This Mother’s Day, surprise Mom with a moist and delicious Carrot Cake. This easy carrot cake recipe can be made with or without eggs! Top it off with a simple cream cheese frosting (we’ll show you how) or enjoy it plain…Mom will be impressed!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8 – 12
Ingredients:
All-purpose Flour (Maida) – 2 cups (300g)
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Cinnamon Powder – 1 to 2 tsp (your preference)
Nutmeg Powder – 1/4 tsp
Yogurt – 1 cup (140g)
Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup, packed
Sugar – 1 cup
Vanilla -1 tsp
Carrots – 2 cups (300g), finely shredded
Walnuts – 1/2 cup, chopped (reserve few for garnishing)
Salted Butter – 1 stick (4oz), melted (If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt to flour)
Eggs – 2
For eggless cake – Flaxseed Powder – 2 Tbsp mixed with 6 Tbsp warm water (allow it to sit for 10 mins)
For Frosting:
Butter – 2 oz (1/2 stick) at room temp
Cream Cheese – 8 oz at room temp
Vanilla – 1 tsp
Powdered Sugar – 1 cup
Beat Butter, Cream Cheese and Vanilla until smooth. Add Powdered Sugar and beat until smooth.
Method:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F or 180 C.
1. In a mixing bowl, add All-purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon Powder and Nutmeg Powder. Mix well.
2. In another large mixing bowl, add Yogurt, Brown Sugar, Sugar and Vanilla. Mix until sugar dissolves.
3. Add Eggs or Flaxseed Mixture and mix. Add Flour and whisk until a smooth batter is formed.
4. Add Carrots, Walnuts and Butter. Mix well.
5. Lightly butter the bottoms and sides of 2 9inch cake pans and dust with flour. A 9×13 inch rectangle pan can also be used.
6. Evenly divide the batter into the 2 cake pans and smooth the top.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F/180C.
8. Remove from Oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
9. Flip them out onto waxed or parchment paper and allow them to cool completely before frosting. If you do not wish to frost the cake, you can enjoy it immediately.
10. Place one cake (face down) on a platter.
11. Lightly frost only the top of the cake.
12. Place second cake (face down) over the first cake and frost top and sides evenly.
13. Sprinkle a few chopped walnut pieces over the top to garnish.
14. Tastes best at room temperature or warmed for few seconds in the microwave.
recipiee is gr8 but we didn’t find the powder
from where we could get the powder???
Hi Neelam,
If you mean flax seed powder – it is available at general merchants in India or at whole/health food store around the rest of the world. In Hindi it is called Algi, Alsi…
Hi Hetal/Anuja
My names Sal from UK. I made the carrot cake for the first time. And it turned out so well. The only problem was in the UK we dont have cream cheese, only soft cheese. So because I used the soft cheese, the frosting never became stiff enough to spread and remained runny.
As an alternative I used whipping cream icing, which tasted very nice too.
Im a vegi and glad theres a good egg replacer out there.
Thankyou very much
Sal
Hi Sal,
That great that you came up with a substitute and enjoyed the cake 🙂
Hey
Hetal/Anuja,
Wowww its so yummy….. your all recipes are so good.
Please reply to Pinky’s que. I have same problem.
Thanks
Nimisha
Hi Nimisha,
We have answered her Question is detail…pl. go thru it 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe, and alternative option too.
Anuja, how’d you get your nails done during the process of making the cake 😉
Hi Hetal & Anuja..The recipe seems yummy..i wanna try it out..i have a question..what is d difference between baking powder and baking soda? i have baking soda at home..can i just use more baking soda instead baking powder?
Hi Pinky,
This video will help answer your question:
https://34.233.61.50/tips/baking-soda-vs-baking-powder-tuesday-tip.html
Bottom line is that you can substitute:
1 tsp Baking Powder = 1/4 tsp Baking Soda + 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar.
Now, this is what we have read (never personally tried it), you can substitute 1/2 tsp Cream of tartar with 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice.
