This shortcut carrot cake recipe is an easy Easter dessert recipe, spring dessert, or quick summer cake for cookouts with just a few simple ingredients! Also try our easy homemade cream cheese frosting on this moist cake!
Best Shortcut Carrot Cake We’ve Ever Made!
I like to call this Cheater Carrot Cake because it’s a cake recipe with boxed cake mix. However, it’s what you add to the box cake mix that elevates this carrot cake recipe to the next level and tastes like homemade carrot cake (without all the time it takes to make a homemade cake from scratch). Plus, I don’t always love how dense and heavy carrot cake can sometimes be when it’s scratch-made.
Carrot Cake Ingredients
- Boxed carrot cake mix
- Ingredients for mix (see box directions)
- Grated fresh carrots
- Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Get the recipe card printable below. This will quickly become one of your go-to favorite cakes!
Easy Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Icing Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Elevating Boxed Cake Mixes
This easy cake recipe uses boxed carrot cake mix (with no shame!) and is like a square, small sheet cake (not a layer cake).
PRO RECIPE TIP: If you can’t find carrot cake mix, you can use a box of spice cake mix.
What takes this from a boring boxed cake to a tastes like a homemade cake is using fresh prepared carrots as the secret ingredient.
Grate the carrots into fine shredded carrot pieces for use in this recipe. It will take 2-3 carrots to get a cup of shredded carrots (depending on the size of the carrots).
Also, you can reserve some of the carrots and the nuts to sprinkle on top of the icing for simple, but beautiful decorated cakes.
The nuts are optional for this recipe. You can use chopped walnuts or chopped pecans in this recipe.
Stir the shredded carrots and nuts right into the prepared cake batter.
If you don’t have 7×7 cake pans, you can use 8×8 pans. Just know that your cake slices won’t be as thick.
RECIPE NOTE: If you have allergies or don’t like nuts, you can leave them out of this recipe. It’s good without them, too!
Step 2: Making The Cream Cheese Icing
We make an easy homemade cream cheese icing, but you can also use store-bought icing, white icing, or leave this cake un-iced. It’s good that way, too, but I think cream cheese icing with nuts is what really makes this a flavorful carrot cake.
We use this recipe for cookies, but leave out the pumpkin spice and it’s a good frosting for cupcakes, iced cookies, or cakes!
To Make Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting, You’ll Need These Ingredients:
- 2 8-ounce Cream cheese bricks, softened
- 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
- 2 Cups Confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
GET THE PRINTABLE INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREAM CHEESE ICING
RECIPE TIP: This is an easy recipe to make with kids for Easter activities and make them into carrot cake cupcakes! Just use cupcake liners so they don’t stick to the muffin pan.
Simple Shortcut Carrot Cake Printable Recipe Card
You’ll be surprised when this turns out to be the best carrot cake recipe you’ve ever made. The freshly grated carrots make this seem like a homemade cake!
This carrot cake is so moist and delicious that guests will never guess it’s from a box cake mix! (We won’t tell if you won’t tell!)
Don’t be embarrassed that this is a carrot cake recipe starting with cake mix. This is a quick and easy recipe and such a huge time saver if you need a last-minute dessert idea. It’s OK to bake with time saver tips, especially to reduce prep time!
Shortcut Carrot Cake Recipe
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE ICING, SCROLL UP IN THE POST FOR THE FROSTING RECIPE AND OTHER BAKING TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE.
Ingredients
- Boxed carrot cake mix any brand*, plus ingredients from box instructions to make the cake
- 1 cup carrots finely shredded (2-3 carrots)
- 1/2 cup walnuts optional**
Instructions
- Preheat oven according to package directions.
- Grease a 7x7 square pan (or 8x8) with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare cake batter according to package directions.
- Stir in shredded carrots and chopped walnuts (optional).
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan and smooth until even.
- Bake according to package directions, usually around 25-30 minutes.
- Allow cake to cool before adding icing or serving. LEARN HOW TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING HERE
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Note
Nutrition calculations are approximate. If you're following a special diet, please calculate your own nutrition values.
ALSO TRY THESE EASY SPRING CUPCAKES AND More Easy Easter Desserts Everyone Loves
Let us know how your shortcut carrot cake recipe turns out!
