Easy Carrot Cake Made with Cake Mix

Slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting on spatula being pulled from the rest of the cake.

5 from 1 vote

Easy Carrot Cake Made with Cake Mix

This easy carrot cake is made from cake mix but you wouldn't believe it! Start with a yellow cake mix and add all the delicious flavor and texture of carrot cake with the easiest prep you can imagine in less than 15 minutes. The recipe even uses a can of frosting that is "doctored up" for extra rich and creamy flavor. It's a homemade-ish cake recipe that everyone will love!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 box Yellow cake mix (13.25 oz-15.25 oz.)
3 large eggs
½ c vegetable oil canola oil will work too
1 c whole milk
½ c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 - 2 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 cup shredded carrots well packed
½ c chopped pecans
2/3 c crushed pineapple in juices
optional: 1 tsp orange zest

For the cream cheese frosting

1 container cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
6 oz softened cream cheese
2 T light brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, sour cream, cinnamon and nutmeg to a large bowl.
Stir the ingredients vigorously for about 2 minutes. You could opt to use an electric hand mixer if desired.
Fold in the pineapple (with juices), shredded carrots and pecans or other add ins to the bowl.
Transfer the mixture to a well greased 9x13 inch baking pan. If you prefer to use different size or shaped pans, follow package directions for bake times.
Bake the carrot cake for 27-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes up mostly clean from the middle. Cool on a cooling rack completely before icing.
Once the cake cools completely, in a medium bowl, combine the entire container of cream cheese frosting along with brown sugar and softened cream cheese. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.
Spread frosting over cake and chill until ready to serve or dig right in! We love to add green and orange sprinkles over top and also some shredded coconut at times. Store frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Storage: The baked, unfrosted cake can be stored at room temperature, but once the carrot cake is frosted with the cream cheese frosting, you will want to refrigerate it. You can seal the cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To Freeze: This cake will freeze best unfrosted, but can be frozen after frosting as well. Make sure the cake is completely cooled. Wrap unfrosted cake in plastic wrap and then foil for best results. Freeze for up to 3 months.

You can make this cake a layer cake if desired. Follow the cake box baking instructions to vary the shape of your cake or pan size. As long as you don't over bake it as with any cake, you should be good to go! Make sure the cake is fully cooled before frosting.

Don't use the store bought shredded carrots. You want to use a box grater to shred the carrots for moist, thin carrot shreds. The shredded carrots you find ready to go at the store are dry and much thicker and won't work well in this recipe.

The type of pan used can vary the bake time and end result. Different materials hold heat differently. I used a glass pan when making the cake mix carrot cake recipe for photos, and it did ok cooking evenly, but a light colored metal pan tends to be more consistent in baking cakes. The glass pan will require a longer bake time--it took almost 32 minutes in the glass versus several minutes less in metal. Just be aware that the pan can vary bake time and evenness in baking!

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