Out of this World Carrot Cake Recipe with Callie's Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

March 25, 2015 264 Comments

Out of this World Carrot Cake Recipe with Callie’s Cream Cheese Frosting

No joke! This Carrot Cake Recipe is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Seriously, so delicious. It’s a must for your Easter Menu this year or for breakfast tomorrow or for lunch tomorrow or for…..well, you get the picture…just make it soon.

My friend, Callie, made a delicious Carrot Cake for Christmas Dinner this year. It was full of all kinds of good things like coconut, walnuts, pineapple, carrots, and raisins.

I had never had a carrot cake quite like it and couldn’t stop thinking about it over the following weeks…Okay, months……When I eat something delicious, I just can’t get it out of my head. (Don’t get me started about the chocolate rice crispy I had 16 years ago at Disney World.)

I messaged Callie to get the recipe, which she is going to send me. In the meantime, I was invited to dinner somewhere and wanted to make a carrot cake. I already knew how to make Callie’s Awesome Cream Cheese Frosting, but I didn’t have the recipe for the cake yet.

Yummy Cakes with Homemade Frosting

Banana Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake
Lemon Blueberry Sheet Cake With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
The Best Gingerbread Cake
Dream Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake

I improvised by searching the web for recipes that looked similar and then made some minor adjustments. The results are pretty darn fantastic. I foundSam’s Famous Carrot Cake and used it as a starting point.

Out of this World Carrot Cake Recipe is fantastic! Just wait until you taste the frosting….this ain’t your mama’s cream cheese frosting…

how to make out of this world carrot cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch circle cake pans. Line cake pans with pre-cut parchment paper circles (see photo below) or cut wax paper into two 9-inch circles and line the pans.
Next, make sour milk. Put 1 tsp lemon juice in a measuring cup. Then, fill to 3/4 cup with milk. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, combine sugar, oil, eggs, and milk. Mix well.
Add vanilla and mix until combined.
Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
Next, fold in the carrots, nuts, coconut, pineapple, and raisins (optional) until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour half of the batter into each cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
Let cool completely before frosting.

I just found pre-cut parchment circles on Amazon, and I’m pretty sure they could be life-changing. I have always cut my own, and it’s ANNOYING! (You can order 8″ or 9″.)

how to frost out of this world carrot cake

First, make Callie’s Cream Cheese Frosting.
Next, make a crumb layer by frosting a tiny amount on the first layer. (See photo below.)
Place second cake layer on top and frost a small amount over the whole cake. (See photo below.)
Then, place the cake in the refrigerator or freezer for about 20 minutes or until frosting is set.
Take the cake out of the fridge/freezer and use remaining frosting to cover the whole cake.
If desired, sprinkle a few nuts on top in the center of the cake and place nuts around the bottom edge of the cake.

Crumb Layer

Finished Cake

Tips for making Out of this World Carrot Cake with Callie’s Cream Cheese Frosting

Finely shred the carrots. If the carrot pieces are bigger than that, they will still be a little crunchy even after cooking.
Don’t drain the juice out of the crushed pineapple. You want all that moisture in the cake.
If you have buttermilk, you can use that instead of the sour milk.
Use pre-cut parchment circles to line the greased and floured pans. The cakes will easily come out of the pans.
When frosting the cake, first make a crumb layer. Making a crumb layer will keep little bits of the cake from getting in the final layer of the frosting. See instructions and photos above for frosting the cake.