Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

I found this recipe years ago in a Cooking Light magazine. This is our very favorite carrot cake!! As a matter of fact, I have it in the oven as I type this.
Love the golden raisins & the toasted coconut on top of the cream cheese frosting!! YUM!! ❤️❤️

I've made this about a dozen times. It is one of my favorite carrot cake recipes. The first half dozen times I made it, I did not process the flour and oat mixture. Came out perfect. These last few times I've made it, though, I decided to follow the instructions and process the flour and oats. It also came out very tasty. I accidentally do not finely grate the carrot. Done that every time, but it hasn't affected how it has turned out. I have always added walnuts. Only once have I used the baby food. Twice now I have soaked my raisins in brandy (didn't have rum) and wow, that really adds that extra nice touch and flavor in the finished product. I used to use a different cream cheese frosting recipe, but I made the one that comes with it today and last week except reducing the 10X sugar and coconut.

Oh, yum! This is good! I didn't bother processing the oats and replaced 1/2 of the oil with applesauce. Next time I think I will add coconut to the batter and sprinkle walnuts on top instead.

Outstanding! Followed the recipe exactly except didn't use any raisins because my husband doesn't like them. Served at a dinner party and EVERYONE had seconds. My husband had three pieces! Delicious, easy, best carrot cake I've tried.

Made this last night - great carrot cake. Very moist and lots of flavor. My husband and 23 yr. old son loved it, that's the true test. The only thing I added that wasn't included in the recipe was added some pecans.

Excellent! This recipe was a huge hit at my family dinner! I am book marking this one for sure!

Amazing cake!! I made cupcakes as well and added coconut to the batter and the frosting. Perfect!!! So much lighter and *fresh* tasting than traditional recipes!

The BEST carrot cake EVER! It was moist and more heart healthy than most carrot cake recipes - too many people believe that carrot cake, cupcakes, or muffins are healthy simply because of the carrots. This is not true. I made a few changes just to add more fiber for my son by mixing whole wheat flour with the all purpose flour, adding ground flax, and using multi-grain oatmeal. Also, I skipped the butter and coconut in the frosting and just used a bit of light cream cheese with a spoonful of icing sugar. The baby food is a great addition in this recipes and I also used a portion of homemade applesauce. My son loves this as a snack in the afternoon.

There were no words... just empty plates. Could not get enough of this. My husband has actually asked me not to make it any more because he doesn't think he will be able to stop himself from eating the whole thing. I don't know if i can stop myself from making it. This is what baking is all about!!

This cake was great. I made a double recipe and baked half in an 8x8 and the rest I made into 12 cupcakes. I subbed regular oats for the quick cooking since that is what I had and it gave the cake a little texture, but no one seemed to mind. I also only bought one jar of babyfood forgetting that I was doubling so added extra carrots and it was fine. the frosting was wonderful, but I skipped the coconut due to time constraints and the fact that not everyone is a fan. Also my cakes were done in abut 34 minutes so keep an eye on it. It was a great cake and I would definitely make again.

This is the best ever Carrot Cake, friends and family request this all the time and the taste is so succulent and moist that no one ever believes that this is actually good for you! I make it usually for special occasions because it is a bit time consuming, but it is soooo worth it. I also made this into cupcakes and they turned out wonderful. Especially my little kids love the cupcakes and the grown up's of course love it either way as long as there is a lot of the yummy icing. Coconut topping is subjective, I love it but I usually make half the cake with and the other without coconut. This is a MUST TRY. Love it.

Love this. My old go-to recipe called for a CUP of oil. First time: made it as directed. Second time: replaced half oil with applesauce, egg beaters for one egg, reduced sugar to 3/4c and added 3 TBSP milled flaxseed. Will try whole wheat flour/even less sugar next time. The frosting is sweet enough! A favorite at our house!

Following the advice of previous reviewers, I left out the coconut, soaked the raisins in rum beforehand, and added 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. With those changes the cake was perfect. My husband asks for it every year for his birthday and has declared it the family's official carrot cake recipe.

I was not looking forward to buying baby food and the only carrot one in the size called for was a slightly expensive organic jar. This cake was so amazingly good I will not question recipes that call for baby food anymore! Cake was light and frosting went perfectly with it. I will use this cream cheese frosting for other recipes.

