Caramel Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

This caramel carrot bundt cake with caramel cream cheese icing is a novel spin on the traditional carrot cake, moist and flavorful with carrots, cinnamon, and a touch of caramel.

It’s a very quick carrot bundt cake that you’ll want to make again and again. The beautiful thing about this cake is that, although being made from scratch, it is simple to assemble, thanks in part to its use of a bundt pan.

Bundt cakes are very easy to make since they only need one pan and you don’t have to bother about decorating the cake afterwards.

Carrot cake is a delicious comfort dish. It’s a classic, but it’s also enjoyable to mix things up and make things interesting, which is where the caramel comes in.

I believe the rich caramel flavor complements the spiciness of the carrot cake, which is similar to pound cake in this instance. There’s even some caramel in the usual cream cheese topping.

Hello there! Before you browse, there’s a lot of vital information in this article!includes the FAQ section, which may help you with any queries you have regarding this recipe. Enjoy!

Cinnamon: Don’t leave out the cinnamon since it’s what gives this cake its characteristic carrot cake flavor, along with the carrots.

Caramel Chips: These are delicious in the cake. It adds a dash of caramel flavor, making it distinct from traditional carrot cake. You’ll also mix some into the cream cheese glaze to provide a touch of caramel taste.

Cream cheese: This cake’s icing asks for cream cheese. It adds a little acidity, and cream cheese works well with carrot cake.

Mixing Method Notes:

Let’s speak about the mixing process for a minute.(Exact directions are included in the recipe card below.)

This cake’s mixing process is quite simple. Simply combine the liquid components with the dry ones, stir, then add the carrots and caramel pieces and mix. The cake is quite easy to make, and you don’t even need a mixer.

The batter will then be poured into a greased and floured bundt pan and baked.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze and set it aside to cool fully before adding it to the cake.

Tips & FAQs:

Does carrot bundt cake actually have carrots in it?

It certainly does. Carrot cake contains shredded carrots, just as apple cake has apples, pumpkin cake contains pumpkin, and zucchini cake contains zucchini.

I know it’s difficult for some people to envision putting carrots in a cake and it really taste wonderful. I’m sure you’ve had carrot cake before, but if you haven’t, believe me when I say it’s delicious.

Tip for preparing the pan:

Make careful to thoroughly oil and flour the bundt pan since this cake is moist and will cling to the pan if not properly prepared.

Tip for preparing the shredded carrots:

Make your own carrots by grating or shredding them. The store-bought pre-shredded kind is often excessively thick. You don’t want thick carrot bits in your carrot cake.

You may use a food processor or an old-fashioned handheld grater.

Do I have to use the caramel chips?

No, but it adds to the taste of the cake. It’s supposed to be a caramel carrot cake, and the caramel pieces aid to give taste and sweetness.

Why do I have to chop up the caramel chips?

This prevents the caramel chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan while the cake bakes.

Can I substitute the baking powder or baking soda?

No, you don’t want to do that since baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing and cannot be substituted similarly.

If you want to learn more about what they do, check out this post: Baking Powder versus Baking Soda.

Can this cake be made ahead of time? Can it be frozen?

Yes, you may make this cake ahead of time. Once baked, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 5-6 days.

Wrap the unfrosted cooled cake in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in the freezer for up to one month. Set the cake out at room temperature to defrost and leave the wrappings on while it thaws. Remove the wrappings and glaze the cake after it has defrosted.

Can carrot bundt cake be left out? How should I store it?

Because this cake has a cream cheese icing, it must be kept in the refrigerator. Make careful to cover it tightly so it doesn’t dry out, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.

Can this cake be made into a layer cake?

This cake recipe has not been tested as a layer cake. In theory, it should work great cooked in two 8-inch round cake pans, however the baking time will most likely need to be reduced.

Just keep in mind that this cake has a pound cake consistency and will be somewhat denser than a fluffy layer cake when cooked in layer cake pans.

See this article for an extremely wonderful layer carrot cake without caramel: Scratch Carrot Cake with Pineapple.

How should this cake be served?

This cake is best served at room temperature, but since it must be kept in the refrigerator, lay it out about 20-30 minutes before serving or microwave a piece for approximately 20 seconds.

What else can be added to this cake?

Feel free to include walnuts, pecans, or even raisins into the cake batter.

How can I tell when this cake is done?

When a toothpick put into the top comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean, the cake is done.

What is the best time to make carrot bundt cake?

This cake is ideal for spring or Easter, but it can also be made whenever you have a taste for carrot cake.

There are affiliate links in this post. I earn money as an Amazon Associate by making qualifying purchases.

Supplies & Tools Used:

  • Mixing bowls
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Hand mixer
  • Food processor or grater
  • Bundt pan
  • Cooling rack

Ok, lets get to the recipe!

***I write recipes in volume (cup) measures since that is what people in the United States are accustomed to seeing and using. Click the metric button beneath the ingredients in the recipe card to get weight in metric measures. The weights are converted by a software, not by me, and the results are an educated approximation. Please keep in mind that while I prepare recipes in cups, I cannot guarantee that weighing the components will provide the same results.

Recipe:

Caramel Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

This caramel carrot bundt cake with caramel cream cheese glaze is a new twist on the classic carrot cake that’s moist with a tasty combination of carrots, cinnamon and a hint of caramel.

