Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
A moist, gently spiced carrot cake with raisins and orange, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting.
- Prep
- 30 mins
- Cook
- 45 mins
- Total
- 1 hr 15 mins
- Serves
- 12
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cost
- Moderate
Recipe: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 175g light muscovado or light brown soft sugar
- 175ml sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
- 3 large eggs
- 200g carrots, about 2 medium, coarsely grated
- 100g raisins or sultanas
- 1 orange, zest only
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 50g walnuts, chopped, optional
For the frosting
- 50g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g icing sugar, sifted
- 200g full-fat cream cheese, cold from the fridge
Kitchen kit
- 20cm square cake tin Search Amazon for 20cm square cake tin deep
- Box grater Search Amazon for box grater
- Palette knife Search Amazon for palette knife
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links go to search results for the kit, never food.
Method
-
Step 1: Prepare
Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm square tin.
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Step 2: Make the batter
Whisk the sugar, oil and eggs together in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the carrots, raisins and orange zest. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices and fold together until combined, then fold in the walnuts if using.
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Step 3: Bake
Pour into the tin and bake for 40–45 minutes until risen, firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
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Step 4: Cool
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
-
Step 5: Make the frosting
Beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, then add the cold cream cheese and beat briefly – just until smooth and thick. Overbeating makes it runny.
-
Step 6: Finish
Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and cut into squares.
Tips
- Use full-fat cream cheese straight from the fridge; low-fat versions make a runny frosting.
- Grate the carrots fairly fine so they melt into the crumb.
Storing & reheating
Because of the cream cheese frosting, keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Freezing
Freeze the unfrosted cake, wrapped, for up to 3 months. Defrost, then frost.
Variations
- Layer cake: bake in two 20cm sandwich tins for 25–30 minutes and sandwich with half the frosting.
- Pineapple: add 100g drained, crushed tinned pineapple for an extra-moist cake.
Allergies: Always check the labels of the ingredients you buy for allergens — our dietary tags are a guide, not a guarantee.
From feeed.co.uk/recipes/carrot-cake/ · Checked 17 October 2026
Questions people ask
Why oil instead of butter?
Oil keeps carrot cake moist for days and gives a tender crumb.
Can I leave out the nuts?
Yes, they're optional – a good idea if baking for anyone with a nut allergy.
Sources & inspiration
Checked 17 October 2026. Written in our own words; we checked proportions, technique and food safety against:
- BBC Good Food: Easy carrot cake (quantities, oven temperature and timings compared) (bbcgoodfood.com)
- FSA: chilling and storing food safely (food.gov.uk)
See other recipes that use the same kit on our kitchen kit pages.