I love this recipe! I do not add the coconut though. I also use the food processor to finely chop the carrots. It is a wonderfully simple recipe. I have taken it to work a couple of times and have gotten rave reviews. I have started to keep carrot baby food around incase I get the urge to bake this delicious recipe. If I am in a hurry store bought cream cheese frosting works quite well.

This is a great moist carrot cake. Made the recipe as directed, but made it into twelve cupcakes instead of a sheet cake.

didn't have baby food so i just put in a splash or two of milk. the cake was really moist but the icing was not quite right. was fast and easy to throw together with things i had on hand. will make again!

We like this cake so much that I mix dry ingredients for 2 cakes at a time and save one to bake later. I followed the recipe exactly the first time and was pleased with the results. I served it Thanksgiving Day. Lately, I have added orange zest to the cake, and that makes it even more tasty.

This is the BEST carrot cake I have ever had! I was addicted to the Cheesecake Factory's carrot cake and I think this tastes even better and you do not have to feel guilty about it. I use whole wheat pastry flour and add some walnuts. I also use applesauce instead of the oil like I do with all of my recipes. Turns out fantastic and very moist! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys carrot cake. You can eat it and be guilt free!

These were delicious and I couldn't stay out of them (I made cupcakes). I added more cinnamon and raisins and put some of the coconut in the cupcakes themselves and they turned out great. I will definitely make this again!

This is fantastic. The cake really turns out well and isn't heavy like so many carrot cakes are. It will be my go-to carrot cake recipe!

Everything about this recipe works in concert. The cake is dense and moist, but not heavy or oily. The tang of carrots - plentiful and sweet - is tempered by the oats and set off with the raisins. The only change I made was a couple of drops of fiori di sicilia in the cream cheese frosting. Heavenly, delightful, comforting, warm and bright!

Delicious! My first time cooking with baby food carrots, and the cake was incredibly moist. I accidentally mixed the coconut with the cream cheese and butter when whipping up the frosting. Adding the powdered sugar then created a too-thick, unspreadable goop. A splash of half and half solved the problem, and I kept the cake refrigerated for 5 days. Also used regular raisins, a more budget-friendly option at my grocery store. Will definitely make again!

Excellent! Very moist and delicious. My fiance loves them.

This was great. The only change I made was to marinate the raisins in rum before adding them to the recipe. Really gave the cake an extra punch.

I made this cake into cupcakes for my son's first birthday - it was wonderful and he loved it! I didn't have any pureed carrots on hand, so I used the butternut squash that I did have and I don't think there was any difference. I also used only 3/4 cup of sugar and I don't think the taste suffered. Served it with whipped cream instead of the frosting for the little guy and he seriously loved his cupcake!

Incredibly delicious, very moist, lots of great flavor. I just made this yesterday, it was so good! I didn't make any changes to the recipe, but next time I make it, I'll probably add some chopped walnuts (maybe 1/4 C or so). I'm single so I like that it makes only a small cake. I'll definitely be making this again and again.

Carrot Cake is my absolute favorite so I couldn't wait to try this recipe and I'm glad I did! I made the carrot cake into cupcakes and they turned out amazing. The frosting is delicious, and really makes the cupcake. I didn't use coconut because I'm not a huge coconut fan. I highly recommend making these. This is one of my favorite Cooking Light recipes!

I doubled the recipe and baked it in a meatloaf pan. I frosted the top and sides and added the fresh coconut all around. It looked very festive and was a huge hit. I was in a hurry and didn't grate the carrots but instead used shredded carrots in a bag. The cake was amazing!

My husband and I absolutely LOVED this cake! My husband is very particular about his carrot cake, so I was hoping to get a big smile! He gave it 5 stars! Not only would I make it again, but I'm sure I'll be making it a lot, as carrot cake is a favorite in our household. The only thing I will change next time is doubling the recipe. The cake is not very big.

This is a delicious carrot cake, and I've made it several times. I don't use a food processor, mainly to spare myself the hassle, and I think it still is very tasty. I also have made it as a snack cake by substituting 1/2 cup coconut for the 1/2 cup raisins, and not making the frosting - still very good.