Carrot Sheet Cake

Published Updated
4.7 from 6 votes
4 Comments

This soft Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting is perfectly spiced, moist and easy to make. Topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting and walnuts.

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - on a cake server

I have an amazing Carrot Cake Recipe on the blog which is just as delicious as this cake because itโ€™s the same recipe! But I wanted to share this recipe because itโ€™s a great crowd-pleasing option. Itโ€™s easier to decorate and serve, all while being as delicious.

The flavor is amazing, the moist factor is off the charts and itโ€™s so easy to make. Topped with my amazing cream cheese frosting, itโ€™s a low-effort, big payoff recipe!

By the way, if youโ€™re looking for some other indulgent treats, Iโ€™d highly recommend making my Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Cupcakes or Chocolate Chip Blondies!

Why youโ€™ll love this recipe!

Breakdown

  • Itโ€™s easy! When you donโ€™t want to go through the work of making a full cake but want the exact same experience, this is such a great option!
  • Star of the show: Carrots! The reason why carrot cake is so incredibly moist is because of the carrots.
  • Easy to serve! No slicing up cakes and figuring out how to portion it, this is one layer and easy to slice and serve!
  • That dreamy creamy, cream cheese frosting is simply divine, silky smooth and all round delicious.
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - top down shot

Ingredients You Need To Make Carrot Sheet Cake

Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page โ€“ just scroll down to the bottom, or click the โ€˜Jump to Recipeโ€™ button at the top of this post.

Jump to Recipe\

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - ingredients image 02
  • Carrots – I peeled my carrots and grated them using a regular grater. No need for a super fine grater here. If youโ€™ve never had carrot cake before and youโ€™re wondering what the texture is like, no, you canโ€™t feel the carrots, theyโ€™re finely grated and cook to perfect softness.
  • Flour – I used all-purpose flour
  • Baking powder – helps the cake rise.
  • Bicarb soda – also known as baking soda.
  • Salt – I used fine salt
  • Cinnamon – I used ground cinnamon
  • Shredded coconut – desiccated coconut will work too. Donโ€™t use sweetened coconut.
  • Vegetable oil – canola oil will work too.
  • Brown sugar – light or dark will work.
  • Eggs – I used large eggs. Make sure theyโ€™re at room temperature.
  • Walnuts – roughly chopped.
  • Orange zest – make sure you wash and dry your oranges well!

Frosting

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - ingredients image 01
  • Cream cheese – I used Philadelphia cream cheese blocks. The spreadable kind will not work.
  • Butter – I used unsalted butter. Make sure itโ€™s softened.
  • Salt – I used fine salt
  • Vanilla extract – I used my own vanilla extract in this recipe. A little bit goes a long way.
  • Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar.
  • Milk powder – skim milk powder will work. This can be found in the milk isle of your supermarket.
  • Food gel – not liquid food dye that would be a disaster. I used the chefmaster brand.

How to make Carrot Sheet Cake!

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 01
  1. Add dry ingredients to a bowl and mix
  2. Chop walnuts and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 02
  1. Add the orange zest and mix.
  2. Add the oil and brown sugar and mix until well combined.
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 03
  1. Add the eggs and mix.
  2. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and fold through using a spatula until well combined.
  3. Grate the carrots
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 04
  1. Add to the batter and mix through. It will loosen the batter up a fair bit. Thatโ€™s normal.
  2. Spray your cake tin with oil and line with baking paper. I used little clips to keep the paper in palce.
  3. Add the batter and smoothen out.
  4. Bake and allow to cool (full ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below)

Creamy, Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting!

This moist carrot cake is awesome on itโ€™s own, but pair it with a lush wave of perfectly smooth cream cheese frosting and youโ€™re onto a winner! Gold medals for your tastebuds!

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 05
  1. Add the cream cheese and butter and mix until well combined.
  2. Scrape down the bowl
  3. Add the vanilla extract, milk powder and powdered sugar
  4. Mix on low speed until no dry ingredients are showing
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 06
  1. Then mix on high speed until pale and creamy
  2. It will be nice and smooth
  3. Add to cake
  4. Spread around
Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - steps 07
  1. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts
  2. Pipe carrots using small round tip
  3. Pipe green stalks
  4. Slice into 12 bars and serve!

Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!

  • For a thinner cake – you can bake this in a jelly roll pan 28 x 43cm (11 x 17-inch). Bake for 20 minutes.
  • You can use a finer grater if you donโ€™t want to see the carrot in the cake. Personally, I donโ€™t mind seeing them.
  • Crem cheese frosting – the frosting is so amazing on this cake. Itโ€™s a delicious cake without, but a heavenly experience with it on there!
  • Use small round tips to pipe the carrots.
  • Donโ€™t overbake! The cake will dry out. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (no wet batter). When that happens, itโ€™s perfectly done!
  • When making the cream cheese frosting, mix on low speed only when the dry ingredients have been added so that you donโ€™t end up with a sugar dust storm. Every other time, always beat on high speed. When youโ€™re creaming the butte and sugar together and once there are no dry ingredients showing. This will give you a nice stiff frosting you can spread and pipe.

