The Store-Bought Carrot Cake That Puts All Others To Shame

Steven Luna/Mashed

Some people, understandably, fall into the camp that vegetables don't belong in a cake, while many of us dream about carrot cake generously topped with cream cheese frosting. If you happen to simply dislike carrot cake, it may be because you've had a bad one. The worst takes on this classic dessert often boast a disappointing dryness, distinct lack of spice, and saccharine, sickly-sweet frosting. To help you choose only the best, Mashed tried 11 store-bought carrot cakes and the best was from Carlo's Bakery, which you'll find on the shelves at Walmart.

The phrase "incredible cake" and "Walmart" don't often connect, but this slice proved that it's possible. Once you look a bit closer, it starts to make sense. Carlo's Bakery is owned by Buddy Valastro, who is better known as the Cake Boss, which was also the name of his hit TLC show. Carlo's Bakery started supplying to 3,000 Walmart locations in late 2023, and aside from carrot cake, they also stock the bakery's Red Velvet, Chocolate Fudge, and Vanilla Rainbow cakes.

To determine which treat was best, we sampled only room-temperature cakes purchased at grocery stores, none of which were frozen or refrigerated. We then analyzed each slice based on its texture, spice, freshness, the incorporation of add-ins such as nuts and raisins, frosting, and how well the slice represented carrot cake overall. And Carlo's hit every note.

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Clearly, Carlo's Bakery's carrot cake checked all the boxes for us. Although the delectable flavor and perfectly moist texture almost cancelled each other out, they were ultimately complementary. Likewise, the frosting was deliciously creamy and there was plenty of it too. It's worth noting that this carrot cake is indeed made with real carrots and cream cheese, which are crucial components of any great carrot cake. Interestingly, it doesn't have the addition of raisins, which is something customers are divided on about Costco's carrot cake, or nuts. Instead, pineapple and coconut are incorporated into it. 

Another major benefit to Carlo's Bakery's generous slice is the triple layer, which ensures an appropriate amount of frosting in every bite. That said, reviews on the cake's product page on the Walmart website are pretty polarizing. Some customers felt the same as we did, gushing over it, while others described it as one of the worst slices of cake they'd ever had, noting that it tasted low-quality, and was both dry and dense. Now that you know the best carrot cake to buy, check out our ranking of store-bought chocolate cake.