If you’ve been looking for the perfect carrot cake recipe, this is it. We love how tender, moist, and simply delicious it is. And the fact that it is sweetened with honey just sends its amazingness right over the top.
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Hello, my friends.
I’m excited to share this delicious honey-sweetened carrot cake with you today.
This has been my favorite carrot cake for a long time. And yes I’ve been making it a long time – probably 10 years or more. The original recipe comes from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. Check out the original if you are looking for a delicious version of this cake that is sweetened with regular old white sugar. We make it a that way for many occasions. And it’s pretty amazing.
But today I’m sharing a honey-sweetened version with you.
Why sweeten with honey?
We use a lot of honey to sweeten because my husband and my son both do not eat processed sugar treats. I wrote more about that in another post.
When I first started experimenting with honey in my baking, the idea of making a honey-sweetened cake seemed a little crazy. It was (and still is) difficult to find dessert recipes that use only honey as the sweetener. And when I did find and try one, it often came out tasting like sawdust or worse.
After many failed attempts, I almost gave up. But after lots of practice I learned enough about sweetening with honey that now I feel fairly confident. This blog has many honey-sweetened desserts that I’ve adapted from sugar-sweetened desserts. And it’s amazing how many delicious desserts you can make with honey.
I actually think sweetening this cake with honey makes it even more moist than the original, which was super moist to begin with.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
I use raw honey in this recipe that I buy in bulk from a local source. If you use regular honey from the store keep in mind that it is not always the same. Often honey from the store has been watered down or mixed with corn syrup and recipes made with it (especially baked goods) will turn out very different.
If your honey is super hard (or crystallized), make sure it is runny before mixing it or it won’t distribute properly. I usually heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute before using in this or other baking recipes.
The easiest way to measure honey for most recipes is weigh it directly into the bowl. A rule of thumb I always use is 1 cup of honey = 12 ounces.
If you don’t have a scale, here’s a handy trick you can use. Spray the measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the honey. Then the honey glides out of the measuring cup super easy.
The cake itself is dairy free, which is awesome. When I couldn’t do dairy while I was nursing my daughter, I still could make and enjoy this cake (sans frosting – actually I adapted the frosting with a coconut-cream-type frosting which was yummy).
The regular frosting I use for this recipe is a delectable whipped cream cheese frosting. It’s light and creamy and just so delicious.
The pecans on top are optional but I love the crunch they add. And putting nuts on top is so much better than using nuts inside the cake which tends to dry it out.
One bite, my friends. That’s all it takes. It’s perfect. You’ll be hooked for life.
Perfect Carrot Cake {Honey-Sweetened}
If you've been looking for the perfect carrot cake recipe, this is it. We love how tender, moist, and simply delicious it is. And the fact that it is sweetened with honey just sends its amazingness right over the top.
Ingredients
For Cake:
- 2 ½ cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound (16 ounces) carrots shredded
- 1 ⅔ cup (20 ounces) raw honey see note
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups cooking oil see note
For Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces) butter softened
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons (4.5 ounces) raw honey
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) heavy whipping cream
- chopped pecans for sprinkling on top if desired
Instructions
For Cake:
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Adjust an oven rack to the center of the oven. Lightly grease two round 9-inch cake pans or a 9X13-inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk together to combine and set aside.
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Wash carrots well (no need to peel them) and in a food processor fitted with a fine shredding disk (or grate by hand using a fine grater), shred the carrots. Set aside.
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In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer (or use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or by hand with a whisk), beat the honey and eggs on medium-high speed until well combined, about 45 seconds.
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Reduce the speed to medium and with the mixer running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream, being careful to pour oil away from the beaters or whisk.
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Increase the speed to high (or whisk quickly by hand) and mix until the batter is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer.
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Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain (being careful not to overmix).
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Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or pour into the prepared 9X13-inch pan. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes for 9-inch round pans and 60 minutes for a 9X13-inch pan.
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Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then invert them onto a cooling rack to cool completely (the 9X13-inch cake can be cooled completely in the pan if you are planning to just ice the top).
For Frosting:
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, whip together the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and honey for 1-2 minutes until mixture is perfectly creamy and smooth with no lumps.
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Add the vanilla and heavy cream and mix until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add additional heavy cream and whip thoroughly if needed for a softer frosting.
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Frost the cake and garnish with chopped pecans, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve and any leftovers.
