Are you always on the lookout for amazing Bundt cake recipes? This carrot Budnt cake will quickly become one of your favorites. Topped with cream cheese frosting, this carrot Bundt cake recipe is wonderfully moist, delicious and perfect for any occasion!
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If you’re looking for an easy carrot cake recipe, this carrot Bundt cake recipe needs to be on your must-bake list. Unlike a complicated layer cake that requires multiple steps and hours of time, this simple carrot cake recipe looks great and is no-fuss.
In this post I’ll show you exactly what you’ll need and how to make a carrot cake from start to finish. Topped with cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake recipe is great for everything from Easter dinner to Mother’s day brunch and everything in between.
What do I need to make a carrot Bundt cake recipe?
- All-purpose flour – if you’re looking to make this cake gluten-free, you can substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free flour.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Freshly grated carrots
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Cream Cheese Frosting – carrot cake is traditionally frosted with cream cheese frosting. Feel free to add a bit of cinnamon to give it some extra flavor.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!
How to make carrot cake:
Start by shredding carrots. You can purchase pre-shredded carrots, however, shredded carrot strands are too long and not ideal for baking in a cake. If you want to use the pre-shredded carrots, you’ll need to pulse them in your food processer a few times to make the shreds smaller.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. The dry ingredients are the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Stir together with a whisk to combine.
With a hand or stand mixer, combine the shredded carrots, eggs, oil and vanilla. Then gradually add in the dry ingredients a few spoonful at a time, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Prepare your Bundt cake pan by generously buttering and flouring all internal sides. Make sure you get the internal cylinder along with the rest of the internal surfaces. Check out this post from The Kitchn on How to Properly Grease a Bundt Cake Pan.
I will tell you that in my decades of baking, I have not had good success with non-stick baking sprays for Bundt cake pans. These sprays don’t always coat the surfaces adequately and don’t guarantee that the cake will loosen from all sides when ready to invert.
Buttering and flouring is the best, most successful way to have a Bundt cake release from the pan.
Once you have prepared your pan, pour the cake batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees.
Carrot Cake Substitutions and Mix-in Ideas:
- Nuts – walnuts or pecans are often added to a carrot cake. If you would like to add nuts, I recommend adding 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Crushed pineapple – some people really love the addition of crushed pineapple to their carrot cake. If you would enjoy pineapple, add a small 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple that has been well-drained of any juices.
- Flake coconut – some enjoy sweetened flake coconut in their carrot cake. If you would enjoy the addition of coconut, add in 1/2 cup of sweetened flake coconut to the batter.
Topping your Carrot Cake Bundt Cake:
Once the Bundt cake comes out of the oven, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan. The cake will need to cool slightly in order to naturally release from the sides of the pan.
Invert the cake pan on to a cake plate, and gently tap the sides of the pan. The cake should naturally fall out of the pan onto the cake plate. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Frost the carrot cake any way you wish. I like to pipe a thick ribbon of Cream Cheese frosting over the ridges of the Bundt cake. Add some fresh strands of carrot to the top for some extra color and decoration.
Frequently asked questions about making a Carrot Bundt cake:
A Bundt cake is simply a cake that has been baked in a tube-style Bundt cake pan. Almost any cake recipe can be baked in a Bundt cake pan.
The key to getting your cake to release from a Bundt pan is to adequately butter and flour ALL internal sides of the pan before adding the batter. Most non-stick sprays are not very effective in getting the cake to release from the pan. Additionally, let the cake cool for 10-15 minute before inverting on to a cake plate. This will allow the cake to cool and release from the sides of the pan.
A Bundt cake pan is the right size for just one cake. If you are using a cake mix, I recommend using only one box cake mix. If you use two mixes, the cake will overflow from the pan and make a big mess in your oven.
Traditionally, a carrot cake is paired with cream cheese frosting.
Using pre shredded carrots for carrot cake can be a great time saver, however, you will need to do one extra step. Using your food processor or blender, pulse the shredded carrots a few times to break up the strands into smaller, finer pieces. Strands of carrots (shreds) are typically too long and big for baking.
On average, a Bundt cake will need 45-50 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean and crumb-free, it is done baking. If crumbs are sticking to the toothpick, the cake still needs additional time to bake.
Love a great cake recipe? Check out our other easy cake recipes:
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Red Velvet Sheet Cake
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Poke Cake
- Red Velvet Cake Parfaits
- Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
- Zucchini Cake Recipe
- Buttermilk Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Check out our other Bundt cake recipes and easy carrot cake recipe ideas:
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Carrot Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Bundt Cake Pan Beautiful and well made, this Bundt cake pan is perfect for any cake!
- Stand Mixer This KitchenAid Stand mixer is fantastic for any cake baker!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter room temperature
- 4 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter and flour all internal sides of a Bundt cake pan. (Note: I don't recommend using non-stick baking spray, as you will have a difficult time getting the cake out of the pan. Buttering and flouring is the best.) Set prepared pan aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, combine the shredded carrots, eggs, oil and vanilla. With the mixer running on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do your best to not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt cake pan. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean and crumb-free the cake is done baking.
- Releasing the cake from the pan. First, let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. This will help the cake naturally release from the sides of the pan. Gently run a knife around the edges of the pan and cake. Invert the cake onto a cake plate. Tap the sides of the pan until you hear the cake release. Gently pull the pan off the cake. Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- For the cream cheese frosting; In a mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer. Add in the vanilla and mix. Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. The frosting will be thick, smooth and creamy. Either spread onto the outer surfaces with an off-set spatula, or pipe a large ribbon of frosting using a piping bag or a gallon-sized zip-loc bag with the corner cut off. Top with carrot shreds for extra decoration, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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