Carrot Cake With Applesauce

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Carrot cake with applesauce is going to be your new go-to recipe. You’ll forget all about boxed cakes once you taste this easy and super delicious dessert. 

The favorite dessert is topped with cream cheese frosting and is a moist and flavorful carrot cake.

The Perfect Dessert

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a delightful dessert.

Y’all are going to love this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting recipe. This is an easy cake recipe that turns out moist, flavorful, and perfect with the addition of the ultra-easy frosting.

This is such a simple carrot cake recipe. A friend mentioned to me the other day that she bought a box carrot cake recipe and it didn’t turn out well.

I promise you, this is the cake to beat out all carrot cakes. Plus, if you want to cut calories, you can use lower fat cream cheese frosting.

A piece of carrot cake on a fork.

Ingredients For Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Wet Ingredients

  • Eggs (beaten)
  • Vegetable oil
  • Applesauce
  • Vanilla extract
  • Carrots (grated)

Dry Ingredients

  • White sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground nutmeg

Frosting

  • Butter (softened)
  • Cream cheese (softened)
  • Vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Carrot Cake

Moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a delicious dessert.

Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat them.

Eggs and oil mixed up in a large glass bowl to create the beginning of a carrot cake.

Add the vegetable oil to the bowl and mix in with the eggs.

Eggs, vegetable oil, and applesauce in a glass bowl will help the carrot cake have a moist texture.

Add the applesauce to the mixture.

The applesauce is going to help keep the cake moist, and will give it a little more nutrition and few carbs.

Sugar added to the large glass mixing bowl helps add sweetness to the cake.

Add the sugar to the mixing bowl.

Add the brown sugar to the glass mixing bowl and mix with the other carrot cake ingredients.

Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract to the ingredients and mix everything together.

This is an easy and quick recipe to gather up and mix.

Cinnamon and nutmeg are the perfect fall ingredients to add to a cake.

Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl.

These are two of my favorite ingredients. Whenever I add them to a cake or a dessert, it feels like fall. The world seems to just feel right.

We don’t get much winter down here in Florida, so I have to make do with pumpkin, fall spices, and all the delicious goodness in carrot cake.

Plus, when you bake the cake, it smells amazing. Truly amazing. Your house is going to smell absolutely delicious.

This is an easy carrot cake recipe that you will want to save. It is going to be your go-to carrot cake recipes. It's moist and perfectly delicious.

Add the baking soda and baking powder to the mix.

Carrot cake recipes are a perfect fall dessert to make.

Add the flour and mix together.

This is the best moist carrot cake recipe. You won't be disappointed.

Add the carrots to the mixture and fold in. And you can tell everyone you’re getting plenty of veggies!

You can either shred the carrots with a grater or buy the carrots already shredded. 

I bought shredded carrots and then put the carrots in the food processor to grate them even smaller. I like the carrots super fine.

You can also buy fresh carrots and add them to the food processor, as well.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is an easy recipe to make.

Pour the batter into a greased casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For this recipe, I used a 9-inch by 13-inch pan.

I usually check in the center of the cake to make sure it has baked all the way through.

Let the cake cool to room temperature before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is easy to make and delicious on carrot cakes, or any type of cake.

Add room temperature cream cheese and butter to a medium-sized bowl. Add the vanilla and cream everything together. 

Powdered sugar is a great ingredient to add to cream cheese frosting. The sugar creates a delicious and sweet taste.

Add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and blend until everything is well blended and smooth.

Cream cheese frosting works great on just about any type of cake. I’ve used it on angel food cake, chocolate cake, carrot cake, and vanilla cake. You can use it on cupcakes, or even pumpkin cake.

Plus, it’s super easy and inexpensive.

Cream cheese frosting is perfect on carrot cake, chocolate cake, and vanilla cake.

The frosting is such a delicious part of the cake. It really adds a lot to the flavor. And I love that the frosting is super easy to make.

Cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar are all it takes! I always set the butter and cream cheese out on the counter for a little while to let them soften. It’s much easier to mix together.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a delightful dessert.

Can I Make This Into A Layer Cake?

Yes, you can make this into a layer cake. I would double the recipe for the cake and frosting if you are making it in a rectangular cake pan.

If you choose to use two circular cake pans you will still need to double the cake and frosting recipe to make sure you have enough. Two 8-inch cake pans will work fine.

How To Store The Carrot Cake

Store the cake in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Can I Add Raisins To The Cake?

Yes, you can add raisins to the cake. If you choose to add raisins, I would add a cup of raisins to the mixture.

Can I Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes With This Recipe?

Yes, you can make cupcakes. Simply put the cake batter into a greased muffin pan and bake the cupcakes. The baking time will be a little different, so be sure to check them after 30 minutes to see if they are done.

More Delicious Recipes

The Best Carrot Cake With Applesauce

Be sure to get a copy of the carrot cake recipe below. If you’re a huge fan of carrot cake, you will love this recipe.

I promise this will become your favorite carrot cake recipe.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a delightful dessert.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

4.50 from 4 votes
Julie Pollitt
Carrot cake with applesauce gets rave reviews. With cream cheese frosting, the cake is perfect for your Easter celebration or any time in between. It has the perfect amount of spices and it's truly the best carrot cake recipe.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 20 pieces
Calories 325 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cups brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 3 cups carrots grated

Frosting

  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 8 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
  • Grease a 9" x 13"

Carrot Cake

  • Add the eggs to a large bowl and beat them.
  • Add the vegetable oil, applesauce, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the spices to a large bowl. Mix together.
  • Add the carrots and fold into the mixture.
  • Pour into the casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  • Cool for approximately 20 minutes.
  • Frosting
  • Add the softened cream cheese and butter to a medium-sized bowl. Mix together.
  • Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix together.
  • Spread over the cake.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 318mgFiber: 1gSugar: 32g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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4.50 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

2 Comments

  1. Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says:

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE carrot cake!! It is a family favorite and yours looks perfectly moist! YUM!!

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Thank you!!

Comments are closed.