So, here is what you would do for this recipe:
1tsp of Baking Powder = 1/4 tsp Baking Soda+ 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice or 1/2 tsp White Vinegar.
Let us know if it works 🙂
Hi! About how many carrots will it take to make 2 cups of shredded carrots? Thanks!
It is very hard to say – it depends on the length, width of the carrots. And that is why we gave a measurement in cups 🙂
U LADIES ARE FABULOUS. i ALSO LOVE RAISINS ADDED.
i WILL TRY YOUR RECIPE AS I ALSO DO CAKE DECORATING SO IVE
DONE SEVERAL CAKE RECIPES. yOURE CLASSY AND FABULOUS!!
Hey Evin
I am a cake decorator as well. Can you share your tried and tested recipes with me? I am in a hunt of a moist yellow cake, i have tried a few but not yet satisfied.
Hi Madhulika,
We have that on our list but have not gotten to it yet. Thanks for your patience.
Hi Evin,
Raisins sound great in there – will try it next time!
Thanks for the compliments 🙂
Hi Hetal,Anuja
U guys are doing a gr8 gr8 job. I keep making your eggless dates and wallnut cake.That cake far more better than so many egg cakes .Now i want to try carrot cake, i have a doubt.
Is “flaxseed meal” and “Flaxseed power” are 2 different things or are they same? The grocery store where i buy things have flaxseed meal.
Please reply.
Cheers Madhulika
Hi Hetal/Anuja
First i wud like to congratulate u on ur wonderful job in giving us easy and delicious recipes…i am planning to make this cake for the new year..
I have one 8 inch pan..can i just half the ingredients or how should i work with the ingredients…
Thanks
Hi Sandy,
Yes, you can half the ingredients or make a large 9 by 13 rectangle cake.
Hi Hetal/Anuja,
I don’t have 2 round cake pans of the same size. Is it possible to divide the batter into 2, and let one part bake, remove it, wash, clean etc and put the 2nd part and bake in the same tin?
whilst resting outside, will my cake batter be affected?
or is it advisable to use to batter as soon as all the ingredients are mixed… Please reply..
Thanks
Hi Pia,
Since we use baking soda and baking powder, you cannot keep the batter sitting around. Your best bet would be to make a big rectangle cake (if you have the pan).
I just love to watch your way of presentation.
Especially in this video watch from minutes 7:35 to 7:40
Thats how Anuja is helping Hetal to come up with a word.. oh i am bad at explaining.. see it for yourself. You guys r gr8.. Love, Linu
Thanks Hetal,
I already prepared cake and cake turned out awesome, and i decorated well with mm and looking fantastic. But i didn’t like icing since its tastin too much butter and cream may be i don’t eat that’s why, i found out one more way to make icing, can you explain me further, all icing mixture in boiling water and mix well, that is correct and if yes then how to use that?????
Best regards,
Prati
Hi Prati,
I have not heard of boiling water to make icing. Sorry.
Dear Hetal / Anuja,
I was looking for Flaxseed powder, but couldn’t find but i found Whole flaxseed can i buy that and ground or there was some other powder was available that looks like yours but when i read it has flaxseed and some other things like wheat and something else i forgot please help me i really want to bake this cake……. since we are pure veg, is powder sugar is same icing mixture….. Please reply Thanks
Hi Prati,
You can just take flaxseeds and grind them yourself. Use a spice grinder to get a fine meal. Yes, powdered sugar is the same as icing sugar. It has added corn starch in it.
Thanks Hetal,
Soon I will try that too…. Hey by the way can we add oil instead of butter if yes then what quantity……. Is any subsitute for maida since we think maida is not healty so any healdier subsitute… because this will be good for school lunch box….
Thanks,
Pratibha
Hi Prati,
Unfortunately, it is a little complicated to substitute oil for butter. Butter is approx 80% fat and Oil is 100% fat. So, you would have to use less oil but then you would lose some of the liquid in the recipe. It is possible, but we don’t have the exact amounts. You can always use whole wheat flour if you want. The taste and texture will be slightly different.
