King Arthur Carrot Cake with Not Too Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting

King Arthur carrot cake is tender, flavorful, old-fashioned carrot cake at its absolute best. Over the years, our family has made a few adaptations to the recipe, and the result is a long-time family favorite. Here's how to make it.

Why we love this recipe

If you're looking for an old-fashioned carrot cake recipe with pineapple, you won't find a better, more thoughtful version than this. Over several decades, my mom and I have made this cake countless times and gently tweaked it to perfection. Our take on King Arthur carrot cake:

• Is beautifully moist and tender, with a delicate crumb
• Has generous hits of cinnamon and nutmeg but isn't muddied with other spices
• Is studded with finely shredded carrot, crushed pineapple, and sweetened coconut
• Has the sugar reduced just a touch so the flavors and natural sweetness of the other ingredients shine through at their best
• Uses the dreamiest ingredient ratios in the frosting to yield a lightly sweet, lightly tangy, smooth and spreadable result

You can make this cake in a 9x13-inch pan with a single batch of frosting, or in two 9-inch rounds with a double batch that both fills and ices.

I first published this recipe here in 2012, with apologies that it was long overdue. I've since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.

What you'll need

Here's a glance at the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe.

For the old-fashioned carrot cake

There's nothing fancy in this adaptation of King Arthur carrot cake, which is one of the things I love about it. Here's a bit of clarification on some of the ingredients.

• You'll need about ¾ pound carrots (before trimming) to get three cups shredded. See the FAQ section or the recipe card below for more details on how to shred the carrots just right to achieve the ideal cake texture.
• You can use chopped walnuts or pecans, but I almost always choose walnuts for their slightly softer and sweeter vibe. When you buy them pre-chopped, the fineness varies by brand, but this cake does well regardless. If the ones you buy are coarser than you prefer, you can always run a chef's knife through them, pop them into the food processor for a few pulses, or place them in a zip-top bag and hit them a few times with the flat side of a meat mallet or a hammer.
• The coconut called for here is good old sweetened, flaked coconut in the blue bag (or its equivalent) that you'll find on grocery store shelves. It's very finely shredded and has added sugar.
• For the pineapple, buy crushed pineapple in a can and drain off the excess liquid before using.
• Safflower oil is my neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice, but you can use your favorite (vegetable oil blend, canola, peanut, sunflower, etc.)

For the not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting

The same straightforward ingredient choice goes for the frosting, though I do have a few preferences noted below.

• Use good-quality, full-fat, block cream cheese.
• For the butter, you can do as you like, but I really like to use a cultured, salted butter like Kerrygold for its nuanced flavors.
• I tend to use good old powdered sugar from the grocery store and give it a sift. (You'll only use half the amount pictured for one batch of this frosting.) However, if you like, you can use organic powdered sugar. It tends to be processed with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch and have a smoother, more powerful thickening capacity.
• I always recommend a good-quality pure vanilla extract. In addition to vastly superior flavor, it adds a pretty tinge of color to the frosting, giving it a soft, organic off-white look.

How to make the cakes

Here's an overview of what you'll do to make King Arthur carrot cake with not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting. You can see the cake-baking steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. First you'll mix the wet ingredients together, adding the oil and then the sugar to the eggs little by little.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet a little at a time, mixing on low just until everything is incorporated.
4. Add the good stuff — the carrot, walnuts, coconut, and pineapple — and mix by hand (or with the stand mixer paddle on low) until distributed throughout the batter. Bake at 350°F according to the timing in the recipe card, which depends on the type of pan(s) that you're using. Cool completely before frosting.

How to make the frosting

This is a standard cream cheese frosting recipe but with less powdered sugar added, and a slightly different mixing technique that I find yields more predictable results. Here's what you'll do:

1. Have the ingredients at cool room temperature — about an hour out on the counter before using unless it's a very hot day.
2. Start by sifting the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Cut the butter into approximate 1-tablespoon pieces and add to the bowl. Mix on low at first, gradually increasing to high, until well incorporated. It's okay if the mixture is crumbly rather than smooth at this point. Coating the sugar with the butterfat before adding the cream cheese helps to prevent the frosting from being too loose.
3. Mix in the vanilla.
4. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and creamy, but no longer. (It is possible to over-mix cream cheese frosting.)

