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Quick Carrot Cake. Ready for the oven in minutes.

Quick Carrot Cake. Make it in the time it takes your oven to preheat! A quick, easy basic version of the classic dessert everyone loves, baked as a 9 x 13 slab cake to serve quickly and easily.

Close up photo of One slice of Quick Carrot Cake on a gold trimmed plate, cropped for Google featured image.

Quick Carrot Cake

I think Spouse and I could set the record f0r how quickly we can get this cake into the oven. Working together, it would easily take us under ten minutes, maybe five!

That’s barely enough time to preheat the oven! 

Last minute desserts are kind of a specialty in this house. We have done countless numbers of them in our 30+ years together.

Quick Carrot Cake photo of cake just out of the oven, unfrosted.

Quick Carrot Cake photo of cake just out of the oven,

Most recently, I wanted to feature a different frosting for carrot cake. It was a sort of no-bake cheesecake whipped frosting that I once had in a restaurant.

I liked it much better than the cloyingly sweet versions of cream cheese frostings I’ve had in the past.

I thought I’d feature it in a separate recipe post. For that, however, I’d need something to frost.

Quick Carrot Cake photo of a single slice being lifted from the baking pan.

Quick Carrot Cake

Our previous carrot cake recipes.

Most of our carrot cakes previously posted were variations on my basic recipe. They have included Pineapple, Mango, and Maple versions!

It occurred to me that I had never just posted our basic recipe. Why not kill two bird with one stone!

Quick Carrot cake frosted in a baking pan.

Quick Carrot Cake

We threw the cake together in a matter of minutes., keeping it very basic. We added no raisins or nuts either, although you can easily add them if you like. (see Notes below)

I love the fact that you can make it quickly as a slab cake. We just used baking spray to grease the pan, making it even quicker.

Especially if you have a 9×13 pan that comes with a plastic lid, this makes the perfect take along dessert for any occasion too. It makes for a fuss free way to serve it easily.

One slice of Quick Carrot Cake on a gold trimmed plate.

Quick Carrot Cake

Ingredients for Quick Carrot Cake.

Ingredients for Quick Carrot Cake.

Whisking the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla.

Adding the carrots to the oil & eggs.

Add the carrots to the oil & eggs.

Gently folding in the dry ingredients for Quick Carrot Cake.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients.

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Quick Carrot Cake photo of a single slice with title text added for social media posts

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Quick Carrot Cake

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp allspice (optional, see note below)
  • 1/2 tsp cloves (optional, see note below)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated carrots (coarsely grated)

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9x13 baking pan or coat it with baking spray.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and other spices.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla and oil until light and fluffy.
  4. Stir in the grated carrots.
  5. Fold in the dry ingredients by hand.
  6. Stir only until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the batter. Do not over mix.
  7. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes at 325 degrees F or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Notes

  • The spices in this recipe are on the bolder side, as I wanted a well spiced cake. Any of these can be omitted or reduced to suit your own taste.
  • Use the large side of the grater, and only lightly pack the grated carrot to fill 2 cups. Finely grated carrot can introduce too much moisture into the cake.
  • Raisins/ and or nuts can be added to this recipe. About 3/4 cup of ether should suffice. I do toast and roughly chop all nuts with a chef knife before adding them. It really does improve their flavour.

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