Recipe Notes
1. . I use raw honey in this recipe that I buy in bulk from a local source. If you use regular honey from the store keep in mind that it is not always the same. Often honey from the store has been watered down or mixed with corn syrup and recipes made with it (especially baked goods) will turn out very different.
2. Neutral flavored oils work best in this recipe: canola, vegetable, avocado oil, etc.
3. If your honey is super hard (or crystallized), make sure it is runny before mixing it or it won’t distribute properly. I usually heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute before using in this or other baking recipes.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted to be honey-sweetened from a recipe found at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
Thanks Suzanne!
Anytime you used processed cooking oils in healthy food You’ve ruined it. use butter.
Hi Henry, I’m interested if you have tried this cake with butter and got decent results. I worry about it being too dry since butter is a solid at room temp. I think cold pressed, unrefined avocado oil would be a better choice if you are looking for a healthier option.
I made this cake for Christmas Eve with my family, and I’m so happy with how it turned out! It was beautifully moist, prefectly sweet, and had a wonderful, classic carrot cake flavor profile.
I ended up baking it for 50 minutes, and it came out prefectly.
The frosting was also delicious and beautifully creamy.
My only critiques would be that the frosting was a bit more tangy than I would’ve liked (which could be at least in part because I added about half a tablespoon more sour cream than the recipe calls for) and the recipe didn’t make enough to generously cover the cake like I’d hoped to. Next time I’ll simply double the frosting recipe.
Over all, I was very pleased with the outcome, and so was my family. I’ll definitely be hanging on to this recipe for future use!
Hi Ashley, thanks for the feedback. I do agree that the frosting is not an overly generous amount so doubling is a good idea if you like a lot of frosting. Glad you liked the recipe!
I was so hopeful that this would be a good cake but it was very oily . The edges were tough by the time the center was cooked. Also, is 1 2/3 cups of honey 20 ounces or 13 ounces. I put in 20 ounces as I weigh instead of measure and I believe that this is incorrect.
I love carrot cake but I did not like this recipe at all, actually threw it away. VERY OILY
Hi Kathy my guess is your oil didn’t emulsify properly in the step where you are supposed to add it while the beaters are going. If it doesn’t emulsify like it should it will separate and you will be left with the oily texture you experienced. 1 cup of raw honey weighs 12 ounces. So yes 1 2/3 cup will weigh 20 ounces. Sorry the recipe didn’t work for you this time.
Hi Heather, the cake looks fantastic and I will definitely be making it for my brother’s birthday soon! He has a pretty restrictive diet so this was a gem of a recipe to find. Though I’m thinking of maybe changing the flour out for a ‘healthier’ alternative. Anything you would recommend that wouldn’t alter the taste too much? Thanks so much!
Thanks Sandy! I’m not sure what you mean by healthier flour (I’ve found that that word means something different to different people). Are you looking for a whole-grain flour substitute?
Hi, love the looks of this recipe! We don’t do vegetable oils, could I sub the oil for softened butter? How much would you suggest?
Hi Janessa, if I were trying it I would use an equal amount of melted butter. My guess is it will give you a slightly different texture (because butter is solid at room temp) but I think it will work. I’d love to hear if you try it.
This looks amazing! Do you have any substitutions for the butter in the icing?
Thanks
Hi Chel, I haven’t tried it but someone asked earlier about using coconut oil in place of the butter. I’m guessing it will be a different texture but still may work. Let me know if you give it a try.
Looks delicious. How would you make it gluten free?
Hi Brenda, although I do make a lot of things GF, I’m definitely not an expert in gf baked goods. If I were trying it, I would probably use something like a 1 to 1 Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour in place of the all-purpose flour and see how that went. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Heather – Can I use granulated sugar instead of honey? If so, how much?
Hi Teresa, the original recipe calls for granulated + brown sugar. Just use 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar + 1/2 cup light brown sugar. Decrease baking soda to just 1 teaspoon. Baking temp increases to 350 F and cooking time will change to around 30 minutes for 9″ round pans and 40 mins for a 9×13. For the frosting you can use 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar instead of honey. Hope that helps!
HI Heather,
This looks so yummy. Could I make it with coconut oil?
MarLou
Hi MarLou, I’ve never tried it but I’m guessing it will work. It may be a slightly different texture, but I think it will still be good. Good luck. 🙂