Hello.
I made this once and everyone loved it and now I make this everyweek. People have even asked me the recipe for it. Also my mum was asking if you could make a recipe for rasmalai?
Thank you.
Ps:- I didn’t use yoghurt in it and it worked perfect
Hi Shehroon,
That’s great to hear! We already have a video for Ram Malai. Here it is: https://34.233.61.50/desserts/ras-malai-indian-dessert-recipe.html
Hi,
I have never baked any cake and want to try this for my son and daughter birthday, I have fan force oven that has max heating of 250 so what shall i do?????
Please reply soon
Hi Prati,
Is that in Fahrenheit or Celsius? When baking, you have to use the proper temperature else the texture of the cake will not turn out right. You can always experiment to see how your oven reacts. Usually, the lower the temperature, the longer you have to bake it. However, since it is for your daughter’s birthday, we suggest you experiment some other time. Happy birthday to her from us!
hi hetal can i use only powdered instead of brown sugar
Hi Yashi,
You can substitute regular white sugar for the brown sugar but powdered sugar (which contains corn starch) may affect the texture of the cake. You use the powdered sugar in the frosting only.
Hey!
I have a cake pan which is approximately 12” in diameter. Can I use the same measurements or should I use half?
If yes, den should all the measurements be reduced to half?
Please reply. Thanks!
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I used this recipe to make Banana walnut bread… Just like the one we get in Starbucks… I made it using Eggs.. The first time I tried with 1 cup of All purpose flour/2 bananas and rest of the ingredients just half of what u guys have mentioned in this recipe.. Then it came out really well.. But this time I used the quantities mentioned above(2 cups of all purpose flour/4 bananas) and the cake came out really soggy… In the first 30 mins of baking time at 350F it was still uncooked and I baked it for another 15 mins at 350F.. Still it remained soggy… What do you think went wrong?
Btw I tried many of ur recipes and they come out really well… I even recommend ur site to many of my frnds 🙂
Thanks,
Padma
Hi Padma,
Baking is more of a science than regular cooking. The measurement must be precise and substitution does not always work well. We have an easy recipe for Banana Nut Bread that you can try: https://34.233.61.50/breads/banana-nut-bread-whole-wheat-bread-recipe.html
It is for whole wheat bread but you can easily substitute all purpose flour.
OMG Hetal what a surprise to see u here!We met in Diamond District,I enjoyed watching the video,am so glad u showed how to make the Carrot Cake without egg as I am Jain and we dont eat any eggs.I am gonna spend many hours watching and trying your recipes.All the best and keep cooking.
Hi Priti!
Its great to hear from you! It’s been so long that I have lost touch with everyone in DD (except for Kuntal and Shaunak). Glad you are enjoying SMTC. Keep in touch.
All your recipes are very nice. I have started enjoying cooking because of you both. Thanks a ton.
Can you give recipe for cup cakes?
hi hetal and anuja
wo gol guppa banane ki recepi jo hai aap oos ko ovan me rakhna zaruri hai kia
bye
Hi Chakshita,
Yes, with this recipe, the oven part is necessary to make the puris absolutely crispy.
Hello 🙂
Thank you for the lovely recipe and the helpful tips its my mum’s birthday today and as she loves carrot cake i will be attempting to make it 😀
Im new to baking as im only 15.. but i hope it comes out as nice as yours did ^^
One question though…
Is your cake recipe for two cakes- as you made two?
Because i only want to make one .. do i have to use half the ingredients?? Very confused.. :S
Thanks again 🙂
Hi Shalini,
Yes, this recipe makes 2 small (9 inch) cakes. However, if you want to make one cake, you can use a large 9 inch by 13 inch pan (rectangle). We just thought that the presentation is prettier with the double layered cake. Also, if you want, you can cut the recipe in half and make a smaller cake.
Good luck and wish your mum a very happy birthday from us!
