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–+ servings
cream cheese frosted carrot cake with small piped colorful carrots on top.
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5 from 37 votes

JoJo's Carrot Cake

JoJo's Carrot Cake is a treasured family recipe dressed decadently in cream cheese frosting. It brings happiness with each bite!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: cafe, Dessert, snacks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16
Calories: 404kcal
Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

  • Standing or hand mixer
  • Cake pans (2) or 9x13 pan
  • Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
  • Food Processor
  • Measuring Cups

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp lemon extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 3-4 cups fresh carrots shredded
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped nuts walnuts and pecans are best

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 - 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 dash salt if desired

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and heavily grease the pans you're using (if 9x13, add a piece of parchment paper in for convenience).
  • Add vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla and lemon extract into stand mixing bowl. Beat together. Note: the mixture will be really oily but mix until the sugar looks dissolved.
  • Add one egg at a time into the mixing bowl, beating well after each addition. Batter will start to form. Fold in shredded carrots.
    wet ingredients and shredded carrots mixed together in stand mixer.
  • Add the dry ingredients into the mixer: all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. After fold in chopped nuts.
  • Pour mixture into baking pan(s).
    three carrot cakes in circular pans, unbaked.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool before removing from the pans.
    three carrot cakes in circular pans, baked.
  • For the frosting, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl: butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Blend frosting ingredients on medium speed until smooth. All of the clumps of powdered sugar should be dissolved.
  • Layer the cakes with frosting in between each layer.
    three layered carrot cake frosted between layers on marble cake stand.
  • Tip: Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before frosting the top and outside layer. This will help with structure! Top with crushed nuts or other flavors and enjoy. Best chilled but can be served room temperature. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Short on Time or looking for convenience: simply bake this cake in a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean! 
Can easily be made dairy or nut free. For the cake, exclude nuts from the batter and exclude any nuts as garnish. For the frosting, use a plant based butter and cream cheese.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g