Carrot Cake Sheet Cake

5 from 33 rating

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake

This carrot cake recipe is so easy to make and bakes up incredibly moist! One batch makes a 9x13" sheet cake that's frosted with decadent cream cheese buttercream!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Additional Time1

Total Time1 55

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 30

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake

1 cup packed light brown sugar 200g
1 cup granulated sugar 200g
1 cup vegetable or canola oil 225g
5 large eggs, room temperature 280g
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 312g
2 tsp baking soda 12g
1 tsp baking powder 4g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 7g
1/2 tsp nutmeg 1g
1/4 tsp ground cloves < 1g
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature 120g
2 1/2 cups finely grated carrots 400g or roughly 1 lb.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
1/2 cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 113g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 440g or a 1 lb. box
1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, room temperature 15g
green and orange gel food coloring optional

Decorations and Tools:

Instructions

Carrot Cake Sheet Cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F / 162°C. Line a 9- x 13-inch (quarter sheet) pan with parchment paper. Place two or three flower nails in the center of the pan with the flat side resting flat against the cake pan. Make sure they are a few inches apart. Spray the flower nails with nonstick baking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup oil until combined.
Whisk in 5 large eggs. Mix until the batter is smooth.
Sift 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves into a large bowl.
Add half the dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture. Mix until combined.
Add in 1/2 cup buttermilk and mix until combined.
Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Then fold in 2 1/2 cups of finely grated carrots.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and re-center to flower nails. Make sure they're pressed all the way down against the pan. If you don't have flower nails, the bake time will be slightly longer.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Leave the cake in its pan and place on a wire rack to cool. You can also pop the entire pan into the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

While the carrot sheet cake bakes and cools, make the cream cheese frosting.
Beat 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
Add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Gradually mix in 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp heavy cream on a low speed.
If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
Cover the cream cheese frosting with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming until you're ready to use it.

Decorating This Carrot Cake Sheet Cake:

Let the cake cool completely, then carefully flip it and remove the flower nails from the cake.
Spread an even layer of cream cheese buttercream on top of the cake and make swirls with an offset spatula.
Decorate as desired, then use a sharp knife to cut the cake into 30 squares.

Video

Notes

Making This Carrot Cake Sheet Cake in Advance and Storage Tips:

Make this sheet cake in advance and freeze it. This breaks the process up and makes it more approachable. An unfrosted sheet cake can be wrapped and stored in the freezer for up to a month.
Make the frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

This cake can sit out at room temp for a few hours or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Different Sized Sheet Pan

You can also use this recipe to bake a 12x17 in sheet cake, but the layer will bake up a lot shorter. Bake time will also be shorter! Bake for about 20 minutes at 325 F / 162 C.

Cupcakes

If you want to make carrot cake cupcakes, I recommend using my carrot cake cupcake recipe.

Layered Carrot Cake

If you want to make a layered carrot cake, I recommend using my layered carrot cake recipe.

Nutrition