Carrot Cake Sheet Cake is a simple spin on a Southern classic. It’s rich, packed with warm spices, and slathered in a luscious cream cheese frosting. This version stays true to tradition but keeps things simple and fuss-free by baking it as a sheet cake. Just one perfectly moist, dense cake packed with a full pound of fresh carrots for incredible texture and natural sweetness.
A Southern Classic In Sheet Cake Form
Some desserts just feel like home, and carrot cake is one of them. This homemade carrot cake recipe is as easy as it gets, baked as a simple sheet cake with buttermilk and tons of freshly grated carrots. It’s incredibly moist, naturally sweet, and packed with texture in every bite.
While you can’t taste them, an entire pound of carrots go into this cake making it ultra moist along with buttermilk. My thought is, if you’re going to make a carrot cake, it should have a substantial amount of carrots and this one does!
When working on this recipe, I thought about adding raisins or crushed pineapple, but simple is sometimes better. Save those ingredients for a Hummingbird cake.
After baking, it’s topped with the fluffiest cream cheese frosting that’s not overly sweet, just the right mix of sweet and tangy. This dessert is one of those timeless cakes that everyone loves and, somehow, tastes even better the next day. If you love these flavors but don’t want to make a cake, try making some carrot cake bars filled with a cheesecake filling.
Why You’ll Keep Coming Back to This Recipe
- It’s Super Moist: This cake is soft, flavorful, and never dry thanks to freshly grated carrots and buttermilk.
- Easy: There’s no multiple cake layers, so frosting is a breeze, it’s all slathered on top.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can make the cake and frosting ahead of time, storing in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to serve.
Building Blocks of a Perfect Carrot Cake
This is just a list of the key ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. Check out the full list of recipe ingredients in the recipe card.
- Buttermilk: To make the best carrot cake recipe, you need buttermilk which keeps the cake extra moist and adds a slight tang that balances the sweetness. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own buttermilk at home.
- Carrots: Freshly shredded carrots add natural sweetness, moisture, and a tender bite. Don’t use pre-shredded ones, as they’re too dry and thick.
- Pecans: Toasting them first brings out their nutty flavor and adds an extra layer of texture. You could also use walnuts if you prefer.
Simple Steps for Carrot Cake Sheet Cake
Step One: Prep the Pan and Pecans
Step Two: Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients
Step Three: Beat the Eggs and Sugar
Step Four: Add Carrots and Pecans
Step Five: Bake and Cool
Step Six: Make the Frosting and Frost the Cake
Keep These Things In Mind When Making This Recipe
- Room temperature: Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature to avoid lumps. If you forget to let it sit out, learn how to soften cream cheese and soften butter quickly.
- Don’t overmix: Stir until just combined to keep the cake light and tender. Overmixing can make it dense and tough.
- Chill: Letting the frosted cake sit in the fridge for an hour helps set the frosting and makes it easier to cut clean slices.
The Right Way to Store and Make This Cake Ahead of Time
- Store: Keep the cake covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Make Ahead: You can bake the cake a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer.
Don’t Forget!
Like and review this post – it helps our website grow so we can give you more delicious Southern recipes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 pound carrots peeled and shredded, 3 cups
- 1 cup pecans toasted
Frosting:
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temp
- 1 cup butter room temp
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º Line a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly butter and flour the bottom and sides.
- Toast pecans until fragrant, about 6-8 minutes, let cool and chop.
- Add the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt to a medium bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk and vanilla together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs and sugar and beat on high until pale, about 3-5 minutes.
- Beat in the oil and buttermilk mixture. Add the flour mixture and mix only until incorporated. Fold in the shredded carrots and pecans.
- Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Frosting:
- In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add Salt and vanilla and beat to combine. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated, then beat on high for 3-5 minutes until flight and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cake and refrigerate for an hour before cutting to allow the frosting to set.
Notes
- Don’t use pre shredded carrots, they will be too thick and dry.
- You can make this into a 2 layer cake, just adjust the cooking time.