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks for this recipe. I bought whipped butter and whipped cream cheese from store. I think the quantity would be different required unlike the ones mentioned in the recipe. Please help me out with this.
Thanks
Hi Ana,
Since the butter and cream cheese are whipped, there is a lot of air that is mixed in. Unfortunately, we do not know the ratio of butter or cream cheese to air so it is difficult to substitute these things for the real thing. Though you may be able to get away with using the whipped items for the frosting, we do not recommend baking with whipped butter as it heats up faster than normal butter and creates a foam. Also, you may not get the accurate amount of butterfat needed.
Thanks Hetal,
OK,I have normal unwhipped butter also at home which I will use for baking. Sorry I forgot to mention I was asking for the frosting part only. Would the quantities Butter – 2 oz (1/2 stick) at room temp
Cream Cheese – 8 oz at room temperature be changed ?
Hi Ana,
We have never used the whipped versions of the two so cannot accurately tell you the conversion. However, since air is pretty much weightless, you could probably use the same amount (weightwise) of the two ingredients. The quantity may seem more because because of the air, but the weight should be the same.
Can I use the yogurt that we use in chutneys and cooking
Hi Shehroon,
Yes, regular plain yogurt will work.
I have 1 question can I use yogurt from market?
Hi Priyanka,
Yes, you can.
Hi hetal/Anuja,
It would be great if you could answer my question on baking powder earlier..
If anyone else on this forum knows about a good brand, kindly let me know!! Thanks
Sorry, Soumya, we were on vacation…the one I have and use is Clabber Girl and it works well.
Hope that helps 🙂
Thanks for the reply!! 😀
I actually already got Davis baking powder.. Let me see how that works!!!
Hi, i cant wait to try this outtttt,i love the frosting part with the crunchy walnuts and stufff….yummmmmm
can i bake cake in idlli cooker ??????????
i can bake cake in idlli cooker ???? plz tel
Hi Hetal/Anuja,
Could you tell me a good brand of baking powder that I could find in the US grocery stores?? Is Rumford good?? I have tried one or two but it gives a bad metallic taste. I tried using only baking soda but that leaves a bitter taste in my cake.
Your advice on this would be appreciated.
Hello,
How does this cake compare to other carrot cakes which are really oily? I noticed you use just about half the amount of butter/oil that other recipes do. Is it as moist? I made one yesterday which had 1 1/2 cups of oil and the oil was like oozing out of the baked cake.
I came upon your site whilst looking for an eggless carrot cake recipe. I have been requested to make one for a birthday. Will definitely try this one. Thanks heaps!
Can u plz tel me wher can i flaxseed? Or is ther anything else that can be used in place of egg. This is d first time i’ve come across yr site n really loved yr recipe of carrot cake. Wil love to try it soon.
Hi Kanchan,
In the US, Flaxseed is readily available in most of the Whole Food stores. It is known by different names in India: Jawas/Javas or Alashi/Alsi and I know for a fact that it is available there as well.
Hope you can find it.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.. but I would like to know what is the purpose of adding brown sugar. I do not have it at home. What if I do not add in this cake.Please guide me.. thanks in advance…
Hi Saumya,
Carrot Cakes are usually dark in color due to the Brown Sugar. The Brown Sugar also has a little different flavor because it has molasses. You can substitute it for regular sugar but the color will not be the same and the flavor will be a little different 🙂
Got it…Thanks a lot…
Hey,
Could you plz help me with a cake recipe,its walnut cake from Vienna’s (vienna’s bakery in Santacruz,Mumbai),its a wine colour cake packed in a transparent plastic wrap,it also contans raisins, i grew up eating this cake but, now being in S.Africa really miss it and require the recipe so that i can bake it here and put a fullstop to my craving.
Louis.
