Back

Triple-Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This classic carrot cake is big, bold, and joyfully indulgent—packed with pineapple, carrots, coconut, and warm spices, then finished with a fluffy cream cheese frosting. Moist, nostalgic, and made for celebrations, this is the kind of cake everyone remembers.

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients
 3 ½ cups cake flour
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon salt
 2 tablespoons dry egg replacer
 2 cups sugar
 ¼ cup instant pudding mix (dairy or plant-based)
 1 20-ounce can crushed pinapple, packed in juice
 ½ cup vegetable oil
 1 cup butter (dairy or plant-based), melted
 2 cups finely grated raw carrots
 ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
 ½ cup raisins
 ½ cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
Frosting Ingredients
 16 ounces cream cheese (dairy or plant-based), softened to room temperature
 ½ cup butter (dairy or plant-based), softened to room temperature
 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 6 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
 ½ teaspoon pumkin pie spice, optional
 Plant-based or dairy milk, as needed
 ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, otional

Instructions

Prepare the Cake Pans
1

Preheat oven to 350°F

2

Grease and flour three 8-inch round layer cake pans.

3

Because this is a moist batter, don’t be tempted to make this a two layer cake.

Mix the Dry Ingredients
4

Sift the first 8 ingredients into a large mixing bowl (cake flour through pudding mix).

5

Stir well to combine.

Prepare the Wet Ingredients
6

Thoroughly drain pineapple, reserving juice.

7

Measure out ½ cup pineapple juice and pour into a small bowl. Add the oil and melted butter and stir.

Make the Batter
8

Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.

9

Add the crushed pineapple.

10

Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.

Add the Mix-Ins
11

Fold in the grated carrots, coconut, raisins, and nuts (if using).

Bake
12

Turn the batter into the 3 cake pans and smooth the tops.

13

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool
14

Place cake pans on wire racks and let cool for 10 minutes.

15

With a small flat metal spatula, carefully loosen sides of cakes and invert on the wire racks, removing pans.

16

Let cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the Base
17

Beat softened cream cheese, butter, and pure vanilla extract until light and creamy.

Sweeten & Finish
18

Carefully add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat on low speed after each addition until it is incorporated into the cream cheese mixture.

19

Add pumpkin pie spice, if using, and mix into the frosting.

20

Only add milk if the frosting is too thick for spreading.

21

If too thin, add powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until it is the consistency you desire.

Assemble the Cake
22

Frost the cake and sprinkle chopped nuts on the top, if using.

Share this recipe

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients
 3 ½ cups cake flour
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon salt
 2 tablespoons dry egg replacer
 2 cups sugar
 ¼ cup instant pudding mix (dairy or plant-based)
 1 20-ounce can crushed pinapple, packed in juice
 ½ cup vegetable oil
 1 cup butter (dairy or plant-based), melted
 2 cups finely grated raw carrots
 ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
 ½ cup raisins
 ½ cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
Frosting Ingredients
 16 ounces cream cheese (dairy or plant-based), softened to room temperature
 ½ cup butter (dairy or plant-based), softened to room temperature
 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 6 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
 ½ teaspoon pumkin pie spice, optional
 Plant-based or dairy milk, as needed
 ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, otional

Directions

Prepare the Cake Pans
1

Preheat oven to 350°F

2

Grease and flour three 8-inch round layer cake pans.

3

Because this is a moist batter, don't be tempted to make this a two layer cake.

Mix the Dry Ingredients
4

Sift the first 8 ingredients into a large mixing bowl (cake flour through pudding mix).

5

Stir well to combine.

Prepare the Wet Ingredients
6

Thoroughly drain pineapple, reserving juice.

7

Measure out ½ cup pineapple juice and pour into a small bowl. Add the oil and melted butter and stir.

Make the Batter
8

Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.

9

Add the crushed pineapple.

10

Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.

Add the Mix-Ins
11

Fold in the grated carrots, coconut, raisins, and nuts (if using).

Bake
12

Turn the batter into the 3 cake pans and smooth the tops.

13

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool
14

Place cake pans on wire racks and let cool for 10 minutes.

15

With a small flat metal spatula, carefully loosen sides of cakes and invert on the wire racks, removing pans.

16

Let cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the Base
17

Beat softened cream cheese, butter, and pure vanilla extract until light and creamy.

Sweeten & Finish
18

Carefully add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat on low speed after each addition until it is incorporated into the cream cheese mixture.

19

Add pumpkin pie spice, if using, and mix into the frosting.

20

Only add milk if the frosting is too thick for spreading.

21

If too thin, add powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until it is the consistency you desire.

Assemble the Cake
22

Frost the cake and sprinkle chopped nuts on the top, if using.

Triple-Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting