Easter Carrot Cake (Triple Layer, Fuss-Free) | A Taste of Delicious and Doable Desserts

I wanted to share a little taste of my cookbook with you—so if you’ve been on the fence, this is for you 🤍

This is my Triple Layer Carrot Cake from the Birthdays chapter (the fuss-free layer cakes section), and it truly lives up to the name. Instead of baking and stacking multiple rounds, you bake the entire cake in one rimmed sheet pan, cut it into three layers, and stack them up with frosting in a piping bag. It’s simple, a little bit scrappy in the best way, and turns out so pretty every time.

It’s soft, perfectly spiced, and incredibly moist—everything you want in a carrot cake. And with Easter coming up, it’s the perfect excuse to bake something special for someone you love.

If you end up making it, I’d love to hear who you’re baking it for. And if you love recipes like this, you can find 100 more in Delicious and Doable Desserts—I’ll link it here for you.

A traditional triple-layer carrot cake is typically baked in round pans, but for my fuss-free version, I bake the cake in one 13 x 18 inch rimmed baking sheet. Then, I just cut the cake into three equal pieces and layer them up. To keep things simple with frosting, I leave it as a naked cake. I use a piping bag to pipe dollops of frosting, so I never have to worry about getting crumbs in my frosting like I would if I were spreading the frosting on. Not only does this make the frosting process simple, but I also love the look of the layers of cake showing.

Active time: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Cake:
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
½ cup applesauce
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound carrots, peeled and finely grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:
½ cup salted butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. First, make the cake. Whisk the sugar, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until almost completely combined.

3. Add the carrots and pecans and stir until combined. Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when gently pressed. Allow it to cool. Loosen the edges of the cake from the pan using a butter knife to go around the outside.

4. Place the cake in the freezer while you make the frosting. This makes the assembly process more manageable.

5. Next, make the frosting. Cream the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating after each addition. Mix on low until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix until fluffy and smooth, for about 30 seconds. Continue adding powdered sugar a cup at a time until you have incorporated all of it.

6. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

7. Now, let’s put it all together. Remove the cake from the freezer and invert the cake pan onto a clean counter. Lift the sheet pan off and carefully remove the parchment paper.

8. Trim about ½ inches of the cake off of each side using a bread knife. This is an optional step, but it helps yield a cleaner final product.

9. Cut the cake into 3 equal rectangles. You can eyeball 3 equal chunks or measure the length of the cake using a ruler now that you have cut off the edges. It should be about 16 inches long. If we divide 16 by 3 it is 5 ⅓ inches. Use a ruler to score the cake at the 5 ⅓ inch mark and repeat. Use a bread knife to make the final cuts to yield 3 equal pieces.

10. Place one rectangle of cake on your serving board. Pipe dollops of cream cheese frosting in rows over the layer. Add another rectangle of cake on top. Gently press down on the cake layer. Repeat two more times. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into slices. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator.

Yield: 16-20 servings

If you make this cake, bake it for someone this Easter 🤍 I’d love to hear who you’re sharing it with.

And if you love recipes like this, there are 100 more in Delicious and Doable Desserts—you can grab your copy here.