Hi Louis,
Sorry, we don’t know exactly which one you are talking about but sounds like a Fruit Cake or a Walnut Cake…
Recipe for Fruit Cake:
https://34.233.61.50/desserts/fruit-cake-dessert-recipe.html
Recipe for Dates and Walnut Cake:
https://34.233.61.50/desserts/eggless-date-and-walnut-cake.html
Hope that is close 🙂
Hi gurlz, you guys are truly a gr8 team. What I really love about your site is the video demonstration of every recipe. One can hardly go wrong after viewing such a practical and step -by-step demonstration of any recipe. Moreover you both make the whole thing sound so simple and easy which definitely encourages novices at cooking, especially baking like me. I am sure a lot of hardwork in terms of research about the recipe, shooting the video, etc goes on behind the scenes. Web hosting is not so simple. But again you both are definitely very skilled to be doing such a flawless job. I am in awe of you. I guess u both have been friends for a long time now. The on-screen chemistry is amazing. Neither of you interrupts the other. The conversation is so friendly and smooth. Thank you for taking the effort in building such a wonderful site. And may God’s blessings always be with you and protect your friendship. Its very hard to find and keep good friends these days. ok ok ok lemme not bore u anymore.
Just had a question. I googled it but couldn’t find the answer. Where can I get flaxseeds in India, Gurgaon-Haryana. I tried the grocery stores, malls, pharmacy but no one seems to even have heard the name. The just don’t know what it is. Since I am a vegetarian I do not use eggs. Also, I have read about the nutrition associated
with flaxseeds so I want to include it in my diet. Don’t we get them in India at all?
Thanks again , waiting for your reply….
Hi Shirley,
THANK YOU for that wonderful email 🙂 and needless to say the blessings and the compliments, thank you, thank you…
Regarding the Flaxseed (aka Linseed), I know we do get it in India (my Mom uses it) and the Indian names are (quite a few of them, you can try all):
Hindi, Gujarati, and Punjabi – San, Alsi
Tamil – Ali Vidai/Ali Virai
Marathi – Atasi, and Jawas
Bengali – Tishi
Oriya – Pesi
Kannada – Agasi
Telegu – Avise Ginzalu
Malayalam – Cheruchana Vithu
You can buy it at store that sell Daals, Rice etc
Hope that helps 🙂
Hi Anuja,
Thank you very much for the detailed reply. Proved that you guys are truly professional once again, didn’t you ? As you rightly suggested I did find them at a grocery store in the neighbourhood. I went looking for it in the supermarkets and malls earlier ! Once again thanks for the names. It helped me find what I wanted. Take care & keep up the gr8 work going….
can i use double cream instead of yogurd in this receipy
Hi Shital,
The yogurt in this recipe has two functions. It adds moisture as well as provide the acidity needed for the baking soda to react. You could possibly substitute it with applesauce for the moisture but may have to experiment with adding a little lime juice or maybe adding more baking powder.
So in other words, double cream will not help 🙁
Hi
From where can I buy these flaxseed?
Thanks
Hi there,
Flaxseeds are available at most grocery stores and also in whole food stores.
please tell me can i use double cream instead of yogurt…reply me as early as possible
Hi..could you please cover an eggless cake in cooker recipe as i don’t have an oven. Pleeeaaase. I love your site and use it regularly.Many thanks.
Hi Tina,
We are working on that recipe and hopefully will have something to show for it 😉 Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Hi!
The above can be made in Pressure Cooker but without whistle. I, myself make cakes in Pressure cooker as we dont have a Oven at our place!! You can place cake for 40mins and keep on checking it afterwards..
Cheers!!
Hi Varuna,
Thanks for letting all of our viewers about using a pressure cooker to bake cakes…we’re sure it will be very helpful to many.
Thank u for this worderful recipe…i tried this recipe it came out good
Hello Hetal and Anuja
I am planning to buy a food processor and hand blender. Can u please suggest me good one..
Thank u
karuna
Hi Karuna,
The one we use on the show is a Black & Decker Power Pro II. I have had it for the last 10 years and it’s takes a lot of beating and is still going strong (knock on wood 😉 )
As for the hand blender, there are a lot of them around, we suggest you make sure it is a high wattage (so is stronger and more effective). Brand-wise, Braun is pretty good.
