J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake

This copycat version of J. Alexander’s carrot cake is every bit as perfect as the restaurant’s original. Full of carrots, pineapple and coconut, this sheet cake is soaked with a buttermilk syrup while it’s still warm and then finished with cream cheese frosting for a melt-in-your-mouth slice of cake.

I don’t throw out the word “best” in front of many of my recipe titles, but I almost did for this carrot cake.

I’ve been obsessed with the carrot cake from J. Alexander’s for well over a decade. In my opinion, it is carrot cake perfection.

I would get a piece to go almost every time I ate there and nibble on it every night for dessert throughout the week.

When we moved to Cleveland from Toledo, my love affair with J.’s kind of ended because the closest one is now almost an hour away. 😭

One Easter I decided to search for a copycat recipe for the cake and stumbled upon one from the Sun-Sentinel. You guys, it is pretty much an exact dupe.

I can’t let a single spring go by without reminding you about this incredible carrot cake recipe. It’s hearty, moist, perfectly sweet ,and the frosting – it’s seriously eat-it-with-a-spoon good.

If you’re looking for a last-minute dessert for your Easter, Mother’s Day, or special occasion dessert table or just one seriously delicious cake recipe, I promise you, this carrot cake will quickly become your new fave!

J. Alexander’s carrot cake recipe

Even as someone with a self-proclaimed baking addiction, it’s not all that often that I recommend a restaurant based solely on one dessert. But J. Alexander’s carrot cake is everything you could want.

The thing that I think makes J. Alexander’s carrot cake special and different from a classic carrot cake recipe is the cake syrup.

Most carrot cake recipes have a yummy cake base and a tangy cream cheese frosting. But J. Alexander’s carrot cake is also soaked in a sweet buttermilk syrup before it is frosted, while the cake is still warm.

The result is a carrot cake that never dries out and almost melts in your mouth.

One of the other things I love about J. Alexander’s carrot cake recipe is the inclusion of pineapple, coconut and chopped pecans.

If you love Hummingbird Cupcakes, you’ll love pineapple in your carrot cake. The bright, almost tart pineapple and the sweet coconut are a great match for the carrots in this cake.

Ingredient notes and helpful resources

• Before you begin baking, make sure you review how to measure flour correctly. Getting this step right will make the difference between a perfect carrot cake or one that’s just not quite right.
• This recipe uses buttermilk in both the cake and the syrup. You can use a buttermilk substitute in the cake batter, but I don’t recommend it for the syrup. 
• Like most carrot cakes or vegetable-based cakes like pineapple zucchini cake, this is an oil-based cake. I typically use vegetable oil or canola oil, but you can use any neutral-flavored oil. Avocado oil works great.
• Make sure the butter for the syrup and frosting and the cream cheese for the frosting are softened to room temperature. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, check out my tips for softening butter and softening cream cheese quickly.
• Don’t stress if you’re out of powdered sugar for the frosting. I have a post outlining how to make powdered sugar that’ll save you a trip to the store. 

How to make J. Alexander’s carrot cake

One of the best things about this recipe is that the cake can be easily made with just a whisk and spatula and a bowl. No mixers needed!

Start by mixing the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk the remaining cake ingredients until well combined. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spread the batter into a greased 9×13-inch cake pan. Bake the cake for about 45-50 minutes; it’s done when the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, with only a few crumbs clinging to it.

During the last few minutes of baking, combine the syrup ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved—you don’t need to bring the syrup to a boil.

After the cake comes out of the oven, use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. While the syrup and cake are both warm, pour the syrup over the cake. The syrup will seep into the holes you made, allowing the cake to better absorb it.

Transfer the cake to the refrigerator until cooled, then make the cream cheese frosting. If you need more guidance on that process, check out my cream cheese frosting recipe. Spread the frosting over the cake and chill the cake until ready to serve.