Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Carrot Bundt Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 190 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 4 large eggs; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 cup carrot baby food or carrot puree; 1 cup shredded carrots; 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional); ¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature); pinch of salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

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Carrot bundt cake is flavorful and perfectly moist. Top it with a tangy cream cheese frosting for a cake that will be the centerpiece of your holiday dinner!

Two slices of frosted carrot bundt cake arranged on a plate.

What makes this carrot bundt cake so great?
How to make my carrot bundt cake
Helpful resources
Storage and freezing tips
Recipe FAQs
Carrot Bundt Cake Recipe

I came across this carrot bundt cake recipe in a bit of a strange way.

My right-hand woman Stephie sent me a TikTok telling a story from Reddit of how a carrot cake recipe was threatening to pull a family apart. And it just so happened that the Redditor shared the recipe in their post.

Well, you know that I was curious and had to try this cake.

I ended up making a couple of tweaks, including turning it into a bundt cake, but the end result is one great carrot cake recipe that would be an amazing addition to your Easter menu.

Cake server lifting up a slice of carrot bunt cake from a cake plate.

What makes this carrot bundt cake so great?

I have made some great carrot cake recipes in my time, including J. Alexander’s carrot cake and my classic carrot cake. So what makes this one worth sharing?

Well, for one, I decided to turn it into a bundt cake. You all know how much I love bundt cakes, and I think it’s nice to have a go-to recipe for each holiday and season.

But the real reason this carrot bundt cake is so great? It’s super moist.

I know, I know, we hate that word. But it’s the thing that really sets this cake apart!

After all, the moistness level is why we love recipes like my banana cake, so we know it’s one of the key things that makes for a great cake.

In the case of this recipe, the secret is using carrot baby food along with shredded carrots. The pureed carrots keep the cake beautifully moist while adding more of that delicious, slightly sweet carrot flavor we all love.

Unlike my other carrot cake recipes, this one does not use any pineapple, coconut, or raisins, so it’s a great option for anyone with allergies or aversions to any of those ingredients.

It’s just pure, delicious, carrot-y goodness in here.

Two plates, each holding two slices of frosted carrot bundt cake, with more cake and iced coffee in the background.

How to make my carrot bundt cake

This carrot bundt cake comes together pretty quickly. Most of the time needed for the recipe is baking and cooling time, so it’s a great option if you don’t have a lot of hands-on time available.

Ingredients you’ll need

This is a kind of long ingredient list, but I promise that all of the ingredients serve a purpose in this recipe.

For the carrot cake itself, you will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup carrot baby food or carrot puree
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Ingredients for carrot bundt cake arranged on a light-colored countertop.

I upped the amount of cinnamon from the original recipe and also added ground nutmeg. They both add a delicious spiced flavor that pairs beautifully with the mild sweetness of the carrots.

I also use a combination of brown and granulated sugar in this cake. I love using brown sugar to add depth of flavor to all sorts of recipes, and this carrot bundt cake is no different.

If you are raising your eyebrows at using carrot baby food, remember that it’s just unseasoned carrot puree! You can make your own carrot puree by steaming carrots until soft and pureeing them in a food processor or high-speed blender, but I go with the baby food because it’s quick and easy.

If you don’t like walnuts or can’t have them due to an allergy, don’t worry. You can leave them out and this cake will still be just as delicious!

Of course, in my mind it’s not a carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. For the frosting, you will need:

¼ cup room-temperature unsalted butter
4 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

If you don’t want to use cream cheese frosting, try a simple glaze such as the one I used on my pistachio pudding cake.

Ingredients for cream cheese frosting next to a bundt cake on a countertop.

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Making this carrot bundt cake

Before you get started making the cake batter, prep your bundt pan by spraying it with nonstick spray. I prefer to use one made for baking.

If you are worried about sticking, especially if you have a really detailed bundt pan, you can generously butter and flour your pan instead.

Dry ingredients for carrot bundt cake sifted together in a metal bowl.

To make the cake, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla, and carrot baby food or puree until well combined.

Wet ingredients for carrot bundt cake whisked together in a white bowl.

Batter for carrot bundt cake in a white mixing bowl.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined, then fold in the shredded carrots and the walnuts, if using.

Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Carrot bundt cake batter in a greased bundt pan, ready to go in the oven.

Carrot bundt cake cooling on a wire rack.

Let the carrot bundt cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the cake has cooled completely, make the frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes. Add the salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar; beat on low until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 3 minutes.

Cream cheese frosting in a white mixing bowl.

Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cake and enjoy!

Helpful resources

Before starting, make sure you know how to measure flour properly. This will help your carrot bundt cake to turn out perfect every time.
Out of brown sugar? Make a simple brown sugar substitute to use instead.
If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, check out my tips for how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store.
The butter and cream cheese for the frosting need to be at room temperature for the cream cheese frosting to come together. If you forget to set yours out ahead of time, I’ve got some tips for softening cream cheese and softening butter quickly.

Carrot bundt cake frosted with cream cheese frosting on a white cake plate.

Storage and freezing tips

Store the carrot bundt cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze the cake, either whole (frosted or unfrosted) or in slices:

Freeze the unfrosted cake by wrapping it well in plastic wrap, then heavy-duty foil Freeze for up to 2 months.
If the carrot bundt cake has been frosted, freeze it on a sheet pan until solid, then wrap it in plastic wrap followed by foil. Freeze for up to a month.
For freezing slices of the cake, place the slices on a sheet tray and freeze until firm. Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag for up to a month.

For more details, check out my post on how to freeze cake.

Sliced carrot bundt cake on a white cake plate.

Recipe FAQs

I don’t want to use carrot baby food in this recipe. What can I use instead?

Using carrot baby food is a super quick and easy shortcut for this recipe, but you don’t have to use it. You can make your own carrot puree by steaming carrots until soft, then pureeing them in a food processor or high-speed blender.

Make sure you do not add any salt when steaming or pureeing the carrots. Seasoning the carrot puree will throw off the seasoning of the cake.

Can this cake be made ahead of time?

This carrot bundt cake is delicious the next day and the texture holds up well in the refrigerator, so you can absolutely make it the day before you plan to serve it.

Make the cake, frost it, and store it in a covered cake carrier in the refrigerator until you plan to serve it. I recommend letting it come to room temperature for about an hour before serving.

What if I don’t like cream cheese frosting?

I love cream cheese frosting with carrot cake, but I know that not everyone does! A simple vanilla glaze would be delicious, as would my homemade buttercream frosting.

Even a simple dusting of powdered sugar would be beautiful and perfect with this carrot bundt cake! You really can’t go wrong.