The Best Carrot Cake in NYC: 5 Slices You Need to Try

Is there anything better than a thick slice of carrot cake? We admittedly are a bit obsessed. In honor of National Carrot Cake Day, here is our list of the best carrot cake in NYC that you need to try!

5. Posh Pop Bake Shop

For our gluten free friends, we’ve found your carrot cake answer: Posh Pop Bake Shop. As soon as you step in to this bright, pink-accented West Village shop, your nose is hit with drool-inducing smells.  We had the pleasure of smelling fresh apple pie on our first visit.  The glass cases display every baked good you can imagine, and it is hard to pass up on the stunning cheesecakes and flourless chocolate cakes on the journey to the carrot cake at the end. 

 The texture of the cake is spot on with a moist, dense consistency that is broken up with crunchy black walnuts. There is no shortage of cinnamon and nutmeg, and after some heavy thinking and photo examination, we can neither confirm or deny the presence of raisins.  The cream cheese icing is creamy, dense, and perhaps just slightly too sweet for our liking.  However, the baker went easy on his spreading so it ended up being a perfect balance with the amount of cake.

And oh yeah, in case you forget, this slice was gluten free.  We didn’t miss the flour at all!

4. Betty Bakery

Betty Bakery has been one of our better stumble upons. The neighborhood Boerum Hill shop specializes in selling whole cakes, but they offer slices, cookies, and cupcakes in the quaint, homey store.  The carrot cake is something special.  The cake portion has large pieces of walnut, coconut, and carrot, giving it a coarse, raw texture which provides a lovely crunch amongst the moistness. Nutmeg and cinnamon permeate the batter, creating the warmth and spice you look for in a carrot cake.  The icing is pure perfection.  It is light and fluffy with a perfectly sweet cream cheese flavor that compliments the spice of the cake.  We would happily buy the icing by a jar and put it on anything and everything.

Betty’s is worth a stop for any baked-good aficionado, and certainly worthy of being #4 in the best carrot cake of NYC countdown.

Note:  we went back a second time, and were disappointed that the cake was dry.  The flavors and icing were still delicious, but our first Betty’s experience was certainly better.  With that being said, we are willing to give it another go.

3. Lloyd’s Carrot Cake

Lloyd’s is a carrot cake shop that first opened in 1987, and it has been a neighborhood staple ever since. Lloyd’s carrot cake is dense and moist with subtle spices that aren’t overpowering.  The cake itself isn’t too sweet, which makes the quite sugary cream cheese frosting work.  The product doesn’t have glitz or glamor with fancy black walnuts or imported raisins, it is just a pretty freaking good classic slice that even carrot-cake haters notoriously love.  Not to mention, you can get it with or without raisins and nuts…. So raisin haters can rejoice!

Oh, and did I mention that each slice is only $3? It’s by far the cheapest on this best carrot cake in NYC list!

WARNING: do NOT get Lloyds at a grocery store.  Yes, big chains carry it, but no, it is not nearly the same.

2. Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia’s claim to fame is their rich, creamy banana pudding. But it’s not the only sweet treat you should be indulging in.  The bakery serves up a delish piece of carrot cake that is packed full of your usual spices, shreds of carrots, raisins and walnuts.  What sets Magnolia carrot cake apart from the rest is the addition of coconut, which provides an added texture, and pineapple, which gives the cake a natural sweetness and moisture.  The slice is light in color and texture, but manages to be moist despite lacking density.   The icing is a spreadable density and isn’t overly sweet, allowing the rich cream cheese flavor to shine.  However, there could have been a higher cream cheese to cake ratio.  As a whole, the slice is what you want in a classic piece of carrot cake.

Something important to note is that we tried Magnolia’s carrot cake in Union Station, and it was different… and much better!  Raisins were replaced by candied walnuts and there was a rich density the piece at Magnolia’s on 72^nd didn’t have. There was also a perfect cream cheese to cake ratio that led us to get a second piece for the return journey back to New York.

1. Billy’s Bakery

Ah, yes, Billy’s… the creme de la creme of carrot cake! It made Top 5 Best Eats of 2019 list as well as my Top 5 Most Significant Eats of 2020 list.

Billy’s Bakery is a quaint mom and pop style bakeshop with 4 locations in New York, and the fresh slice of carrot cake is absolutely worth the $7. Cutting in reveals a molasses color interior with dense, gooey goodness that practically drips off the fork.  Large shreds of carrots and coconut fill every bite along with an ideal distribution of raisins and walnuts.  The fluffy, rich , creamy icing is amply smeared between each layer, making for each fork fill being well proportioned. 

Each time, the slice is just as great as the last, and Billy’s Bakery truly does make the best carrot cake in NYC.