The key to a great carrot cake is the ratio of sugar, cinnamon and carrots and we think our recipe strikes the perfect balance.
Carrot cake is a perennial favorite for weddings and party cakes because it has a wonderful crumb structure and stays super moist, which also makes it great for decorating.
Pair it with cream cheese frosting or white chocolate buttercream for an instant classic! See our Frosting Recipes here.
There are two sets of carrot cake wedding cake recipes below. The first set makes two x 2″ deep cakes for each tier, while the second set is for two x 3″ deep cakes for each tier, depending on how tall you want the tiers to be.
(We would highly recommend using baking strips on your cake pans when going into the oven also. This prevents your cake from “doming” in the middle which has to be cut off before filling and frosting your cakes leading to a lot of wastage and your cake tiers being flatter as a result. They are well worth the investment but if you are in a pinch you can use old towels soaked in water and wrapped around your cake pans before putting them in the oven.)
(Note: Canola oil can be substituted with vegetable oil in this recipes. Also, 1 stick of butter equals half a cup.)
Carrot Cake Wedding Cake Recipe/Recipes for Different Pan Sizes (2 x 2″ deep pans)
| Cups | 6" | 7" | 8" | 9" | 10" | 11" | 12" | 13" | 14" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Purpose Flour | 1 1/4 | 1 3/4 | 2 1/4 | 3 | 3 1/2 | 4 1/4 | 5 1/4 | 6 | 7 |
| Shredded Carrots | 1 1/4 | 1 3/8 | 2 | 3 1/4 | 4 | 4 3/4 | 5 7/8 | 6 3/4 | 8 |
| Eggs | 3/8 | 1/5 | 5/8 | 3/4 | 1 | 1 1/4 | 1 1/2 | 1 3/4 | 2 |
| Raisins | 1/2 | 5/8 | 7/8 | 1 | 1 3/8 | 1 5/8 | 2 | 1 1/4 | 2 5/8 |
| Canola Oil | 1/2 | 3/4 | 1 | 1 3/8 | 1 5/8 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 2 7/8 | 3 1/4 |
| Sugar | 1 | 1 1/4 | 1 5/8 | 2 1/8 | 2 5/8 | 3 1/4 | 4 | 4 1/2 | 5 1/4 |
| Vanilla (tsp) | 1 | 1 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/4 | 4 | 4 1/2 | 5 1/2 |
| Baking powder (tsp) | 3/4 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 4 | 4 1/2 | 5 1/2 |
| Baking soda (tsp) | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1 | 1 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 2 1/2 |
| Salt (tsp) | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1 | 1 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 2 1/2 |
| Cinnamon (tsp) | 1 | 1 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 4 | 4 1/2 | 5 1/2 |
| Temp. | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F |
| Baking time | 35-45 | 35-45 | 45-55 | 45-55 | 55-65 | 55-65 | 60-65 | 65-75 | 65-75 |
Carrot Cake Wedding Cake Recipe/Recipes for Different Pan Sizes (2 x 3″ deep pans)
| Cups | 6" | 7" | 8" | 9" | 10" | 11" | 12" | 13" | 14" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Purpose Flour | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 4 1/4 | 5 1/2 | 6 1/2 | 7 3/4 | 9 | 10 1/2 |
| Shredded Carrot | 2 1/4 | 3 | 4 | 4 7/8 | 6 | 7 1/4 | 8 3/4 | 10 1/4 | 12 |
| Eggs | 1/2 | 3/4 | 1 | 1 1/4 | 1 1/2 | 1 7/8 | 2 1/4 | 2 1/2 | 3 |
| Raisins | 3/4 | 1 | 1 1/4 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 | 3 1/2 | 4 |
| Canola Oil | 1 | 1 1/4 | 1 5/8 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 | 3 5/8 | 4 3/4 | 5 |
| Sugar | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 4 | 4 7/8 | 5 3/4 | 6 3/4 | 8 |
| Vanilla (tsp) | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Baking Powder (tsp) | 1 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 | 3 1/2 | 4 1/2 | 5 1/2 | 6 1/2 |
| Baking Soda (tsp) | 1 | 1 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 | 3 1/2 | 4 |
| Salt (tsp) | 1 | 1 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 | 3 1/2 | 4 |
| Cinnamon (tsp) | 1 1/2 | 2 | 2 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Temp. | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F | 325F |
| Baking time | 35-45 | 35-45 | 45-55 | 45-55 | 55-65 | 55-65 | 60-65 | 65-75 | 65-75 |
Carrot Cake: Method
- Pre-heat your oven to 325F/160C.
- Prepare your cake pans by rubbing butter around the base and rims, then line with parchment paper.
- Mix together the eggs, sugar and oil until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into the mixture, next adding the cinnamon and salt and mix until just combined.
- Add the carrots, raisins and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Pour into the prepared cake pans and tap the tins on your countertop to level the mixture.
- Oven temperatures/baking vary considerably so check the cakes five minutes before they due to be finished in the oven. If they are baked, a cocktail stick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, i.e. without any cake batter attached to it other than a few baked crumbs.
- Let the cakes cool for 30 minutes in the pans then run a knife along the edge of the pan. Place a wire cooling wrack on top of the cake pan, then flip over quickly to release the cake.
- Ensure the cakes are completely cooled for a few hours before filling/frosting.
Back to Wedding Cake Recipes & Cake Recipes for Different Size Pans page