Our Most Popular Dessert of 2025 Is Also One of the Easiest

It's an easy-peasy take on a classic cake.

By
Sheela Prakash
Sheela Prakash
Sheela Prakash
Food and wine writer, recipe developer, and the author of Mediterranean Every Day. Her work can be found in numerous online and print publications.
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Published December 05, 2025
Sheela Prakash
Sliced frosted carrot cake in a baking pan with one raised piece

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

As an indecisive soul and a lover of dessert, I think it might be nearly impossible for me to choose my most well-loved sweet treat. I can, however, say with certainty that I have a handful of favorites. Ice cream ranks high, as does wobbly panna cotta and almost anything dark chocolate.

So does carrot cake, which instantly reminds me of my dad—it’s what he requests I bake for him every year for his birthday, and I do so willingly as an excuse to dig into a moist slice slathered thickly with tangy cream cheese frosting.

The sweet, subtly spiced cake is a classic and happens to be our most popular dessert recipe of 2025. I think a lot of that has to do with how crowd-pleasing carrot cake is, but I also think it has even more to do with the fact that it’s one of the easiest dessert recipes on our site. 

A One-Bowl, One-Layer Sheet Cake for Any Occasion

While some carrot cake recipes require the better part of an afternoon to bake, calling for long ingredient lists and layering, our Easy One-Bowl Carrot Cake is pared down yet just as delicious. The cake batter itself is made in a single bowl with just a handful of ingredients and is poured in a 9x13-inch cake pan to feed 12 to 16 people.

While it bakes, you whip together a quick cream cheese frosting that you spread over the cake right in the pan once cooled. From start to slice, it’s under two hours.

A slice of frosted carrot cake on a plate

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Customize This Carrot Cake to Your Liking

The best recipes are the ones that you can make your own, and this carrot cake is no exception. 

  • Turn it into cupcakes by pouring the batter into standard muffin tins and baking for 18 to 20 minutes at 350°F.
  • Or if you insist on a layer cake, this recipe can easily be transformed into one by dividing the batter among two 9-inch round cake pans and baking for 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F.
  • Personalize your carrot cake by adding up to 1 1/2 cups total of mix-ins like raisins, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, toasted chopped walnuts or pecans, or even chocolate chips.
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