Pecan Carrot Cake - My Sweet Precision (2024)

This pecan carrot cake is a deliciously moist cake featuring shredded carrots and chopped pecans. Hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger give this cake a lovely flavor. An irresistibly rich cream cheese frosting provides the finishing touch to this decadent cake. This old-fashioned cake is perfect for any celebration and will quickly become a family favorite!

Carrot cake has always been my mother's favorite dessert. So it should come as no surprise that I've tested and perfected this recipe many times! It has her stamp of approval and quickly became a staple for celebrations in our family. If you enjoy this old-fashioned pecan carrot cake, you'll also like my apple praline cake, another decadent cake featuring carrots and pecans in the batter.

Why you'll love this recipe

A cake perfect for a celebration. This cake has a homemade taste and appearance, perfect for birthday parties, holidays... you name it! The ingredients are simple, and the frosting is applied easily.

An incredibly moist and decadent cake. This cake features canola oil, sugar, carrots, and eggs. All of these ingredients give this cake a very moist texture. In addition, the trifecta of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger make this batter reminiscent of a spice cake.

A super simple and easy batter to prepare. This recipe comes together really quickly. There's no creaming butter and sugar—only mixing ingredients by hand to make the batter.

Key ingredients and why we use them

Pecans: toasting your pecans in the oven will add a lovely depth of flavor to this cake. Totally optional but worth it if you have extra time! My pecan tart with bourbon and orange is another great dessert featuring pecans!

Canola Oil:This cake recipe uses oil instead of butter. Oil, which remains liquid at room temperature, helps make this cake extra moist. You could easily substitute vegetable oil if that's what you have on hand.

Cream Cheese + Butter: This fantastic duo gives you an absolutely luscious frosting. Use the cream cheese that comes in a block and not the whipped kind in a container. Make sure that both butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.

Carrots: I don't recommend using the pre-shredded carrots you can buy in a bag at the grocery store. It's best to peel and grate them by hand—this will give you the best flavor and moisture for this recipe. It's essential because carrots are the star of the show here! I prefer a thicker grated carrot in this recipe. However, if you want the carrots to disappear into the batter, use the thinnest grater option.

Equipment

This recipe calls for two 9-inch cake pans. These are pretty typical pans that most of us will have in our kitchen. If you'd like to use a 9 x 13-inch rectangular pan, that's fine too! Your cook time will be about 40-50 minutes. For cupcakes, this batter will make approximately 24 cupcakes. The cook time will be about 18-22 minutes. I'd also recommend checking out my carrot cake cupcake recipe.

Frequently asked questions

HEATHER'S HELPFUL HINT
Investing in a pair of cake strips is an excellent purchase if you find yourself baking cakes often. Cake strips are pieces of fabric that you soak in water and wrap around your cake pan before baking. They correct uneven baking and will help your cakes bake level (with no domes).

Step-by-step instructions

You can print this entire recipe below and save it for later. But, before you get there, let's walk through it step-by-step, so you understand what you're doing beforehand.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside,

In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk these ingredients together.

Mix dry ingredients into the wet and stir the batter until just combined. Do not overmix. Add the carrots and pecans, and fold them into the batter.

Pour even amounts of the batter into the two prepared round pans. Bake for 33 - 38 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, first use a serrated knife to cut off any domes on your cake levels. Next, place one cake layer upside down on your cake platter. Cover this layer with frosting. Top with the second layer (also upside down) and the remaining frosting. Use a spatula to smooth the frosting over the sides of the cake.

To garnish, sprinkle the pecans on the top. Enjoy!

Make ahead and storage tips

Storage Instructions: You can store this cake in the refrigerator, uncovered, for up to one week. I don't recommend leaving it out at room temperature due to the cream cheese in the frosting. Before serving, let the cake sit at room temperature for one hour.

Freezing Instructions: You can easily freeze your carrot cake frosted or unfrosted. If the cake is unfrosted, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place them in a freezer bag and store them for up to three months. For a frosted cake, I like to slip the cake into the freezer for one hour to allow the frosting to harden. Then, remove the cake and wrap it in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. They actually have cake boxes that you can use for storing larger frosted cakes.

Recipe variations

• You can add up to ½ cup of add-ins to this recipe. I suggest pineapple, raisins, or sweetened shredded coconut as options. No other adjustments are necessary when making these additions.
• If you're not a fan of carrots, you can actually substitute zucchini in this recipe (in equal amounts) for a very similar flavor and texture. My zucchini muffins are another recipe that you will enjoy with this summer vegetable.
• If you want a cake that is mildly spiced, omit the nutmeg and ginger, and you can reduce the cinnamon to one teaspoon.

Recipe

Try these other cake recipes

Did you make this recipe? First, let me say THANK YOU for giving it a try! Please leave us a rating and leave any feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I love to hear your thoughts and ideas on what went OK — and what didn't — with a recipe! Also, be sure to check out some of our other recipes linked below!