Carrot bundt cake with cream cheese glaze is a showstopping festive cake that is light, fluffy, and moist. It is packed with grated carrots, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, and walnuts for that warm holiday flavour and the best texture. The easy-to-make batter comes together in just 10 minutes, is baked in a round bundt cake pan, and comes out perfect every time. This carrot cake is topped with a homemade cream cheese glaze with walnuts on top. It's sweet, creamy, and savoury, and seriously looks just as amazing at it tastes. The perfect cake to make this spring for Easter.
Why You'll Love this Carrot Bundt Cake
- Rich, flavourful taste. Cinnamon and vanilla are superstars together, but when you add shredded carrots, brown sugar, raisins, and walnuts, the flavour of this carrot bundt cake is out of this world. Vegetables have never tasted so good.
- You can’t go wrong with the classics. Although the bundt pan is German, the French, English, and Swiss all claim the original carrot cake recipe as their own—it’s that good.
- It’s literally good for your eyes! While eating this cake every day might add more sugar to your diet than you want, this carrot cake is loaded with two cups of fresh carrots with a chock full of vitamin A, which aids in eye health!
- Moist, cakey texture. Freshly grated carrots bring more than vitamin A to the table. They add moisture, volume, and natural sugars to this carrot bundt cake. Healthy fats from the olive oil also lock in moisture, resulting in a perfect cakey texture.
If you loved this carrot bundt cake with cream cheese glaze, then you will love Carrot Cake with Cheesecake Topping, Spiced Carrot Muffins, and Carrot Cake Biscotti.
Ingredients
To make this easy carrot bundt cake with cream cheese glaze, you will need the following ingredients:
- all-purpose white flour
- baking soda and baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- carrots
- raisins
- walnuts
- eggs
- olive oil
- light brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- cream cheese glaze - made with cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, milk, and crushed walnuts to sprinkle on top.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, hand mixer (or stand mixer), 10-cup bundt pan, and wire cooling rack.
How to Make the Best Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts. Whisk together until evenly distributed and combined.
- Combine wet ingredients. In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, sugar, vanilla and carrots until smooth.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into dry flour mixture and fold together using a spatula until just combined and no dry ingredients are visible.
- Bake. Coat a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour the batter inside. Bake in a 350 F preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the carrot cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the bundt pan on a wire cooling rack, then turn it upside down onto the wire cooling rack to remove. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Glaze
In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and milk (½ tablespoon at a time) and beat until smooth and desired consistency is reached. The icing should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the icing is too thin, add in a little more sugar. If it is too thick, add in a little more milk.
Use a spoon to slowly drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the cooled bundt cake and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
Tips and Tricks
- How to store: Store this freshly baked carrot bundt cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (if cream cheese glaze has not been added), or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (if cream cheese glaze has been added).
- How to freeze: This carrot bundt cake freezes beautifully. To freeze, cut the baked and cooled carrot bundt cake into the portions you will want to thaw. Then, wrap each piece tightly in several layers of plastic wrap. Store in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. If possible, I would recommend freezing the cake before adding the glaze as it can smudge when storing. To eat, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- How to reheat: If desired, you can also warm up this carrot cake in the microwave, oven, or air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
- How to make it dairy-free and vegan: This carrot bundt cake is already dairy-free without the frosting, and you can make it vegan by substituting the eggs with 1 cup of a vegan egg (like Just Egg) OR 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
More Dessert Recipes
- 30 Best Easter Dessert Recipes
- Carrot Cake Shortbread
- Carrot Cake Biscotti
- Hot Cross Buns
- Persian Rice Cookies with Poppy Seeds
- Carrot Cake with Cheesecake Topping
- Spiced Carrot Muffins
- Persian Chickpea Cookies with Pistachio
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Recipe
Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Showstopping carrot bundt cake with cream cheese glaze is light, fluffy, and moist. It's loaded with sugar, spice, and everything nice -- including freshly grated carrots.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose white flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 medium carrots (2 cups), finely grated
For the cream cheese glaze:
- 4 oz. cream cheese (½ package), at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Coat a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts. Whisk together until evenly distributed and combined.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, sugar, vanilla and carrots until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into dry flour mixture and fold together using a spatula until just combined and no dry ingredients are visible.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the carrot cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the bundt pan on a wire cooling rack, then turn it upside down onto the wire cooling rack to remove. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
For the cream cheese glaze:
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and milk (½ tablespoon at a time) and beat until smooth and desired consistency is reached. The icing should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the icing is too thin, add in a little more sugar. If it is too thick, add in a little more milk.
- Use a spoon to slowly drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the cooled bundt cake and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
Notes
Equipment used: measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, hand mixer, 10-cup bundt pan, and wire cooling rack.
How to store: Store this freshly baked carrot bundt cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (if cream cheese glaze has not been added), or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (if cream cheese glaze has been added).
How to freeze: This carrot bundt cake freezes beautifully. To freeze, cut the baked and cooled carrot bundt cake into the portions you will want to thaw. Then, wrap each piece tightly in several layers of plastic wrap. Store in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. If possible, I would recommend freezing the cake before adding the glaze as it can smudge when storing. To eat, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
How to reheat: If desired, you can also warm up this carrot cake in the microwave, oven, or air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
How to make it dairy-free and vegan: This carrot bundt cake is already dairy-free without the frosting, and you can make it vegan by substituting the eggs with 1 cup of a vegan egg OR 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooling Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Cake
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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Amanda says
I made this today and it is delicious! I added a little extra cinnamon and some allspice 😻
Sierra says
Super easy and so delicious!!!
Gabby Juhasz says
This recipe was delicious! I made this for my mom for Mother’s Day and she loved it. The only change I had to make was reducing the baking time to about 40 minutes. I checked the cake and it was definitely done, it would have been very burnt if I left it in for the full 60 minutes.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you for sharing! It could depend on the size of your bundt pan or how hot your oven runs. Thanks for sharing, that is a good point!
Carlie M Davis says
Thanks for this tip. I left mine for the full 60 minutes and it was definitely overbaked - I think the 60 minute cook time is much too long
Blanche says
I made this cake with my favorite gluten-free flour mix .... and at high altitude in Denver, Colorado. It turned out just like the photos and was delicious!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you for sharing! So happy you liked the recipe.
christi says
Can I make this without the raisins and have the same texture?
Jill Baird says
What a delicious and fun Easter dessert recipe! That cream cheese frosting is amazing!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Jill! So happy you liked it!
Gina says
Classic carrot cake flavors never disappoint, absolutely love enjoying it in this bundt cake. Such a perfect texture and we LOVE the cream cheese glaze!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Gina! So happy you liked the recipe!