The moistness and flavor of this Mama Dip’s Carrot Cake can’t be beat. This carrot cake has a super creamy cream cheese frosting and the crunch of toasted walnuts. This really is the best carrot cake and it makes a wonderful Easter dessert.
A moist 3-layer cake with toasted walnuts and tons of rich cream cheese frosting. Carrot Cake doesn’t get any better than this. It rivals this carrot cake for the best carrot cake I’ve ever had.
This recipe is from Mildred Council, aka Mama Dip, who owns the beloved restaurant Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill, NC.
If you want to experience more of Mama Dips’s good ole country cooking, you can get the Mama Dip’s Kitchen cookbook. It’s full of simple, delicious recipes that taste like grandma’s cooking.
But back to this carrot cake. Vegetable oil in the batter keeps the cake layers wonderfully moist and a full 2 cups of sugar gives the cake lots of sweetness.
Because I love tons of frosting on my carrot cake, I decided to make a little extra but I put instructions in the recipe notes for making a larger amount.
It’s practically all frosting isn’t it?
I like to have plenty of frosting when I do a layer cake because I’m always worried I’m going to run out and not have enough to cover the sides completely.
If you like to have Carrot Cake for your Easter celebration, Mama Dip’s Carrot Cake is about as delicious as it gets! You guests will rave about it!
Never miss a recipe. Follow Spicy Southern Kitchen on Pinterest and Facebook.
Another great carrot cake to try is this Carrot Layer Cake. I also love this Pineapple Carrot Cake for someting a little different. And if you want to eat carrot cake for breakfast, try these Carrot Cake Pancakes or Carrot Cake Coffee Cake. For an after school treat, these Carrot Cake Cookies can’t be beat!
Mama Dip's Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour, I use White Lily
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted and divided
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line the bottoms of 3 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray with baking spray.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift first 4 ingredients together
- Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and oil until mixed well.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
- Beat in vanilla extract.
- With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, beating just until blended.
- Stir in carrots and 1 cup walnuts.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool in pans 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
- To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in powdered sugar.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
- Press remaining 1 cup walnuts along the bottom of the bake, going about 2 inches up.
Notes
Nutrition
Want to Save This Recipe?
Adapted slightly from this recipe.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
The best!!
AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!!!!!
I love carrot cake, but 2 cups of sugar seems excessive, especially since my husband is diabetic. Would it still taste good with 1 cup of sugar? I’d hate to make the cake and realize it had no flavor. Thanks.
Great recipe!! Everyone I gave it to said it was on of the best carrot cakes they ever had.
I live near mama dips actually I was surprised to see one of her recipes here
Mama Dip, Mildred Council, is no longer with us but this cake lives on! Thank you for sharing!
Can u use same ingredients for 13×9 pan
I was curious of this as well.
This recipe looks perfect for yummy cake. I’m going to make it and I’m sure it’ll be great.
Hope you enjoy it!
Why does it say baking powder, salt and cinnamon but no where in the MAKE IT does it say to use that.
It says to “sift the first four ingredients together.” Cinnamon, baking powder, and salt are the second thru fourth ingredients.
No, the ingredients say Baking Soda and I’m not a good enough cook to make a substitution using Baking powder:-) which is it? Also can I add raisins without changing any other ingredients??
Made this cake but used pecans and it was simply delicious Saved the recipe and shared it as well I would definitely recommend this recipe and I have subscribed to receive more Her legacy lives on
This cake looks delicious but I am confused by the note at the end of the recipe. Does it mean add that to the frosting that’s already wrote or do we just use the note for the frosting? Thanks.
It depends on how much frosting you want to make. If you want to make sure you have enough to frost the whole cake with a thick layer, use the larger ingredient amounts. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Finally, someone who understands that the best thing about carrot cake is the frosting! I love carrot cake (yes, even the part that’s not frosting), it’s one of my all-time favourites and this one looks delicious!
I have a carrot cake recipe which I love, but I might just give this a try some day to see which one’s the winner for me 😀
I love a good carrot cake, and this one looks perfect!
Congrats Christin! your recipes are amazing!! 🙂
Carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes ever, and this looks so scrumptious! That frosting looks so creamy and I love the triple layers. 🙂
Ah, there really is nothing like a classic carrot cake sometimes! This one looks perfect, love the cake : frosting ratio here 🙂