Topped with an elegant, homemade cream cheese frosting, this moist Carrot Bundt Cake is filled with freshly grated carrots, sweetness and warm cinnamon spice. It's the perfect choice for your next Easter or springtime gathering, or simply when you want to treat yourself to a rich, flavorful, super moist cake that's fairly easy to make, despite its bakery style charm.
It took a minute to win my family over with this delicious, dreamy carrot cake. You see, we had to have a serious discussion about the roles of vegetables and how they don't belong in cakes.
Turns out though that all the convincing they needed was swallowed up in just one moist (sorry, but it's appropriately descriptive here) forkful. That's because this incredibly flavorful carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is surprisingly sweet, perfectly creamy and overwhelmingly delicious.
There are a few secrets to this carrot cake's success. Freshly shredded carrots provide a ton of moisture, making the cake's texture incredibly pleasing. And baking the cake in a Bundt/tube pan (as its recipe name rather politely suggests), helps to create a rich, dense, moist cake.
Then, of course, there's the homemade cream cheese frosting. It's unheard of to enjoy a carrot cake without it! Super creamy, rich and tangy, the smooth cream cheese frosting literally is the icing on the cake. In fact, it takes this carrot Bundt cake to a whole new level!
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👪Why you'll love it
| Rich, moist flavor that's way better than boxed- Believe me, I'm the first in line to use a box cake, but certain cakes I have to make from scratch. Carrot cake is one of them. You just can't beat the texture and carrot-y goodness that comes from making it yourself! Fairly easy recipe- Yes, you'll be grating carrots, but the trade off is spectacular! Most of the cake mixing is done with a hand mixer, all in one bowl. The cake bakes for over one hour, freeing you up to make the frosting. Makes a lot and perfect for holidays- This cake recipe easily serves 12, making it the perfect choice for large, holiday gatherings. Carrot cake is most associated with Easter (is it because bunnies like carrots???), but honestly, it's a great cake for any time of year! |
🥘Ingredients
For a complete list with measurements, see the printable recipe card below.
For the carrot cake:
- flour- spoon this into a measuring cup and gently level off for best results
- white & brown sugar- a combination of these two makes for a rich, sweet flavorful cake
- cinnamon- warm spice that accentuates the carrot's sweetness
- baking soda, baking powder, and salt- leavening agents
- eggs- there are 4 in this recipe to create a very moist cake, along with the shredded carrots
- vegetable oil- for further moistness and flavor
- freshly shredded carrots- shred them yourself and resist the temptation to buy pre-shredded, which are too dry for a cake
For the cream cheese frosting:
- cream cheese- I use reduced fat Philadelphia brand, but either full or reduced fat works
- butter- added richness and cream
- vanilla extract- for flavoring; do not use imitation extract, which is too sweet
- confectioner's sugar- provides substance and sweetness
🔪Instructions
For a more complete set of instructions, see the printable recipe card below.
Carrot Cake Instructions:
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with a hand mixer on low speed.
- Add the oil and finely shredded carrots. Mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
- Bake in a well greased Bundt/tube pan for 75 minutes.
- Invert pan after 20 minutes and allow cake to completely cool on wire rack before adding frosting.
Hint: Finely shred the carrots for a smoother cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions:
- Cream softened butter and cream cheese with hand mixer.
- Add vanilla and mix until blended.
- Using a hand mixer, gradually work in confectioner's sugar until frosting is the right consistency for spreading.
- Spread on cooled cake. Decorate with sprinkles, raisins, shredded carrots or coconut, pecans and/or walnuts if desired.
Hint: Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before mixing. You can always soften them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if needed.
📖Variations
Pineapple: Drain a small can of crushed pineapple and add it to the cake batter. The cake will be sweeter and more moist. You may need to add a few additional minutes on to the baking time.
Raisins: Golden raisins are the best choice for their smaller size and color, which blends well with the cake batter. Add ½ cup to the cake; you may also decorate the top of the frosted cake with these.
Walnuts or pecans: Either nut, ½ cup chopped or crushed, works well in the cake or as a frosting topper for added crunch and flavor.
🍽Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoon
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- rubber scraping spatula
- vegetable shredder
- one part Bundt pan (12 cup capacity), heavily greased
- wire cooling rack
- medium mixing bowl
- cake saver (optional, but handy for storage)
🍶Storage
Because of the cream cheese frosting, Carrot Bundt Cake needs to be stored in the refrigerator. I find it helpful to use a cake saver. The cake will keep for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the cake. Unfrosted cake can be frozen in proper freezer safe packaging (either whole or individual slices) for up to 2 months.
Frosted cake needs to freeze on a sheet pan first to set the frosting. Then wrap individual slices or the whole cake in freezer safe packaging and store for up to 1 month.
💭Top tip
The cake batter will be very dense. Check on it periodically towards the end of baking time. Use a long cake tester to make sure the entire cake has baked before removing it from the oven.
🗨️FAQ
Using the word healthy might be a bit of a stretch; however, carrot cake does contain more vitamins and nutrients than the average cake, because of the carrots. To make this recipe healthier, omit the frosting.
Vegetable oil is actually better for cakes. It makes cakes more moist and fluffy, while butter can weigh a batter down. Butter is great for some baked goods, but when it comes to cakes, oil is best.
Yes. This is a very dense, moist cake. It shouldn't be to the point where you can't stir the batter, but it is much thicker than many other cakes', mainly because of the carrots.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Carrot Bundt Cake:
📋Recipe
Carrot Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the carrot cake:
- 2 cups flour spoon into a measuring cup and level for best results
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 3 cups freshly grated carrots finely shredded for best results
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese I use Philadelphia brand
- 2 tablespoon softened butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ lb confectioner's sugar this is almost 2 cups
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
Carrot Cake:
- Combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition with a hand mixer on low speed.
- Add the oil and finely shredded carrots. Mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. Use a rubber scraping spatula intermittently to scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
- Bake in a well greased Bundt/tube pan on the middle oven rack for 70-75 minutes, or until long cake tester comes out clean.
- Invert pan after 20 minutes and allow cake to completely cool on wire rack before adding frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream softened butter and room temperature cream cheese with hand mixer on low speed for 1-2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and mix until blended.
- Using the hand mixer, gradually work in confectioner's sugar until frosting is the right consistency for spreading. Then add a pinch of salt and stir.
- Spread frosting on cooled cake. Decorate with sprinkles, raisins, shredded carrots or coconut, pecans and/or walnuts if desired.
Storing:
- Store in a cake saver and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Unfrosted cake can be frozen in proper freezer safe packaging (either whole or individual slices) for up to 2 months.
- Frosted cake needs to freeze on a sheet pan first to set the frosting. Then wrap individual slices or the whole cake in freezer safe packaging and store for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Finely shred the carrots for a smoother cake.
- The cake batter will be very dense. Check on it periodically towards the end of baking time. Use a long cake tester to make sure the entire cake has baked before removing it from the oven.
- It's helpful to slide a non-scratch knife around the outside of the cake before inverting.
- When making the frosting, make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before mixing. You can always soften them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if needed.
Evan G. says
Such a delicious recipe. The homemade frosting really makes the cake so good!
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Thanks Evan! The cream cheese icing is also good on spice cake and red velvet cake.