16 of Our Best Carrot Cake Recipes to Celebrate Spring Year-Round (2024)

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese-Mascarpone Frosting

This homemade carrot cake is a slightly modern variation on the theme. With a pinch of cardamom in the batter, and equal parts cream cheese and mascarpone in its lick-the-bowl delicious frosting, prepare to be asked to make this lovely layer cake again and again. (Or at least be begged to share the recipe.)

Zucchini-Carrot Cake

Carrot cake recipes made from scratch are rarely this cute. With playful marzipan produce "planted" in the honey-scented frosting, this nutty zucchini and carrot cake will steal the show at every spring and summer celebration.

Ginger-Carrot Cake

Spiced carrot cake gets a unique flavor boost via freshly grated ginger (or a spoonful of ground ginger, if you prefer). That sweet-spicy element, along with tangy orange juice, creates a tasty new spin. A double cream-cheese frosting infused with whipping cream adds decadence to every bite.

Honey-Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Cream

Pumpkin pie spice and honey permeate this carrot Bundt cake with cozy, sweet flavor. A bit of whole-wheat pastry flour adds a pleasant nutty element, and buttermilk delivers a super-soft crumb.

Test Kitchen Tip: To make this gluten-free, simply use a cup-for-cup flour replacement in place of the all-purpose flour.

Carrot and Zucchini Bars

If typical cream-cheese frosting is just a bit too sweet for you, turn to this beautiful bar recipe. Each square is topped with a frosting spiked with citrus zest, which is at once refreshing and rich. But let's not forget what's hiding underneath—the irresistible carrot bars hide plenty of good-for-you (and flavorful) shredded carrots, zucchini, raisins, and walnuts.

Best-Loved Carrot Cake

Don't just take our word for this aptly named best-loved carrot cake. BH&G home baker Rosemary raves, "This is the most delicious, moist cake ever. I have made it on several occasions, and my guests rave about it—the best carrot cake ever!" A sprinkling of toasted pecans around the cake's edge makes a simple but sweet garnish.

Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Icing

Start your day with a slice of this delicious and easy carrot cake in loaf form. The luscious cream cheese icing adds a special sweetness atop the quick bread recipe. But what really takes it over the top, in our opinion, is the homemade candied carrot garnish.

Carrot Cake Bars

Make these tender carrot cake bars when you're serving a crowd. Because the recipe takes advantage of boxed cake mix, these bars are especially quick and easy. Once the batter is spiced with ginger and vanilla, and the finished cake is crowned in cream-cheese frosting, no one will ever guess this is only semi-homemade.

Orange-Carrot Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This chocolate carrot cake includes a burst of citrus to brighten the batter, while soft flakes of coconut give it an island-style twist. To take it to the next level, spread soft cream cheese between the layers, then pour a rich coating of silky-smooth dark chocolate ganache over the top.

Harvest Carrot Cake with Skillet Fruit

Speaking of sneakily nutritious, this autumn-inspired carrot cake recipe contains both shredded carrots and canned pumpkin (or mashed sweet potato). As a result, it packs in five grams of fiber and loads of vitamin A—in addition to being particularly moist and tender. Topped with a melange of sautéed fruit, each saucy slice is sure to hit the spot.

Easy Orange-Carrot Cake

Don't be intimidated because this creation comes from a celebrity chef. (A tip of the hat to British culinary icon Jamie Oliver.) Walnuts give this easy carrot cake a hint of nutty flavor, as well as a pleasant crunch. A frosting made with sour cream and oranges adds a tangy twist. The rest of the lineup is full of the usual baking suspects: flour, brown sugar, and a variety of warm spices.

Pineapple-Carrot Cupcakes

One bite of these tropical treats and your tastebuds will be transported to a sunny beach (well, almost). Infused with both pineapple and coconut, these delightful carrot cupcakes offer a sweet surprise under the luscious cream cheese frosting. Dive in to discover a filling of pineapple and cream cheese.

Spice Market Carrot Cake

If you want even more warm spice flavor in your carrot cake, try this recipe that's made with a ras el hanout spice mix. You can easily make your own using cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, and other spices. As one reviewer raved, "This cake is dense, moist, and sweet on it's own, the orange and ginger in the frosting really bumps the flavor up to a whole new level. It was a hit at Easter dinner and I'll definitely make it again."

Carrot-Parsnip Mini Cakes With Orange Drizzle

Parsnips add a deep, earthy flavor to this carrot cake bread recipe. If you can't find them, you can use all carrots. Finish the loaves with a sweet orange glaze.

Carrot Snack Cake

This snack cake recipe is a versatile dessert that can be enjoyed any time of day. Try it with coffee in the afternoon or serve it up after Easter dinner. The cream cheese frosting is flavored with a bit of orange zest.

Mini Blue Corn Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Without the frosting, these carrot cake muffins are delicious for breakfast. Top them with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and they become a sweet treat to end the day. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge.