I have a special treat for you today. It’s a recipe. I usually sell this recipe for $1,000 but it’s your lucky day. OK, I’m just kidding about that, but honestly, this one is worth its weight in gold, which as I write is about $1,850 per ounce.

In this world, there is carrot cake and then there is scrumptious absolutely to-die-for carrot cake—the kind of cake you’ve only experienced with a $200-per-person meal at a fancy hotel (you do that all the time, right?).

It’s the kind of carrot cake that would surely be named the Grand Champion in a competition at a fine culinary school like Le Cordon Bleu Baking and Pastry Arts Program if I’d ever had such an opportunity to compete.

This is the cake that’s going to make your friends and family think you’re a genius! And don’t be surprised when it becomes your signature cake—the one they request for their birthdays. Imagine how beautiful this cake might look on your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter Brunch buffet table.

MORE: Dinner-in-a-Box is Not What I Thought!

As you peruse this recipe, you may be tempted to make a few adjustments. Please do not do that. You’ll think 1 1/2 cups oil is excessive. It’s not. And the pineapple. Seriously? Yes. Do not doubt me.

This is the perfect recipe both in ingredients and proportions, so please follow it exactly. It’s the recipe you’ll be tempted to keep secret and good luck with that! 😉

A piece of cake sitting on top of a table

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4.13 from 87 votes

Einstein Carrot Cake

This is the carrot cake that would surely come out the Grand Champion in a competition at a fine culinary school like Le Cordon Bleu Baking and Pastry Arts Program. This is the cake that’s going to make your friends and family think you’re a genius! And don’t be surprised when it becomes your signature cake—the one they request for their birthdays.

Prep Time40

Cook Time35

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 609kcal

Author: Everyday Cheapskate

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup golden raisins, (optional)
2 cups white granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil Note 1
2 cups finely grated raw carrot
1 (8.5 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained Note 3

Frosting

1/2 cup softened salted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (1-lb.) box powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Prepare three two or three (your choice) cake pans by greasing them well and dusting with flour.
Sift flour again with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. See Note 3.
In another large bowl, beat eggs lightly and stir in oil. Add sugar. Stir until very well incorporated. Stir in carrots, drained pineapple, nuts, and raisins.
Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until all are well incorporated.
Divide evenly between the three (3) prepared 8-inch cake pans. Bake in 350 F oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out just barely clean. Do not overbake.
Remove from oven; allow to cool 10 minutes and remove cakes from the pans to cool. Make certain cakes are completely cooled to room temperature or cooler before frosting.

Frosting

To make the frosting: In a medium-size bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat until smooth with an electric beater. Add sugar gradually, beating well between each addition. Continue beating until smooth and glossy.
Assemble cake with frosting between layers and on top. Garnish as desired with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts.

Notes

Note 1

You are going to think it's a typo. It's not. Really, 1 1/2 cups of oil. You'll understand once you cut into this amazing cake, your mouth watering, doing all you can to not smack your lips as you lick your fingers. It is so moist, so light and so lovely. You'll see.

Note 2

This recipe works as a large 9 x 13, two, or three 9" layers. If you opt for three layers, you'll probably want to frost only the tops of each layer, not the sides unless you double the amount of frosting. Or if two layers, you should have enough frosting for top, layer and also the sides.

Note 3

Another typo, right? Uh ... No! Crushed pineapple in this cake. Just make sure you drain it well. And feel free to drink that awesome pineapple juice. It's good for you!

Note 4

You will not be using an electric mixer on the cake portion of this recipe. Stir with a nice big wooden (or other) spoon. Just make sure everything is mixed in very well. You will use your electric mixer for the frosting, however.

Note 5

Let's talk altitude. I live at a semi-high altitude in Northern Colorado. The altitude in my driveway is exactly 5,280 ft. (Sounds like mile-high to me!) My research suggests that it’s only above 7,500 ft. that we would need to make an adjustment to this recipe, like adding a bit more flour. At my altitude, I follow this recipe exactly.

Note 6

As for bake time, depending on your oven (and altitude for that matter) you might need to add or subtract a few minutes. That’s easy to determine if you use the toothpick method mentioned. Just do not overbake! This is a tender, lovely, moist cake and overbaking will spoil all of those characteristics!

