This carrot pound cake is perfectly moist, tender, and sturdy. It's filled with plenty of grated fresh carrots and is topped with a cream cheese icing!
This classic carrot cake recipe is so simple because it's baked in a bundt pan. For decorating, all you need to do is pour the homemade cream cheese frosting over the cake and add chopped walnuts.
The cake also has plenty of warm spices, which is a must for the best carrot cake!
Looking for more springtime recipes? Then check out these: carrot cake cupcakes, strawberry cinnamon rolls, and lemon bars with shortbread crust.
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Why You'll Love This Cake
- It's easy to serve for special occasions, such as Easter and Mother's Day.
- It's baked in a bundt cake pan.
- All you need are mixing bowls; no hand mixer required.
- The chopped walnuts adds a nice crunch.
- It's both moist and tender while also being sturdy like a pound cake!
For this recipe you'll need a 10-cup bundt cake pan like this one. You could also use a 12-cup if that's all you have.
This is a must-bake for any and all carrot cake lovers!
Ingredients Needed
Here are some notes on the ingredients we'll be using. For the full ingredients list, look at the recipe card below.
- Flour: I used all purpose flour.
- Spices: Use ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.
- Sugars: I used a combination of both brown sugar and granulated sugar. Feel free to use either dark or light brown sugar.
- Oil: You can use either vegetable oil or canola oil. This helps to create a moist carrot cake.
- Yogurt: I used vanilla yogurt, but you could also use plain or greek yogurt. Even sour cream if you prefer.
- Carrots: Make sure to freshly grate your carrots. Pre-shredded carrots from the store do not provide the same amount of moisture as freshly grated ones.
- Cream Cheese: Always use the block-style cream cheese for baking.
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions on how to make this carrot bundt cake recipe.
Step 1: Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Step 2: Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, sugar, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Combine the ingredients. Add the flour mixture into the wet and whisk until everything is incorporated. Then fold in the shredded carrots using a rubber spatula.
Step 4: Bake. Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.
Step 5: Make the glaze. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until light and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and the vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until combined and then high until creamy.
Step 6: Decorate. Pour the icing over the top of the cake and add the chopped walnuts.
Storage Tips
Keep any leftover cake slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You could also wrap each individual cake slice in plastic wrap before placing it into the refrigerator. This method will help the cake to not dry out too quickly.
Expert Baking Tips
- Cake Pan: This recipe calls for a 10-cup bundt pan. Be sure to thoroughly grease the pan with cooking spray to avoid the cake from sticking.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Carrots: Make sure to freshly grate your carrots. Do not use the pre-shredded carrots from the store.
- Cream Cheese Icing: Make sure the cake has cooled completely before pouring on the frosting.
Recipe FAQs
It needs to cool for 25 minutes first. Then I place a wired rack on top, flip over the pan, and the cake should slide right out.
Just like a spice cake. The mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger makes the cake very flavorful.
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I love hearing from you! Also, please tag me on Instagram and check out my Pinterest for even more recipe ideas.
It brings me so much joy to see you make my recipes. 🙂
Happy Baking!
More Cake Recipes
📖 Recipe
Carrot Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Bundt Pan (10 cups)
- Mixing Bowls
- Grater
Ingredients:
Carrot Pound Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup yogurt (plain or vanilla), room temperature
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups freshly grated carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- crushed walnuts (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly grease a 10-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Carrot Pound Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, sugar, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Pour in the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is incorporated. Then fold in the freshly grated carrots using a silicone spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 25 minutes before removing it and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until light and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and the vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until combined. Then beat on high speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy*If the frosting is too thick, add a ½ tablespoon of milk at a time until desired consistency.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled bundt cake and then cut into slices.
- Keep any leftover cake slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This recipe results in a beautiful cake that tastes amazing!! If you need a quick and simple spring dessert, this cake is it.