Best Moist Sourdough Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

The most moist, flavorful sourdough carrot cake you’ll ever try has a secret ingredient that makes it different from any carrot cake you’ve had before.

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I love sourdough recipes and today, I’m sharing my favorite homemade sourdough carrot cake recipe. I like to call it the “kitchen sink carrot cake” because it has a bit of everything, and one simple ingredient that makes it super moist. I’ll even share a tip for how I make my favorite eggnog cream cheese frosting. 

This ingredient locks in moisture without making the cake taste too fruity. Add in buttermilk, melted butter, and fresh carrots, and you’ve got a rich, tender cake that stays soft for days.

Every guest who’s tasted my cake told me it’s the best carrot cake they’ve had. Maybe they were just being nice, but I’ll take it! 

It’s one of my husband’s top three favorite desserts, along with my Coconut Cream Pie, so I make it a few times a year when he asks.

You just mix the batter in one bowl, then bake it as a sheet cake, layer cake, or cupcakes. I usually go with a double-layer cake. That’s just what the perfect carrot cake looks like to me. 

I may receive a small commission for items purchased through affiliate links in this post at no additional cost to you.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Not everyone is into adding sourdough to cakes and sweet breads like sourdough apple cake, sourdough zucchini bread, sourdough chocolate cake, etc.

If that’s you, no hard feelings, you can skip the sourdough and just add extra buttermilk and flour – this will still be the best carrot cake you’ve ever had without the sourdough!

I’ve got tons of sourdough discard recipes, but if you’re here just for this carrot sourdough cake, here’s why you’ll love it: 

• The moistest carrot cake you’ll ever try: A full cup of peach jam gives this cake an incredible texture. The texture is soft, rich, and never ever dry. You won’t taste “jam” in the final result, but it works its magic in the background to keep every bite tender and flavorful. No more dry cake! 
• Easy from-scratch recipe with minimal cleanup: You only need one big bowl for the batter, and you can reuse it for the frosting while the cake bakes. If you hate doing dishes after cooking but love delicious homemade desserts, this one’s for you. Time to use up that leftover sourdough discard!
• A real time saver: The best part of making this treat?  You can bake the cake ahead of time. Because it freezes really well. Simply bake the cake, freeze it, and thaw it when ready. 
• A fun holiday treat: The cream cheese frosting is rich and tangy with just the right sweetness. And if you’re making this sourdough discard carrot cake around the holidays, try using eggnog instead of heavy cream. That’s exactly what I do, and it gives the frosting a festive flavor that pairs beautifully with the spiced cake.

I made this carrot cake in this video along with some other delicious from-scratch dishes!

What You’ll Need

INGREDIENTS

Cake Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup peach jam
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter or discard)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened (1 1/2 bricks)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• (optional: toasted coconut for topping the cake)

TOOLS

• large bowl
• food processor or grater for carrots
• whisk
• spatula
• 2 round 9-inch cake pans
• wire rack
• hand mixer or stand mixer for frosting

Step-By-Step Instructions

If baking right away, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour two round 9-inch cake pans, or line them with parchment paper.

MAKE THE CAKE BATTER

1. Add the eggs, melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, and peach jam to the large bowl and beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
2. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt) to the wet ingredients and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer and whisk attachment to beat for 3 more minutes.

3. Add the grated carrots, shredded coconut, and chopped walnuts to the carrot cake batter and fold in with a spatula.

BAKE THE CAKE

1. Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake the two cake layers in a preheated oven at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Do not overbake or the cake will be dry.
2. Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool in the cake pans for 30 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.  
3. Place the wire rack and cakes in the fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process if you’re in a hurry.

MAKE THE FROSTING & TOAST THE COCONUT

1. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on high for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.  
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on high for 2 minutes.  Pour in the heavy cream (or eggnog if making eggnog carrot cake) and mix on high for another 2 minutes.  
3. Set the frosting aside.
4. Toast the coconut in a skillet on low or in the oven at 350°F on a baking sheet until it is golden brown.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

1. Once the cake layers have cooled, place the bottom layer on a cake plate and spread 1 cup of cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
2. Place the second layer on top of the frosted first layer, make sure it is centered on the cake, and press down on the top a bit to keep the cake from sliding off as you finish frosting the top and sides of the cake.
3. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Then top the cake with the toasted coconut.
4. Serve right away or refrigerate the carrot cake and serve it cold. 

