This classic carrot cake is so moist and fluffy! This carrot bundt cake is made with shredded carrots, lots of warm spices and is topped with a cream cheese glaze. Plus, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare!
I absolutely love making a bundt cake for parties, brunches - basically any event! I usually turn to my trusty banana bread bundt cake or my raspberry white chocolate bundt cake, but this carrot bundt cake is perfect for Easter festivities or just Spring!
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Tell me about this recipe
- This moist carrot cake is made without butter, so it's dairy free as long as you don't add the glaze! This cake is moist due to the vegetable oil that is added to it.
- The batter is folded with chopped walnuts and lots of warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger.
- You don't need a mixer to make this cake!
- You can leave the bundt cake as is, or you can top with my super simple cream cheese glaze.
Ingredient Notes
- Carrots: I recommend grating your own carrots rather than buying store bought shredded carrots. Freshly grated carrots will be much more moist than ready made ones!
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in this recipe.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil!
- Spices: I use a combination of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Feel free to change up the spices depending on what you like!
- Walnuts: I love having walnuts in my carrot cake, but you could substitute them for pecans, pistachios, or leave the nuts out entirely.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Whisk together your eggs, oil, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, spices and sugar until smooth in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Fold in your flour and mix until smooth. You want to make sure you have no flour pockets in the batter.
Step 3: Fold in your shredded carrots and chopped walnuts. Make sure everything is well combined!
Step 4: Grease your bundt pan. I find the best way to do this is melt shortening and use a pastry brush to brush the entire pan. Then I sift over a bit of almond flour. Pour in your batter and then bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes before inverting it on a cooling rack. Carefully lift the bundt pan off.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- I recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature for your lemon filling and meringue before you start baking.
- Use freshly grated carrots instead of the pre-made shredded carrots. Freshly grated carrots will make your cake much more moist!
- Be sure to grease your bundt pan just before you pour the batter in. If you do it too far ahead of time, whatever product you are using will pool at the bottom of the pan.
- Not sure how to grease your bundt pan properly? I brush melted vegetable shortening over the entire pan and then sprinkle over almond flour.
Frequently Asked Questions
While carrot cakes does have nuts and carrots in it, it still contains oil and sugar!
First step is making sure your pan is properly greased. If you haven't had a problem before with this, then stick to whatever you are doing! Otherwise, I suggest melting vegetable shortening and brushing the entire pan with it. Then I sprinkle some almond almond flour over it. Do these two steps just before you pour the batter in. Once the cake is baked, I let it rest for 5 minutes (make sure to put a timer on!) and then use a small rubber spatula (not a metal one!) to loosen the edges all around the cake. Then, quickly flip the cake over on to a cooling rack. Let it rest for another few minutes and then carefully lift the pan.
If the carrot cake is unglazed, you can keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you have used a glaze (or frosting), then you should keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Try these simple cakes next!
Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.
Recipe
Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Equipment
- 10 cup bundt pan
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 4 eggs
- 320 grams grated carrots
- 240 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 64 grams walnuts chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 198 ml vegetable oil
- 400 grams white sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 50 grams confectioners' sugar sifted
- 3 tablespoon cream cheese room temperature
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, spices, vanilla, baking soda and salt together.
- Fold in the flour and mix until smooth, making sure there are no flour pockets. Add in the carrots and walnuts and fold together until combined.
- Grease your bundt pan with melted shortening and sprinkle with almond flour. Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies of your pan! Pour in your batter and make sure the top of even so you don't end up with a lopsided cake.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, a toothpick inserted should come out clean (or with just a few crumbs).
- Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Then use a small rubber spatula to carefully slide down the sides of the bundt pan, helping the cake come away from the pan sides. Quickly flip your cake on to a cooling rack and leave for another 5 minutes. Carefully lift off the pan. Let cool completely.
Make glaze
- Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth. If it isn't as liquid as you would like, add a few more drops of milk. Spoon over your bundt cake and sprinkle over extra chopped walnuts.
Chaima says
Hi can I use butter instead of vegetable oil?
Ella says
I've only tested this cake with oil, you might be able to try this with melted butter but I haven't tried that! I use oil because butter in a carrot cake could make it more dense and heavy.
Sarah says
I am now completely converted to the Carrot cake way of life! This was such a delicious, moist cake and was a real crowd-pleaser at the party I made it for - none left behind! I made this without the walnuts too and it worked just as well as the recipe with. The cream cheese frosting was also perfect and so simple to make. Will definitely be baking this again 😀
Ella says
Thanks so much for your review! 🙂