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Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake

Posted by: Kate / Cake Recipes, Seasonal Faves / Posted: / Last updated:

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Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake is a moist carrot sheet cake recipe. The cake is topped with both a buttermilk glaze and rich cream cheese frosting for maximum flavor!

Slice of carrot sheet cake with cream cheese frosting on a cream plate

Carrot cake is one of my favorite kinds of cake.

When it’s done right, it has plenty of flavor and is super moist. Too often, though, it’s dry or greasy and completely lacks any flavor.

I found the original recipe for this cake in an old church cookbook, and I made several changes to the original recipe.

I ended up with this Blue Ribbon Sheet Cake that is crazy moist and full of yummy ingredients like coconut and pineapple that work together to make this cake oh so tasty.

When I told my kids that I was making a carrot cake, they thought that it sounded gross.

By the time the cake was finished, I had trouble keeping them away from it long enough to take pictures. They absolutely loved it!

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How to make carrot cake

Buttermilk and oil in a mixing bowl for carrot cake

Mix the buttermilk, oil, and sugar together until well-combined.

Stir in the eggs until combined, and then stir in the vanilla extract.

Carrot cake batter in a glass mixing bowl

Add the pineapple and carrots, and stir in just until incorporated.

Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.

Carrot cake batter in a rectangular baking pan

Add the nuts and coconut, and stir in. The batter will be wet.

Pour into prepared baking pan.

Glazed carrot cake in a pan

After the cake has finished baking, remove from oven.

Pour the buttermilk glaze over the cake, and let the glaze soak in.

Let the cake cool to room temperature, uncovered, before frosting with the cream cheese frosting.

How to make buttermilk glaze

Buttermilk in a pot for buttermilk glaze

Combine the sugar, buttermilk, butter, and baking soda in a large saucepan. The glaze will foam up as it cooks, so allow enough room for that.

Bring to a boil, and boil for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla extract. You should have about 1/2 cup of glaze at this point.

How to make cream cheese frosting

Cream cheese in a mixing bowl for cream cheese frosting

To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together until well-combined.

Add the sugar and vanilla, and beat until combined.

Slice of carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecansCan I make this cake ahead of time?

You can! This is one of those cakes that tastes even better the day after it’s made.

Just cover, and chill after frosting.

How long will this cake keep?

This cake will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Slice of Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake on a white plate with a fork in it

How much spice is there in this cake?

I didn’t add a lot of additional spice to the recipe. I like my carrot cake to taste good, but I don’t want it to taste like a spice cake that happens to have carrot in it.

If you like a more heavily spiced cake, feel free to play around with that part.

How sweet is the frosting?

Not that sweet. There really is only 1 cup of sugar in the frosting.

The cake is sweet and the glaze is sweet, so I wanted the frosting to have more of the cream cheese bite to it to keep the cake from being crazy sweet.

Bite of Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake on a fork

Does the cake need the glaze?

Please don’t skip the glaze! It’s a little extra work, but it really makes this carrot cake something special.

If you’ve tried this blue ribbon carrot cake recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!

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Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake

Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake is a moist carrot sheet cake recipe that's topped with both a buttermilk glaze and rich cream cheese frosting!
Author:I Heart Eating
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings:20 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake, classic carrot cake recipe, Easter dessert
Slice of carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans
Print Rate Pin
5 from 13 votes

Ingredients

Carrot Sheet Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces crushed pineapple (drained*)
  • 2 cups finely grated carrot
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Buttermilk Glaze

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
  • 1/4 cup butter (softened)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the carrot cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan. I use a nonstick baking spray with flour in it. 
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat together buttermilk, oil, and sugar until well-combined.
  • Mix in eggs, one at a time, until combined. 
  • Stir in vanilla. 
  • Add pineapple and carrots; stir until just incorporated.
  • Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
  • Add coconut and nuts, if using. Stir until just combined. Batter will be wet. 
  • Pour batter into prepared baking pan, smoothing as necessary.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make the buttermilk glaze

  • While the cake is baking, prepare the buttermilk glaze.
  • In a saucepan, combine, sugar, buttermilk, butter, and baking soda. Use a large enough saucepan to allow mixture to bubble up as it cooks.
  • Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
  • Boil for 4 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. You should have 1/2 cup of buttermilk glaze.
  • When the cake is finished baking, remove from oven.
  • Immediately brush buttermilk glaze over hot cake. 
  • Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature.**

To make the cream cheese frosting

  • Beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.
  • Turn mixer up to high and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes. 
  • Drop spoonfuls of frosting over the cake. 
  • Carefully spread the spoonfuls together to cover the cake. Spreading in one direction will help to prevent the cake from coming up into the frosting.
  • Store any leftover cake covered in the refrigerator. 