Tips for the Best Sourdough Carrot Cake Recipe

• Bake the cake ahead of time: Give yourself a head start by baking the cake several hours before serving. Let it cool completely before frosting. Why? This keeps the frosting from melting and helps the layers hold their shape. Also, a fully cooled cake also releases from the pans more easily.
• Don’t skip the peach jam: This fruity ingredient is what makes the cake so moist and delicious!  You can substitute applesauce if you don’t have peach jam. Crushed pineapple works as well.
• Prep the cake pans well: It’s really difficult to assemble a layer cake when half the cake sticks to the cake pan, so don’t skip the pan prep!  Even when I use non-stick pans, I still grease and flour just to be safe. 
• Make a sheet cake or cupcakes: This moist carrot cake recipe works wonderfully as a sheet cake in a jelly roll pan or as carrot cake cupcakes. Just adjust the baking time as needed.
• Make eggnog cream cheese frosting: Use your eggnog instead of heavy cream, and you’ll still get a rich cream cheese frosting. I do this often, not just when I’m craving a festive holiday flavor. 
• Use all-purpose flour: I recommend all-purpose for the best results, but you can use bread flour or a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour. Bread flour gives a slightly denser texture, while whole wheat adds nuttiness but may make the cake a little drier. Be sure to adjust liquids as needed and avoid overmixing to prevent chewiness from higher protein flours.
• Mill your flour fresh – any grain will work for this cake, but soft white wheat is the go to for milling your own pastry flour.

Storage

Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. Freeze them wrapped tightly for longer storage and thaw in the fridge overnight.

To store carrot layer cake or carrot sheet cake, cool completely first. If unfrosted, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before frosting or serving.

What if the layer or sheet cake’s already frosted? In that case, chill the cake first to firm the frosting, then wrap gently and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge fully before unwrapping to keep the frosting looking fresh.

hopewellheights

Moist Carrot Cake From Scratch – The BEST Recipe

The most moist, flavorful carrot cake you'll ever try has a secret ingredient that makes it different from any carrot cake you've had before.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Additional Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings: 1 double layer carrot cake

Course: Sourdough

Calories: 767

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients

  

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CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter or discard
• 1 cup peach jam
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup 1 stick of butter, softened
• 12 oz. cream cheese softened (1 1/2 bricks)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• optional: toasted coconut for topping the cake

Equipment

• USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan, 9 inch, Nonstick & Quick Release Coating, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel, Set of 2
• KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor
• KitchenAid® 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, Milkshake
• KitchenAid KHM512WH 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, White, 8x7x5

Method

 

1. If baking right away, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour two round 9-inch cake pans, or line them with parchment paper.
2. MAKE THE CAKE BATTER
3. Add the eggs, melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, and peach jam to the large bowl and beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
4. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt) to the wet ingredients and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer and whisk attachment to beat for 3 more minutes.
5. Add the grated carrots, shredded coconut, and chopped walnuts to the carrot cake batter and fold in with a spatula.
6. BAKE THE CAKE
7. Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake the two cake layers in a preheated oven at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Do not overbake or the cake will be dry.
8. Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool in the cake pans for 30 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.  
9. Place the wire rack and cakes in the fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process if you're in a hurry.
10. MAKE THE FROSTING & TOAST THE COCONUT
11. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on high for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.  
12. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on high for 2 minutes.  Pour in the heavy cream (or eggnog if making eggnog carrot cake) and mix on high for another 2 minutes.  
13. Set the frosting aside.
14. Toast the coconut in a skillet on low or in the oven at 350°F on a baking sheet until it is golden brown.
15. ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
16. Once the cake layers have cooled, place the bottom layer on a cake plate and spread 1 cup of cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
17. Place the second layer on top of the frosted first layer, make sure it is centered on the cake, and press down on the top a bit to keep the cake from sliding off as you finish frosting the top and sides of the cake.
18. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Then top the cake with the toasted coconut.
19. Serve right away or refrigerate the carrot cake and serve it cold. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 767kcalCarbohydrates: 114gProtein: 8gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 663mgFiber: 3gSugar: 88g

Video

Notes

Tips for the Best Sourdough Carrot Cake Recipe

• Bake the cake ahead of time: Give yourself a head start by baking the cake several hours before serving. Let it cool completely before frosting. Why? This keeps the frosting from melting and helps the layers hold their shape. Also, a fully cooled cake also releases from the pans more easily.
• Don't skip the peach jam: This fruity ingredient  is what makes the cake so moist and delicious!  You can substitute applesauce if you don't have peach jam. Crushed pineapple works as well.
• Prep the cake pans well: It's really difficult to assemble a layer cake when half the cake sticks to the cake pan, so don't skip the pan prep!  Even when I use non-stick pans, I still grease and flour just to be safe. 
• Make a sheet cake or cupcakes: This moist carrot cake recipe works wonderfully as a sheet cake in a jelly roll pan or as carrot cake cupcakes. Just adjust the baking time as needed.
• Make eggnog cream cheese frosting: Use your eggnog instead of heavy cream, and you'll still get a rich cream cheese frosting. I do this often, not just when I'm craving a festive holiday flavor. 
• Use all-purpose flour: I recommend all-purpose for the best results, but you can use bread flour or a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour. Bread flour gives a slightly denser texture, while whole wheat adds nuttiness but may make the cake a little drier. Be sure to adjust liquids as needed and avoid overmixing to prevent chewiness from higher protein flours.

Storage

• Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. Freeze them wrapped tightly for longer storage and thaw in the fridge overnight.
• To store carrot layer cake or carrot sheet cake, cool completely first. If unfrosted, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before frosting or serving.
• What if the layer or sheet cake's already frosted? In that case, chill the cake first to firm the frosting, then wrap gently and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge fully before unwrapping to keep the frosting looking fresh.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!