frosting in the middle. You might have to make a slightly larger quantity of the frosting though, in order to cover and fill the whole cake. See more advice on different shapes and their cooking times in the recipe tips below.
If you love making traybakes, then why not also check out my post on 5 Amazing Traybakes that are great for parties, bake sales and get-togethers!
Recipe Tips
- Buy walnut halves for this recipe. Pick out all the nice halves to decorate the cake with, then use the ones that are already slightly broken to roughly chop for cake.
- Before making the cream cheese frosting, sift the icing sugar well and make sure the butter is soft, to prevent the frosting being lumpy.
- Baking times when using different tins:
Deep 20cm round cake tin (whole mix): 45-50 mins
Two round sandwich tins: 20-25 mins
Cupcakes: 15-20 mins
My Favourite Baking Recipe Book
This recipe is my take on a recipe found in one of my favourite baking books: Mary Berry´s Baking Bible! If there is one baking book I would recommend everyone to get – it´s that one! It has so many amazing recipes in it, with varying degrees of difficulty. There is something for everyone! If you want you can get it by clicking here.
Are You Looking For More Recipes?
Looking for more easy yet delicious baking recipes? Why not try this yummy melt-in-the-mouth chocolate chip cookie recipe or my Lemon Drizzle Cake?
If you are up for more of a challenge, then how about giving Mary Berry’s Strawberry Fraisier Cake or these Mini Chocolate and Raspberry Sandwich Cakes a try?
I also have a bunch of savoury baking recipes, such as my easy Cheddar Cheese and Chive Soda Bread, this German Wholemeal Seeded Bread or my Italian Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia Bread.
Best-Ever Carrot Cake | Quick Traybake
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2 level tsp baking powder
- 150g light muscovado sugar or light soft brown sugar
- 50g chopped walnuts
- 100g grated carrots
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 150ml sunflower oil
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 175g soft cheese (full fat or low fat will work)
- 50g softened butter
- 100g sifted icing sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- Walnut halves, to decorate
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 30x22cm Brownie Baking Tray
Method:
Carrot Cake before it goes into the oven…. 
… and when it comes out of the oven.
- Start by greasing a 34x20cm brownie baking tray and lining it with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. You´ll know the cake is ready when an inserted skewer comes out clean and the cake starts to shrink away from the sides of the tin.
- Cool the cake in its tin for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the tin and finish cooling completely on a wire rack.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, put all the ingredients apart from the walnuts into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Spread over the top of the cooled cake and cut into cubes. I cut mine into 18 squares. Decorate each square with a walnut half.
- Enjoy!!!