Video

Notes

*I pour the juice off, but I don't squeeze the pineapple dry.
**There may still be a layer of glaze on the cake when you frost it. I've found that it soaks into the cake completely if I chill the cake. If you're worried about frosting the cake with that layer of glaze still there, just cover the cake, and let it chill for a bit. Then, frost as you normally would. 
***Nutrition facts are estimates.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 362kcal (18%)Carbohydrates: 42g (14%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 11g (55%)Cholesterol: 49mg (16%)Sodium: 301mg (13%)Potassium: 148mg (4%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 31g (34%)Vitamin A: 2480IU (50%)Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)Calcium: 45mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @i_heart_eating on Instagram and hashtag it #ihearteating.

Published 3/13/17. Updated with new photos, tips, and video 2/23/19.

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  1. Jude says

    5 stars
    I used to make this cake for a community restaurant. It would be gone in a couple of days. One customer would eat a piece at the restaurant and take a piece to go.

    Reply

  3. Sherrie says

    5 stars
    This really is the BEST carrot cake! I’ve made it for Birthday’s, taken it to work & potlucks & everyone loves it! Honestly, I think the buttermilk glaze takes this recipe over the top!!

    Reply

      • Anne says

        5 stars
        LOVE this recipe! Made it for Easter and then the following week because we wanted more. :D Used fresh pineapple and half-and-half with lemon juice instead of the buttermilk. Turned out so moist. That glaze is delicious!

        Reply

        • Kate says

          Thank you so much! Thanks for sharing about using fresh pineapple. I’m glad to hear that that worked out well!

    • Kate says

      I’ve made it in 2 9-inch round baking pans. Just a note – the cake is really moist, and it wanted to fall apart a bit that way.

      Reply

  5. Steve Pacheco says

    5 stars
    I have made this cake a couple of times, once as a sheet and once as a round 2 layer, both time it was a hit. Been told it was the best carrot cake they have ever had and I am glad to agree. thank you for sharing this recipe. This cake is in my favorites file.

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that! And thanks for your note about making it in layers. It’s helpful to hear the things that have worked for other people. =)

      Reply

  6. Denise irvine says

    5 stars
    I finally found the perfect carrot cake recipe. My husband can’t get enough
    It’s absolutely the Best. Sooo moist.
    It’s a 10 Star

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Thanks! I haven’t tried to make the cake without the pineapple, but I think the recipe would need to be adjusted to make up for the lack of pineapple. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!

      Reply

  8. Carol says

    I will be making a small two layer cake (approximately 4-5 inches in diameter, how long should I bake it? Additional batter will be cupcakes, same time for those? Than you for any helpful information.

    Reply

    • Kate says

      I haven’t tested either size to say for certain. Usually, cupcakes take about 18-25 minutes to bake, and I’m not sure how long a 4-5 inch diameter cake would take.

      Reply

  9. Denise says

    Hi i am wanting to bake this carrot cake but are a bit confused at how much buttermilk for the recipe and how much for the glaze. Do you share the 1 c between the 2? Thanks denise

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Hi! The ingredients and instructions are all split out by cake, glaze, and frosting. So, the ingredients under “glaze” are just for that part of the recipe. It will be 1 cup of buttermilk total. You’ll need 3/4 cup for the cake and another 1/4 cup for the glaze. I hope that helps! =)

      Reply

  13. Susan says

    I saw your recipe on Pinterest. Am planning on making it for a special friend’s birthday soon but wanted to do it as a layer cake. Have you ever make it this way? Do you think the glaze will hinder me getting the layers up without cracking?

    Reply

    • Kate says

      I have tried to make it as a layer cake. The glaze made the cake so moist that the cake didn’t want to hold together well. I haven’t tried to make it as a layer cake without the glaze, but it didn’t work well for me with the glaze. Hope that helps!

      Reply
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