Frequently Asked Questions about Carrot Sheet Cake

What does it taste like?

Itโ€™s perfectly sweet with a gentle hit of cinnamon. Itโ€™s soft and moist as well!

How do I store this?

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It freezes really well without the frosting on top for an on the go morning tea treat.

Can I add raisins?

Yep! Replace the walnuts with raisins or add 1 cup (140g) of raisins.

Gave this a go? Donโ€™t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!

More indulgent recipes!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake - THUMBNAIL 02

Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This soft Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting is perfectly spiced, moist and easy to make. Topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting and walnuts.

Serves 12

4.7 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Cool: 1 hour
Total: 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 596kcal

Ingredients

Carrot Sheet Cake

  • 3 cups / 270 g grated carrots
  • 2 cups / 300 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp bicarb soda, โ€˜bicarbonate of sodaโ€™ or baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup / 75 g shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • 3/4 cup / 175 ml vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups / 300 g brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup / 120 g walnuts, chopped
  • 1 orange, zest and juiced

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 / 250 g block, 250g cream cheese, chilled
  • 1 cup / 250 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup / 155 g powdered sugar
  • 1 cup / 155 g milk powder, (see notes)
  • 2 drops orange food gel
  • 2 drops green food gel
  • 1/2 cups / 60 g walnuts, chopped to decorate.


Instructions

Carrot Sheet Cake

  • Preheat a fan forced oven to 150C / 300F. Spray the bottom and side of a 22 x 33 x 5cm (9 x 13 x 2.25-inch) cake tin with oil spray and line with baking paper.
  • Grate the carrots using a regular grater and set aside.
  • Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt, cinnamon, and shredded coconut to a medium sized mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • To a separate bowl, add the oil and brown sugar. Mix until well combined. Then add the eggs one at a time, mix well each time. Add the dry ingredients and use a spatula to mix until well combined.
  • Next, add the walnuts, grated carrots, coconut, orange zest and orange juice and mix until well combined. The mixture will seem thick at first but as you mix it will thin out.
  • Pour the batter into your cake tin and spread out. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frosting

  • Add the cream cheese and butter into a large mixing bowl. If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is well combined and creamy, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk powder and mix on low speed to begin with. Then turn up to high speed when there are no dry ingredients showing. Continue beating on high speed until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes.
  • Add some frosting into two small mixing bowls, about 3 tbsp in each. Color one with orange food gel, and mix. Color the other one with green food gel.
  • Add both colored frostings into separate piping bags fitted with small round tips.

Letโ€™s Decorate!

  • Once cooled, add the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake and spread evenly. Sprinkle with crushed walnuts. Then pipe little triangles of orange frosting for the carrots. Green frosting for the stalks.

Notes

Storage – This Carrot Sheet cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
Nutrition – is based on per slice.
A note on measurements – all ingredients in this recipe are offered in Australian cup measurements and weight measurements. Weight measurements are created by me, in my kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. The best way to get recipe success is to measure ingredients by weight, using kitchen scales.

Nutrition

Calories : 596kcal
Carbonhydrates: 68g
Protein: 13g
Fat: 32g
Saturated Fat: 15g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g
Monounsaturated Fat : 7g
Trans Fat : 1g
Cholesterol: 115mg
Sodium: 809mg
Potassium : 489mg
Fiber: 3g
Sugar : 47g
Vitamin A: 6047IU
Vitamin C: 9mg
Calcium: 276mg
Iron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Gave this recipe a go?Mention @thescranline or tag #thescranline!

4 comments

Heather April 10, 2023 - 2:00 pm

5 stars
This carrot cake was delicious! So moist, and I really liked the creamy frosting. I weighed out ground coconut since I couldn’t find unsweetened flakes, and it didn’t seem to hurt the texture at all. I’ll be making this again! The orange zest really adds something.

Reply
Nick Makrides April 11, 2023 - 3:19 am

Yay!!!! So glad to hear this Heather! N x

Reply
Cynthia McMilleon April 11, 2023 - 8:38 pm

5 stars
BEST Carrot Cake ever!!! Everybody raves about it! That cream cheese icing is divine and the cake was so moist!

Reply
Nick Makrides April 25, 2023 - 5:32 am

Thanks Cynthia! N x

Reply
4.67 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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