Carrot Sheet Cake
Simple, quick, and delicious, this carrot sheet cake is a moist cinnamon spice cake filled with freshly grated carrots and topped with cream cheese frosting.
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Table of Contents
About Carrot Sheet Cake
Sheet cakes are notorious for being the simple and easy way to cure your cake craving.
And this carrot cake sheet cake is not only a delicious dessert to celebrate spring, but carrot cake never goes out of style – everyone will love it all year long!
Plus, with how many slices it makes (18!) this cake is perfect for just about any occasion, from a simple dessert for the week or a large-scale party.
What do you need to make sheet cake?
Sheet cake is one easiest cakes to make, and keeping with that theme, you don’t need many tools to whip one up:
- 9×13 baking dish (or similar size) – Used for casseroles to even cakes, almost every kitchen has (or should have) one of these dishes handy.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer – For whipping up the cake and frosting.
- Mixing bowls, spatula, cutting knife – Other odds and ends you’ll need while making or serving the cake.
How long is carrot cake good for?
Once prepared and frosted, carrot cake can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Can you freeze carrot sheet cake?
Yes, it can, but with a catch: for best results, the cake should be frozen without the frosting. Frosting types and consistency may vary and could impact how long or well the cake will last while frozen.
When stored in an airtight container or freezer bag, this carrot sheet cake can be frozen for up to three months.
Should you grate your own carrots?
Packaged pre-shredded carrots are super convenient, but they tend to be on the dry side and may have a chewy texture when baked in the cake.
For best results, grate your own carrots. It’ll take a little more time and effort, but it’ll pay off when your carrot cake has a soft, moist texture.
It should take about five large carrots to make enough shredded carrot for this recipe.
Notes & tips for carrot sheet cake
- If you’d like a more festive look, add a few drops of orange food coloring to the frosting.
- You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc).
- The flavor of this cake will deepen and improve over one or two days.
- For the tiny carrot decorations, you can either make your own fondant carrots (like the ones pictured) or you can use carrot-shaped icing decorations.
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How to make carrot sheet cake
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set this bowl aside for now.
Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs until frothy.
Step 3 – Drop mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
Step 4 – Turn off the mixture and use a spatula to fold in the grated carrot.
Step 5 – Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray, then pour in the carrot cake batter.
Step 6 – Bake!
Step 7 – While the cake bakes and cools, prepare the frosting by whipping together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Step 8 – Use a spatula to spread the prepared frosting over the cooled carrot sheet cake. Cut the cake into 18 pieces, placing a carrot icing decoration on top (optional).
Step 9 – Serve and enjoy!
Carrot Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Sheet Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups grated carrots, roughly 5 carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened
- 18 carrot icing decorations, optional
Instructions
For the carrot sheet cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray, then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set bowl aside.2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla on medium-high speed until frothy, about 2-3 minutes.2 cups light brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Drop mixer speed to low and quickly scoop in the dry ingredients, adding about 1/3 to 1/2 cup at a time. Once added, continue to mix until dry ingredients first appear to be incorporated; be careful not to overmix.
- Remove bowl from mixer. Add grated carrots to bowl, then use a spatula to gently fold them into the batter.4 cups grated carrots
- Pour cake batter into the prepared pan. If needed, push the batter so that it fits into the corners.
- Bake carrot cake for 30 minutes or until a tester toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. NOTE: Cake can also be left in the pan, but may take longer to cool.
For the cream cheese frosting
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip cream cheese and butter on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.3/4 cup cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups salted butter
- Drop mixer speed to low and blend in powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue to mix until frosting is smooth, about 3-5 minutes.3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Putting it All Together
- Frost top of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Cut cake into 18 equal portions, adding a carrot icing decoration on top of each slice (optional).18 carrot icing decorations
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