Nutrition

First published: 3-15-16; Republished by popular request: 4-6-22

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Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines

Joan says:

April 12, 2024 at 7:56 pm

Oh, Mary, you wonderful friend! After reading about this cake for years, I finally made it on the occasion of my Mom’s 89th birthday. We all agreed-this is one of the best cakes ever! It was SO DELICIOUS, moist, tasty, with complex flavors and textures. My husband doesn’t really like carrot cake and said this was not like any he had ever had and that it was one of the best cakes he had ever eaten!
The “frosting on the cake”? It cost about 1/3 the price of Costco with a superior product!
My Mom was so pleased.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mary Hunt says:
April 12, 2024 at 8:03 pm

Oh this makes me so happy! Congrats to your Mom for her discriminating taste in fine cake! I have recently had Costco’s carrot cake and if it had not been so embarrassing, I would have taken what was left back for a refund. Just not good! Maybe I’m spoiled by Einstein?!

Catlady says:

March 4, 2024 at 7:32 am

Can I use a bundt pan?

Mary Hunt says:
March 4, 2024 at 10:04 pm

I haven’t done that myself, but others have and have given good feedback.

Kathy says:

November 8, 2023 at 5:12 pm

When I went to buy ingredients today, the store did not have an 8.5 ounce can of crushed pineapple so I just got the big can thinking I would measure out about 8.5 ounces of pineapple, but that probably is gonna be too much correct??? Wanting to make this for husband’s birthday tomorrow… thank you!

Mary Hunt says:
November 8, 2023 at 7:05 pm

I haven’t done this, but if I were in your situation I would measure out 8.5 oz., treat it as the contents of an 8.5 can and then drain it. Good luck and Happy Birthday to your hubs.

Cathy Hale says:

March 2, 2023 at 5:36 pm

What is best option to make this gluten free? Bob’s Red Mill has been a good alternative to flour in other recipes, but thought I’d ask others what they use?

Karen says:

March 2, 2023 at 10:18 am

I’m sure it is ABSOLUTELY delicious and I have no doubt how moist a cup and a half of oil makes the cake BUT…609 calories per serving?

Amazing Carrot Cake says:

January 3, 2023 at 11:19 am

This was absolutely best tasting carrot cake! After 10 mins, tried to remove layers from pan, they all stuck, built it back with toothpicks and frosting!
I believe I will use parchment paper in my cake pans and wait 15 mins before removing the layers. It tasted AMAZING! THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER! THANK YOU, LORI

October 12, 2022 at 9:07 am

Has anyone made this gluten free? Not sure if the amount of GF flour would need to be adjusted. Please let me know so I can make for family with 2 people that cannot tolerate gluten.

Sherri s says:

October 10, 2022 at 12:23 am

I made this carrot cake after searching everywhere for a good carrot-cake recipe. I kept skipping over all of them that had pineapple in it, for some reason I came to your recipe which has pineapple and thought what the heck I will just try it OMG!! Did I hit the jackpot or what this cake was DELICIOUS! I finally found my forever carrot cake recipe. I did a 3 layer 9 inch pans and I altered the recipe to 1 1/2. I also frosted each layer and covered the layers with a mixture of chopped walnuts and pecans. Absolutely divine. I think I ate half the cake myself. Oh and lots of frosting is a must. It’s been a week since I made it. And I’m writing my very first review ever while I’m sitting in the parking lot of the grocery store. Did I forget to say it’s midnight and I’m going home to make this cake again. Thank you. I think it’s healthy right there is carrots and raisins in it!

April 10, 2022 at 7:53 pm

Has anyone made this gluten free? Are there any changes to other ingredients or the baking time?

Audrey says:

April 6, 2022 at 7:56 pm

I believe you have previously posted that your husband follows a gluten-free diet. So does mine. Have you tried to make a gluten-free carrot cake?

Mary Hunt says:
April 6, 2022 at 10:39 pm

I haven’t Audrey.

Einstein in the Kitchen or Let Them Eat (Carrot) Cake