I first made this carrot cake for my dad’s 45th birthday (almost 30 years ago, now!). My dad loves cake and I wanted to make him something he would remember. As they say, “Be careful what you wish for!” Now it’s understood that I will make this cake for him every year on his birthday. He still loves it!

Despite its fancy appearance, this carrot cake is fairly simple to make. Grating carrots in the hardest part. You can do it by hand with a box or hand grater (and enlist your kids to help!). Better yet, if you have a food processor, try using the grating blade for quick and effortless grated carrots!

I’m a carrot cake purist — you won’t find any raisins, currents, pineapple or coconut in this recipe. I do like chopped walnuts around the outside though, pressed gently into the luscious cream cheese icing.

Speaking of icing, if you like a really thick layer of icing between the layers or plan to decorate the cake with piped icing, double the icing recipe to be sure you have enough.

For a full video tutorial, check out my Carrot Cake Tutorial on YouTube. There, you can see how really easy it is to make a three-tiered Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese icing! I can’t wait for you to try it!

You can also make this cake as a sheet cake (use a 9×13″ pan and bake for 40-45 minutes). Looking for another sheet cake to try? Check out my Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. It’s even easier than the carrot cake and equally delicious! As always, please reach out if you have any questions.