Grandma Catherine’s Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe
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Grandma Catherine’s carrot cake recipe has been enjoyed by our family for decades. I spent many wonderful hours with grandma while mom was busy on the farm, and will always remember her kind eyes and loving heart. This carrot cake recipe is nice and moist, never dry. The original frosting is on the sweet side for our tastes now, so I’m including a version with less sugar.
Grandma Catherine’s Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups butter, melted
- 2 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts (I use crispy nuts)
- 3 cups grated carrots
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Blend together dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and then add to egg mixture. Add nuts and carrots.
Pour carrot cake batter into a greased and floured 9″x13″ cake pan or two nine inch round cake pans. Bake at 325°F until edges are lightly browned and cake tests done with toothpick, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Leave in pan and set on cooling rack, or invert onto wire rack to cool. Once the cake has cooled completely, ice with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
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PrintGrandma Catherine’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This made from scratch, old fashioned carrot cake recipe includes two options for cream cheese frosting – one traditional, and one with less sugar.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/2 cups butter, melted
- 2 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts (I use crispy nuts)
- 3 cups grated carrots
For Traditional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
- 2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
For Less Sugar Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar or 1/2 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Blend together dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and then add to egg mixture. Add nuts and carrots.
- Pour carrot cake batter into a greased and floured 9″x13″ cake pan or two nine inch round cake pans. Bake at 325°F until edges are lightly browned and cake tests done with toothpick, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Leave in pan and set on cooling rack, or invert onto wire rack to cool. Once the cake has cooled completely, ice with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
For traditional cream cheese frosting
- With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together for about 3 minutes on medium speed, until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.
For less sugar cream cheese frosting
- Whip cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar (or honey) and vanilla until smooth. Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
Notes
It’s best if you wait to frost the cake until it is completely cooled. To frost a two layer cake with crumb coat:
- Place first layer on serving plate, and scoop a large dollop of frosting in the center of the layer. Spread the frosting to the edges of the cake. Place second layer of carrot cake on top of the first layer. Scoop an ample dollop of frosting onto the center of the cake. Spread the frosting outward and down sides of cake, coating evenly. Let set for five to ten minutes, until the frosting has a chance to dry slightly. Wipe away any crumbs that have stuck to the edge of the plate. After the crumb coat has set, apply the rest of the frosting.
- For the cake shown in the photos, I used the traditional cream cheese frosting and applied it with a 16″ pastry tube and #4B star icing tip.
Traditional Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
- 2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together for about 3 minutes on medium speed, until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.
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Less Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar or 1/2 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Whip cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar (or honey) and vanilla until smooth. Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
Tips for Frosting Your Carrot Cake
It’s best if you wait to frost the carrot cake until it is completely cooled. If you choose to leave the cake in the pan, simply spread the frosting on with a knife or spatula. When you frost a cake that’s been removed from the pan, it’s often helpful to apply a crumb coat before coating the entire cake, or to apply the frosting with a pastry tube. A “crumb coat” is a layer of frosting that “catches” the crumbs and keeps them away from the finished outside layer of frosting, making for a neater looking end product.
To frost a two layer cake with crumb coat:
Place first layer on serving plate, and scoop a large dollop of frosting in the center of the layer. Spread the frosting to the edges of the cake. Place second layer of carrot cake on top of the first layer. Scoop an ample dollop of frosting onto the center of the cake. Spread the frosting outward and down sides of cake, coating evenly. Let set for five to ten minutes, until the frosting has a chance to dry slightly. Wipe away any crumbs that have stuck to the edge of the plate. After the crumb coat has set, apply the rest of the frosting.
For the cake shown in the photos, I used the traditional cream cheese frosting and applied it with a 16″ pastry tube and #4B star icing tip.
Are you am old fashioned carrot cake fan? Do you prefer it with or without nuts? Maybe pineapple? This is our family recipe, but I know there are many, many variations.
If You Enjoy Baking…
“Never Buy Bread Again – 20+ Homemade Bread Recipes” is the bread book designed for beginning bakers and those who enjoy quick and easy homemade breads. It’s also fun for those who remember recipes “like grandma used to make” and want to recapture that flavor in their own kitchen.
In this book you’ll find:
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- How to Make a Sourdough Starter and Basic Sourdough Bread
- Holiday and special occasion breads, like fruit filled kolache, Polish doughnuts and pretzel bread
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- Fun bread “go alongs” like flavored butters and cheese fondue
- Recipes to make with leftover bread
The book includes full color photos, so you know what the finished bread should look like, and stories from our family about the recipes and baking traditions. It has a spiral binding so that it lays flat on the kitchen counter for easy reading while cooking. Some of these recipes have been featured on the website, others are exclusive to the book.
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You may also enjoy:
- Gram Irene’s Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Grandma Catherine’s Polish Doughnuts
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
Originally published May 2010, updated 2016, 2018.