Hey Girls
pls pls tell me how to make a simple butter cake.I am not sure of the quantities.
Thnks
Hi
tried this and it came out good!! i bought flaxseed instead of flaxseed powder.. U said to powder them before soaking. I couldn’t do that. so, soaked them…after that tried to grind them..but it was too gooey! so added that as it is…and it turned out great!
thanx so much!
Hi Lavi,
Thanks for your feedback and glad you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I have tried your recipes and they taste really good. Can show me how to make basic chocolates. My kids will just love it. Can you please.
Thank you
Hi Shwetha,
We will put it down on our (long) list 🙂
Thanks allot for u r wonder full recipe .
The cake came out very moist and it is yummy .
after numerous flops of cakes finally i received appreciations from my hubby.
once again thanks allot ladies.
if i want to get fluffy cake can i reduce the quantity of the yogurt?
Hi yg,
Glad you liked the cake. By nature, carrot cake is a little denser than normal cakes. If you make it with eggs, you get a fluffier end product. Flaxseed powder is a great substitute for vegetarians and does the job but still cannot compare exactly to eggs. The yogurt will not change anything.
can i use double cream instead of yogurt
hi hetal & anuja,
another delicious recipe from you which i have been waiting for a long time. will try this out soon. also i tried the mango cake which you have mentioned in your chocolate cake recipe variation and it was veryyyyyyyyyy good.
thanks a lot
amita
Hi Anuja & Hetal,
Your website is brand new for me,bcoz I found it yesterday when a friend told me about it.
The first thing I tried from your recipes is the carrot cake. I used flaxseed powder as my family is vegetarian and we don’t eat eggs. The result was awesome…….. The cake was so………… good. It was very moist and soft.
The only thing which went a litle wrong was that the cake did not leave the center,when I tried to take it off. I mean it did come off, but a big portion from the center was left sticking to the pan. I did all that greasing and dusting of the pan. I tried to take it out when it was still very hot. Should I wait for few min to let it cool? Will it work next time? Please reply.
Thank you so much for all your good work.
Nannu
Hi Nannu,
We’re so glad you found us 🙂
You should wait at least 5 minutes before flipping the cake out. This gives it time to rest and come together. If you did wait 5 minutes, wait just a few more minutes next time. And of course, be sure that you’ve greased every little bit of the pan. Good luck next time.
Hi,
I tried this recipe. I used flaxseed. The cake did not leave the center and when I tried to take it off , it crumbled 🙁
The cake crumble tasted awesome though. I did not dust the pan with flour after applying butter. Is that the reason why this happened? The cake was good, but no pieces for me.
Hi Disorichu,
Yes, it is important to flour the baking pans. They make a coating over the top of the cake that prevents it from sticking to the pan.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
What cake pans are you girls using? It looks like they have sloped sides. If the pans have sloped sides, is it not hard to put the frosting on a layered cake? I would like to know what brand pans you are using so that I don’t make a mistake buying the wrong pans.
And great job! I love your site.
Thanks
Hi Narmada,
Our cake pans are made by Wilton. They are available at Walmart. The sides are sloped ever so slightly that it did not matter while we were frosting the cake.
hi Hetal and Anuja,
you guys rock, i made your carrot cake today, it has really come out good. can you tell me which refrigrator you have at your house, it looks big and nice. whats the capacity of the refrigrator.26 cu or more? please let me know.
thanks,
Hi Sumathi,
We have a GE Profile counterdepth fridge. We don’t know what the exact capacity is but remember that it was one of the largest ones available in the series.
Hi
I got flaxseeds just to make this cake.
but you have mentioned powder!!
what do i do?? can i soak them and then grind..how long should I soak??
please help!!
Hi Lavi,
We usually buy our flaxseed already powdered but you could possibly grind them in a spice or coffee grinder. Grind them dry and then add the water when you are ready to use them as egg substitutes.