Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
There are so many great flavors and textures in this easy carrot cake recipe including a perfectly spiced and moist cake that’s laced with plenty of carrots and salted caramel sauce in every bite. The caramel cream cheese frosting takes this carrot cake over the top and into truly rich and decadent territory. You only live once, right? The contrast of the tangy cream cheese frosting with the salted caramel sauce and then sweet cake was all just perfect. If you’re a fan of nuts or raisins in your carrot cake, they would be nice additions. But there is already so much goodness and richness going on with this cake, anything else wasn’t necessary for us.
What’s in This Easy Carrot Cake?
I actually made this simple carrot cake with cake mix, surprise! I have plenty of scratch carrot cake recipes but this one starts with a shortcut in the form of a box of yellow cake mix. Here’s what you’ll need to make the cake:
Boxed yellow cake mix Eggs Oil Water Vanilla extract Spices Grated carrots Salted caramel sauce Cream cheese Unsalted butter Confectioners’ sugar Salt
How to Make Carrot Cake with Cake Mix
Doctor up the cake mix with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and of course shredded carrots. Make sure to grate your own because carrots you can buy in bags that are pre-shredded have an odd texture that isn’t right for this recipe. I am not shy when it comes to adding spices to either carrot cake or in any pumpkin recipe so that I can be sure there is the robust carrot cake flavor I want when it’s done, and this cake is no exception. After baking the cake, poke holes in it all over with a fork. Yes, this is actually a poke cake, the best kind of cake in my opinion, since they’re never dry and have different flavors layered together. Pour salted caramel sauce all over the surface of the cake and let it seep in. Some of it will sit on the surface of the cake since salted caramel sauce tends to have quite a thick and viscous texture and that’s perfectly fine. Then, whip up a batch of caramel cream cheese frosting and top the cake with it. I drizzled extra caramel sauce on top, because why not?
Can I Use Store-Bought Frosting?
Of course! This is your cake, after all. If you want to use a shortcut, one 14-ounce tub of prepared cream cheese frosting works perfectly fine for this easy carrot cake recipe.
What Brand of Cake Mix Should I Use?
You can use any you’d like, but my personal favorite is Duncan Hines.
Tips for Making Carrot Cake From Yellow Cake Mix
You can either make the caramel cream cheese frosting with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce (make it while the cake bakes) or you can use store bought salted caramel sauce. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, a 10-ounce jar of their salted caramel sauce is perfect for this simple carrot cake recip, but other brands will be just fine. If you’re looking to make this cake as fast and easy as possible, use store bought salted caramel sauce and frosting; and at the other end of the spectrum, make both from scratch — your choice. However you decide to make this easy carrot cake, you’ll love it and so will any carrot cake fan!
More Carrot Cake Recipes:
Carrot Apple Cream Cheese Tunnel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – If you like carrot cake, you’re going to LOVE this version that includes apples and a tunnel of cream cheese that runs through the center!! EASY, amazing, and a MUST-MAKE!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Carrot Apple Bread – Carrot cake with apples added and baked as a bread so it’s healthier! Super moist, packed with flavor, fast and easy!
Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Blondies — Dense, chewy, super moist bars that taste like carrot cake with a cream cheese topping that’s baked right in so you don’t need to worry about frosting them!!
The Best Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – A marriage of pumpkin cake and carrot cake into one soft, moist, tender, and amazing cake! The tangy cream cheese frosting is truly the icing on this easy cake!
Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins – Fast, EASY, accidentally vegan muffins that are bursting with authentic carrot cake flavor!! If you’re looking for a healthier carrot cake recipe that tastes AMAZING, make these muffins immediately!!
Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, moist carrot cake that’s baked as a loaf. So much faster & easier than baking a cake!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting – My favorite foolproof recipe for soft, moist, flavorful carrot cake cupcakes!
Soft and Chewy Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies – Tons of texture and so moist with zero cakiness. Eat your vegetables by way of healthy cookies!
