Easy Carrot Cake Recipe (Made with Baby Food)

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a slice of moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

If you’re looking for an easy carrot cake recipe that turns out perfectly moist every single time, this is the one to bookmark. It’s simple, classic, and made with a smart shortcut that makes the whole process faster and completely foolproof.

a slice of moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

I have always hated carrot cake. It’s the texture- walnuts, pineapple, big shreds of carrots, raisins… listen, this isn’t a salad, it’s a cake! So, I made a really fantastic homemade layered carrot cake that’s beautiful and delicious. And then my friend Cassie told me about hers (from Barbara Ryan) and it has a secret ingredient so immediately I had to try it.

This is my new favorite cake to whip up for a Sunday night or when company is coming to dinner. No layers necessary and the secret ingredient makes this hands down as moist as a banana cake with less work than any cake I’ve ever made!

a baking pan with carrot cake slices in it topped with cream cheese frosting with a little carrot piped on each piece

Why Baby Food Makes This Cake Work

Using carrot baby food might sound a little surprising, but it’s actually the secret to the incredibly moist texture in this cake.

Carrot baby food is made from finely pureed carrots, which means it blends seamlessly into the batter. Instead of noticeable carrot shreds, you get all the natural moisture, sweetness, and flavor of carrots without changing the texture of the cake.

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Best Carrot Cake Recipe (Perfectly Moist with Cream Cheese Frosting)

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A photo of a slice of two layer carrot cake laying on its side on a blue and white plate.

If you’re searching for the best carrot cake recipe, you’re in the right place. This is the carrot cake I come back to every single time! It’s perfectly moist, deeply spiced, and layered with rich cream cheese frosting.

No raisins, no nuts, no weird add-ins trying to steal the spotlight. Just classic carrot cake flavor done really, really well.

a two layer carrot cake on a white cake stand looking at the cake from the side with a slice taken out of it. It has white cream cheese frosting in between the layers and all over the outside. The cake is topped with white chocolate decorative carrots.

I only had carrot cake for the first time a few years ago. My good friend, Melissa Brandley was in town for the Sundance Film Festival and we went out to dinner for a good ol’ catch up on all things in life. We laughed until our sides hurt, cried together right there in the restaurant and had the most delicious carrot cake.  That carrot cake inspired me to create this recipe, my Favorite Carrot Cake.

I’m not a fan of carrot cakes that are full of all sorts of ingredients like orange peel, candied ginger, walnuts, pecans, and raisins. At that point it gets too busy and almost doesn’t even seem like a cake anymore. I want fresh, moist and flavorful, and I want it to taste like a carrot cake.

a two layer carrot cake on a white cake stand covered in white cream cheese frosting with white chocolate decorative carrots on top and surrounded at the base wit chopped walnuts.

Why This is the Best Carrot Cake Recipe

This really is the best carrot cake recipe because it keeps things simple and lets the cake shine. It’s incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and made without raisins, nuts (optional), or distractions. The carrots melt right into the batter, the crumb stays soft for days.

The Secret to a Perfectly Moist Carrot Cake

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The Easiest Red Velvet Poke Cake Recipe

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a piece of moist red velvet cake topped with white cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips

This is the most deliciously moist Red Velvet Poke Cake recipe! The sweetened condensed milk gets poured all over and the fluffy cream cheese frosting makes it a truly decadent dessert everyone can’t stop eating!

This easy red velvet poke cake is perfect for holidays like Valentine’s Day or Christmas, but it’s just as good for birthdays or “just because” baking days. It’s simple to make, stunning to serve, and always gets rave reviews!

I see red velvet poke cakes everywhere, but they all have a thick pudding on top, and I gotta be honest, that’s not my thing. So, I went back to the basics and started with a simple sweetened condensed milk topping and guess what? I’ll never make it another way! It’s so good!!!

What is a Poke Cake?

A poke cake is a cake that is baked and then poked with holes all over. The holes are then filled with a creamy mixture (like pudding, sweetened condensed milk, caramel, or cream cheese). For this recipe, the red velvet makes it extra festive for Christmas or Valentine’s Day! Red velvet desserts are perfect for the holidays!

What Flavor is Red Velvet Cake?

Red velvet is a perfect blend of both chocolate and vanilla. It has a subtle cocoa flavor and has a lot of red food coloring added to give it the signature red color.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Red Velvet Cake Mix: The base of the cake — gives that signature red velvet flavor, color, and soft texture without extra steps.
  • Instant Red Velvet Pudding: Adds rich flavor and extra moisture, keeping the cake soft and tender after baking.
  • Sour Cream: Brings tanginess and creaminess while making the cake ultra-moist and fluffy.
  • Canola Oil: Adds moisture and tenderness — helps the cake stay soft even after chilling.
  • Eggs: Bind the ingredients and provide structure, helping the cake rise properly.
  • Whole Milk: Adds richness and helps blend everything smoothly for a velvety batter.
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk: Soaks into the holes for that signature creamy sweetness in every bite.