Print
Pin

Rate

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: caramel carrot cake
Prep Time: 1hour
Cook Time: 55minutes
Total Time: 1hour55minutes
Servings: 14servings
Calories: 520kcal
Author: Sweet-crush.com @Sweet-crush.com

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 cupsall-purpose flour
  • 2cupssugar
  • 1teaspoonbaking powder
  • teaspoonbaking soda
  • teaspoonsalt
  • 2teaspooncinnamon
  • 4largeeggs
  • 1cupvegetable oil
  • cupmilk
  • 2teaspoonvanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded carrots (see FAQ section for thinly shredded carrots)
  • 1 cup caramel chips, chopped(I measured one cup and chopped it) (Buy one box of caramel baking chips; the remainder will go into the glaze)

Caramel Cream Cheese Glaze

  • cupunsalted butter, room temperature(1 stick)
  • 18 ozcream cheese, room temperature(1 package)
  • 3cups confectioners sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk (or cream) (extra tablespoon optional)
  • 1teaspoonvanilla extract
  • cup melted and cooled caramel chips (use whatever is left in the package after baking the cake)

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Well grease and flour a bundt pan.
  • Set aside 2 cups of carrots after shredding them. Thinly shave the carrots.
  • 1 to 1 cup caramel chips, pulsed in a food processor to split them up a little. If you don’t have a food processor, just place them in a big ziplock bag, seal it, and break them up with a rolling pin. (You want the chips to be smaller so they don’t sink to the bottom during baking and so the caramel flavor is evenly distributed throughout the cake. Set aside the caramel chunks.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Set aside after thoroughly mixing with a whisk.
  • Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing basin. Mix well with a whisk.
  • Mix the liquid and dry ingredients together using a whisk or wooden spoon.
  • Stir in the carrots and chopped caramel chips.
  • Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes at 325 degrees F. A tootphick inserted into the middle will come out clean or with a few wet crumbs, but no uncooked batter.
  • Cool for approximately 20 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool fully on a rack.

For the glaze:

  • Microwave a cup of caramel chips and 1 tablespoon milk for around 30 seconds. (Use whatever is left over from the bag.) Mix in the remaining tablespoon of milk. Continue to mix until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
  • Mix the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
  • Mix in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and two tablespoons of milk. Mix on medium-low until combined, then increase to medium-high until smooth.
  • Mix in the melted caramel chips on medium-high. Examine the consistency. If the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time, mixing after each addition until the correct consistency is obtained. If you add too much milk, the glaze will run off the cake and pool at the bottom.
  • Once the cake has cooled, spoon on the glaze or pour it on with a piping bag.

Notes

Since this cake includes cream cheese in the glaze, it should be stored, covered well, in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.This cake is best served and eaten at room temperature, so set the cake out ahead of time to allow it to come to room temperature before serving, or microwave a slice for no more than about 10 – 15 seconds.Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions you might have.*This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition

Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 78g | Vitamin A: 4134IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1mg
  • Carrot Cake with Pineapple
  • Loaded Easter Blondies
  • Cadbury Easter Egg Cake
  • Giant Peeps Easter Bunny Cake

FAQs

Do you glaze a bundt cake hot or cold?

Should I allow my cake to cool before coating it? Yes. Always allow your baked items to cool fully before glazing or frosting them. The glaze will just melt off your cake or muffins if they are too heated.

How do you glaze a bundt cake with canned frosting?

Frost with store-bought canned frosting:

Simply put any canned frosting in a bowl and warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds. Because it heats up quickly, just warm it for approximately 20 seconds at a time. Then drizzle or spoon it over the cake, or just pour it over.

Does carrot cake with cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated?

THE BOTTOM LINE: Cake with cream cheese icing must be refrigerated—usually within 2 hours of being prepared. To serve the chilled cake, take just the pieces you want to serve from the refrigerator, rather than the whole cake, since individual slices will warm up faster.

Should I refrigerate cream cheese frosting before piping?

Yes, cream cheese frosting must be refrigerated since it is perishable.

When should you glaze a bundt cake?

Make sure the cake has fully cooled before adding a thin glaze. If you need to spread a glaze, a little warm cake will enable the glaze to spread more readily, but if the cake is too warm, the glaze will run off the cake.

Can I turn store-bought frosting into a glaze?

Can I make a glaze out of store-bought frosting? Sure! Simply place the frosting in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds on high.

Do you let a Bundt cake cool before icing?

1. Allow the cake to totally cool. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before icing or coating it, ideally on a wire rack. If you’re not going to ice the cake right away, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and keep it on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days.

Can I use canned frosting as a glaze?

Canned icing, like handmade frosting, may be diluted to make a glaze that can be spread thinly or drizzled over cakes and other delicacies. The glaze becomes less frothy and provides a glossy frosting that is ideal for decorating with candies, nuts, and tiny fruit.

How do you store carrot cake with cream cheese topping?

Storing an iced carrot cake – Refrigerate your carrot cake once it has been iced and adorned with cream cheese icing. If your cream cheese frosting is left at room temperature, it will melt and fall off the cake. If your cake is uncut, it may be kept in the refrigerator for approximately a week, uncovered.

Rate this post