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Carrot Bundt Cake is all the cozy flavor of classic carrot cake baked into one easy, showstopping bundt with a tangy cream cheese glaze. I make it every Easter because it feeds a crowd without the fuss of layering, and Maddie and Lizzie fight over the glazed edges. If you love a moist, spiced cake, you will want this next to our honey citrus spiced bundt cake on the dessert table.
Fresh grated carrots and a warm blend of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg bake into a moist, tender bundt that gets finished with a pourable cream cheese glaze and chopped pecans.
Carrot Bundt Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 hours
- 🍽️ Serving: 10 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 644kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Moist, spiced carrot cake with tangy cream cheese glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our honey citrus spiced bundt cake
Quick Answer
Whisk cake flour with warm spices and leaveners. Cream butter and sugar, then beat in oil, eggs, egg yolks, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix in the flour and fold in fresh grated carrots. Bake in a greased bundt pan at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, cool completely, then top with a cream cheese glaze and chopped pecans.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cake flour for a tender crumb. Low protein cake flour keeps this carrot bundt cake soft and tender instead of dense or tough.
- Oil makes it incredibly moist. Using mostly vegetable oil with a little butter gives the cake a moist, plush texture that stays fresh for days.
- A warm spice blend. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give it that classic cozy, spiced carrot cake flavor.
- Fresh grated carrots. Freshly grated carrots add natural sweetness and moisture and melt right into the tender crumb.
- Egg yolks for richness. Extra egg yolks add richness and structure so the cake bakes up moist but sturdy enough for a bundt shape.
- A tangy cream cheese glaze. A pourable cream cheese glaze gives you all the classic carrot cake flavor with less work than frosting a layer cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has all the cozy flavor of a classic carrot cake in an easy, one pan bundt that needs no layering or stacking.
- It is incredibly moist and tender, packed with fresh carrots and warm spices in every bite.
- The tangy cream cheese glaze is the perfect finish, just like the one on our honey citrus spiced bundt cake.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this carrot bundt cake so moist and flavorful. See the recipe card below for the exact amounts.
- Fresh carrots: Freshly grated carrots add moisture and natural sweetness. Grate them yourself for the best texture.
- Cake flour: The secret to a soft, tender crumb. All purpose works in a pinch but the cake will be a bit denser.
- Warm spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give it that signature cozy carrot cake flavor.
- Oil and butter: Mostly oil for moisture plus a little butter for flavor, the same trick we use in our lemon blueberry pound cake.
- Cream cheese glaze: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla whip into a tangy, pourable glaze.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Here are a few easy ways to make this carrot bundt cake your own.
- Stir in a handful of chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or shredded coconut for a more loaded carrot cake, or top it with our chocolate cream cheese frosting.
- Bake it in two 8 inch round pans for a classic layered carrot cake instead of a bundt.
- Add crushed pineapple or applesauce for an even moister, fruitier cake.
- Make it a spring dessert spread with our lemon blueberry coffee cake alongside.
How to Make Carrot Bundt Cake
- Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and cloves in a bowl and set aside. Grease a 10 inch bundt pan very well with baking spray that has flour in it.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks and mix until just incorporated, then mix in the vinegar and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the grated fresh carrots with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes, then flip out onto a rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze by beating the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Spread the cream cheese glaze over the cooled cake, sprinkle with chopped pecans, then slice and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Grease the bundt pan very well with baking spray that has flour in it so the cake releases cleanly.
- Grate the carrots fresh. Pre shredded bagged carrots are too dry and coarse for a tender cake.
- Do not overmix once the flour goes in, or the cake can turn tough.
- Cool 10 minutes, then flip. Releasing too soon can break the cake, and waiting too long makes it stick.
- Cool completely before glazing so the cream cheese glaze sets instead of melting off.
- Store covered at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for up to 5 days, like our honey citrus spiced bundt cake.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This carrot bundt cake is a stunning, easy dessert for Easter, spring brunch, or any time you crave classic carrot cake. Slice it thick and serve it with coffee or tea.
It is the centerpiece of a dessert table. Serve it with our lemon blueberry coffee cake and a layered lemon blueberry trifle for a spring spread everyone will love.
The cake stays moist for days, so it is perfect to make ahead. A scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside takes it over the top.
Carrot Bundt Cake FAQs
Yes. This carrot bundt cake batter works in two 8 inch round pans for a classic layered carrot cake. Reduce the bake time and start checking for doneness around 25 to 30 minutes, then frost with cream cheese frosting.
Bundt cakes stick when the pan is not greased well enough. Use a baking spray with flour in it, coat every crevice, and cool the cake for exactly 10 minutes before flipping it out.
Absolutely. Fold in up to a cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or shredded coconut with the carrots for a more loaded carrot cake. They add great texture and flavor.
Store the glazed cake covered at room temperature for up to a day, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because it is so moist, it keeps beautifully. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
Yes. Freeze the unglazed cake, wrapped well, for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight, then make the cream cheese glaze fresh and pour it over before serving.
Freshly grated carrots are best because they are moist and fine. Bagged pre shredded carrots are too dry and thick and will not melt into the cake, leaving it less moist and tender.
Craving more easy cakes? Try our lemon blueberry coffee cake next, then come back and tell us how your carrot bundt cake turned out.
Carrot Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 & 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 & 1/2 cups grated fresh carrots
For the glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a standard 10-inch bundt pan very well with baking spray (the kind with flour in it), then set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and cloves. Set aside the dry ingredients.2 cups cake flour, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- In a large mixing bowl, whip together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer or in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment over medium speed. Mix until well combined and smooth for 3 minutes.1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup salted butter
- Add in vegetable oil and mix to combine.1 & 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- Next, add in eggs and egg yolks, and mix until just incorporated. Add in vinegar and vanilla and mix to combine.3 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the fresh carrots and fold in using a rubber spatula.3 & 1/2 cups grated fresh carrots
- Transfer the carrot cake batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth out.
- Place into the preheated oven on the center rack and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If any batter is left on the toothpick, it needs to be baked longer.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Once the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, place a cooling rack on the opening of the bundt pan. Next, flip the cake and cooling rack over simultaneously, allowing the cake to release from the pan.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- During the cooling process, make the glaze. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix on low speed until the powder sugar is incorporated, then turn the mixer speed up to medium-high and beat for about 3 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled, place it on a serving plate. Spread the frosting on top and sides of cake with an offset spatula or spoon. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top, then cut into slices and serve.Chopped pecans
Notes
- This makes a standard-sized bundt cake, but you can easily double it to feed more and make two cakes.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- Great for a make-ahead dessert since it will keep in the fridge for days.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Use all-purpose flour in place of cake flour, see the correct conversion in the FAQ section above.
Nutrition
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It is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
On the carrot Bundt cake recipe there is ingredients listed for the icing, but no amount of measurements to use. What would the amounts be on the cream cheese, powdered sugar etc? Thank you,
Karen