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite classic cake recipes

• Buttermilk chocolate cake
• Norwegian gold cake
• Vanilla bean cheesecake

Continue to Content

Yield: Serves 16

King Arthur Carrot Cake with Not Too Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting

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King Arthur carrot cake is tender, flavorful, old-fashioned carrot cake at its absolute best. Over the years, our family has made a few adaptations to the recipe, and the result is a long-time family favorite. Here's how to make it.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups (350 ml) safflower oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups (350 grams) sugar
• 2 cups (240 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups (325 grams) shredded carrots
• 1 cup (120 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup (120 grams) sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 8-ounce (225-gram) can crushed pineapple, drained

For the frosting (see note 5)

• 2 cups (240 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons (84 grams) good salted butter (such as Kerrygold)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 8-ounce (225-gram) package cream cheese

Instructions

For the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13x2-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.
3. Slowly pour in oil while mixer is running.
4. Beat in vanilla.
5. Gradually add the sugar.
6. In a separate medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time, mixing each addition on low speed until just incorporated. 
8. Add the carrots, nuts, coconut, and pineapple and fold in with a rubber spatula or on low speed with the stand mixer paddle until well-distributed throughout the batter.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). For a 9x13 inch pan, bake for 45 to 50 minutes. For two 9-inch rounds, bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cake is done when it has slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. For a 9x13-inch pan, cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. For 9-inch rounds, remove cakes from pans after 15 minutes and continue cooling on wire rack.

For the frosting

1. Have ingredients at cool room temperature — an hour max out of the fridge.
2. Sift powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle.
3. Cut the butter into approximate 1-tablespoon pieces and add to the mixer.
4. Beat, on low at first, and increasing speed to medium eventually, until well-incorporated. It's okay if the mixture is still crumbly rather than smooth at this point.
5. Beat in vanilla extract.
6. Add cream cheese and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, but no further. (For this and all cream cheese frosting recipes, overbeating can result in a frosting that's too soft.)

Notes

1. You'll need about ¾ pound carrots (before trimming) to get three cups shredded. Use the largest holes of a box grater or the shredding disc of a food processor to finely shred your carrots. Don't buy pre-shredded carrots in a bag — the shape is different and will prevent the carrot from melting into the batter to just the right degree. Also, don't grate the carrot on the smaller holes of a box grater. This shape is too small to yield the perfect texture, and also a real pain in the butt to achieve.
2. You can use chopped walnuts or pecans, but I almost always choose walnuts for their slightly softer and sweeter vibe. When you buy them pre-chopped, the fineness varies by brand, but this cake does well regardless. If the ones you buy are coarser than you prefer, you can always run a chef's knife through them, pop them into the food processor for a few pulses, or place them in a zip-top bag and hit them a few times with the flat side of a meat mallet or a hammer.
3. The coconut called for here is good old sweetened, flaked coconut in the blue bag (or its equivalent) that you'll find on grocery store shelves. It's very finely shredded and has added sugar.
4. For the pineapple, buy crushed pineapple in a can and drain off the excess liquid before using.
5. Safflower oil is my neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice, but you can use your favorite (vegetable oil blend, canola, peanut, sunflower, etc.)
6. Double the frosting recipe for a layer cake.
7. You may notice that the mixing process for this frosting is different from what you've seen before. Coating the sugar with the butterfat before adding the cream cheese helps to prevent the frosting from being too loose.
8. Use good-quality, full-fat, block cream cheese.
9. For the butter, you can do as you like, but I really like to use a cultured, salted butter like Kerrygold for its nuanced flavors.
10. I tend to use good old powdered sugar from the grocery store and give it a sift. (You'll only use half the amount pictured for one batch of this frosting.) However, if you like, you can use organic powdered sugar. It tends to be processed with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch and have a smoother, more powerful thickening capacity.
11. Since the cake is made with oil and contains plenty of moisture, you can bake the layers up to a day or two before you need them (or up to three months in advance if you want to freeze them). For storage at room temperature or in the fridge, cool completely and then wrap each layer gently but thoroughly in plastic wrap. For freezer storage, once cool, wrap in plastic wrap, followed by foil, followed by a zip-top freezer bag.
12. I like to assemble and frost the cake on the day of serving. Assembled cake, and any leftovers, can be stored in an airtight container (like this one) in the fridge for a week. 

I first published this recipe here in 2012. I've since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 561Total Fat: 37gCarbohydrates: 54.8gFiber: 2.5gProtein: 5.1g

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