12 Carrot Cake Recipes to Keep in Your Back Pocket This Spring

Carrot cake, that 1970s favorite, has a new audience at luxe restaurants like Manhattan's Le Bernardin. Pastry chef Jodi Elliot prepares the ultimate version: moist and not too sweet.

The cream cheese frosting on these moist carrot cupcakes is intentionally undersweetened to compensate for the sweet caramel topping.

Chef Bryan Vietmeier makes these terrifically moist and carroty cupcakes. He suggests freezing the cupcakes before frosting to firm them up, preventing crumbs.

William Werner likes carrot cake but was curious to experiment with the classic. So he added cocoa to the batter, resulting in this moist loaf with a chocolaty crumb topping.

This cake is a true beauty, worthy of the centerpiece at the Easter table and a taste your guests will be thinking about all year long. Adding in elements like dried apricots, candied orange peel and pistachios gives it a depth and flavor that you’ll want to make again and again.

What’s more approachable than a one-layer cake you can snack on at any time? This version from Ann Taylor Pittman uses honey to sweeten the deal, and tops it with the perfect cream cheese frosting.

Calling all gluten-free bakers! Coconut flour makes this classic carrot layer cake both GF and pleasingly dense, a hard balance to strike.

If you know someone who always complains desserts are “too sweet” then this is the cake to make. It’s a cross between a flourless cake and a carrot cake, and with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar it won’t get overrun with frosting. It’s also good to make a week ahead of time.

Can’t get enough of this classic flavor combination? Make a batter and do it for breakfast. They’re fluffy, chewy, and also gluten-free.

Forgo frosting altogether and serve this with coffee or tea. The coconut topping provides sweetness without feeling overly decadent as a treat.

Great for kids and adults, these cookies are great to have on hand in the kitchen. Keep them in an airtight container for up to a few days (if they last that long).