Frosting

  • Cream Cheese: Adds tang and depth to the frosting, keeping it from being overly sweet.
  • Butter: Gives the frosting richness and a silky, spreadable texture.
  • Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting for that smooth, fluffy finish.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the flavors with warm, subtle sweetness.
  • Christmas Sprinkles or Mini Chocolate Chips: Add festive color, fun texture, and instant holiday cheer!

How to Make a Red Velvet Poke Cake

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350 ℉ and grease a 9×13″ pan.
  2. Combine
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Cranberry Crumb Bars

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a photo of a cranberry crumb bar sitting on a small dessert plate with whole cranberries scattered around it and on top of it

Get into the holiday spirit with these delicious cranberry crumb bars. It is my favorite way to use up leftover cranberry sauce. Follow our step-by-step instructions and video to create a festive and tasty dessert that is perfect for any holiday gathering.

I got fed up last year with leftover cranberry sauce so for months after Thanksgiving I was testing it in all sorts of recipes to find ways to use it. This is how our cranberry sauce muffins came to be! And it’s the same story for this cranberry crumble bars recipe. I’ve been experimenting with this one and this is finally the winning recipe. They are to die for!

They are the most wonderful combination of creamy cranberry sauce and a chewy sugar cookie, tart shortbread crust!

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce Bars

We will actually make one crust recipe and we will use it for both the base of the bars and the crumble on top! Then we will make a filling to go in the middle. I’ll include the ingredients for an optional glaze too. Here is everything you will need for each component:

Crust and Topping

  • Wet Ingredients: Butter (softened), Cream Cheese (softened), Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Egg, Vanilla and Almond Extract
  • Dry Ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt

Filling

  • Sour Cream: full fat cream cheese
  • Eggs: binds the filling together
  • Cornstarch: helps thicken the filling
  • Vanilla and Ground Cinnamon: add flavor
  • Cranberry Sauce: homemade is preferred, but store-bought would work fine too, just don’t use the canned cranberry jelly
  • Whole Fresh Cranberries: adds more flavor and texture

Glaze

  • Powdered Sugar: acts as the base of the glaze and adds all the sweetness
  • Milk: adds richness and creates the glaze
  • Vanilla: adds flavor

The measurements for each ingredient can be found down below in the recipe card. This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients you will need.

How to Make Cranberry Crumb Bars

Let me walk you through each step of this recipe! It might seem like a lot of steps, but it’s super easy.

Crust

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment. Spray everything with cooking
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Homemade Strawberry Shortcake with Biscuits Recipe

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Homemade Strawberry Shortcake with Biscuits Recipe

a photo of a golden sweet biscuit filled with juicy strawberry slices and fluffy whipped cream

Forget those little store-bought fake-cake shortcakes! This is the most delicious strawberry shortcake recipe we’ve ever made! We layer our buttery, flaky homemade biscuits with irresistible sweet strawberries and whipped cream to make homemade strawberry shortcake completely from scratch!

This strawberry shortcake is so simple that you can make it within the hour, and so satisfying that it will easily become your go-to summer dessert.

For me, the moment that marks the beginning of summer is when I bite into my first strawberry of the season. Is it even a lazy summer day if it doesn’t end with juicy berries piled on flaky biscuits and a big dollop of freshly whipped cream?! Homemade strawberry shortcake is the essential dessert for summer!

Gardening with Mom

I grew up obsessed with strawberry shortcake! Not only was it my favorite, it was a reward for hard work. 

Every summer, we’d plant the biggest garden, and by “we,” I mostly mean my mom. I remember Dad tilling the soil, and my 4 siblings and I “helping” for what felt like hours (it was probably 30 minutes). We’d dig through tomato vines and hunt for huge spiders with colorful patterns and potato bugs, then rush back to the house with dirt in our shoes and under our nails.

Fried Chicken, Jojo’s and Strawberry Shortcake

After a hot shower, we’d all pile around the table for fried chicken, JoJos (if you’re from the Pacific Northwest, you know), and to finish the day: strawberry shortcake. Always from those little spongy packages, always stealing the bits stuck to the white cardboard, and always – always – a big scoop of Cool Whip on top.

From Scratch Biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake

These days, unlike the little packaged angel food cakes, we make our shortcakes with from scratch flaky, buttery biscuits as a nod to BurgerVille (a PNW classic).  But the berries? Still done the way Mom taught us: 

How to Make Fresh Strawberries for Strawberry Shortcake

What’s the secret to Mom’s extra sweet berries?

Smash a few, slice the rest, sprinkle on a little sugar, and let them sit! That’s the secret to extra-juicy, syrupy strawberries – and trust me, they are heavenly.

Tips for Perfectly Flaky Biscuits

  • Use a food processor or pastry cutter to cut in extra cold butter, jus like you would for a pie crust.  
  • Use unsalted butter to control the salt of the biscuit. 
  • Don’t over mix as this will lead to a tough bis
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