Carrot Bundt Cake

Indulgent, spiced, and incredibly moist carrot bundt cake with a thick layer of cheesecake filling and rich cream cheese glaze. Whip it up in just an hour!

This easy carrot cake recipe will make a great centerpiece for a weekend dinner, holiday gathering, or a party. And for a change, my secret to making it is to not add any nuts, dried fruit, or applesauce in it – just a pure taste of warm spices and cream cheese. Lip smacking good, remember my word!

And, to be fair, making a carrot cake in a bundt pan actually has its perks. Because of the hole in the middle, bundt cakes are easier to bake evenly than regular cakes!

Try more of my favorite carrot cake recipes: Homemade carrot cake, this moist Carrot cake with pineapple, thick carrot cake cookies, or these cutest carrot cake bars with carrots on top. I know my carrot cakes, as you can see, I’ve tried many variations.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This recipe makes 16 amazing slices for your family gathering or birthday party.
• It is also a great cake for the Easter holidays.
• The flavors! The cake is so rich and moist and the cheesecake swirl is so lush! I wouldn’t care if this cake was the least healthy. I’d still eat it.
• Foolproof process: mix dry and wet ingredients, prep the filling, assemble, bake, and glaze. Done!
• Bundt cakes always stand out, they are so pretty and elegant. Plus, today there are so many bundt cake pans with different patterns.

Ingredients Notes

For all the measurements, go to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Carrot Cake

• Flour mixture: all-purpose flour + baking soda + baking powder + salt. Classic mix to help the cake batter rise and get really soft. Using gluten-free flour is totally fine too.
• Sugars: granulated sugar + brown sugar. White sugar makes the edges crispy, but the brown sugar is what adds chewiness, flavor depth, and caramel notes.
• Warm spice: ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• Vegetable oil. In this version of my carrot cake, I don’t use butter, but oil. Use olive oil or coconut oil.
• Eggs make that perfect cake with an airy and light cakey texture. They also enhance the flavor.
• Milk keeps the cake moist and rich. If you need heavy artillery, you can use sour cream or yogurt.
• Vanilla extract
• Finely grated carrots – chopped into smaller pieces. Carrots are naturally sweet and hold lots of moisture. Don’t go with pre-shredded carrots though, make sure to grate or shred fresh carrots. I’d even try one to make sure they are fresh and sweet. You can prep them 1-2 days ahead.

Cream Cheese Layer

• Cream cheese – a non-negotiable, of course. Brick-style cream cheese, room temperature.
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Glaze

• Cream cheese
• Unsalted butter (room temperature)
• Vanilla extract
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Milk. I use milk as I specifically want to make a glaze – a lighter and more transparent version of the classic frosting. So it needs to be runnier.

Kitchen Equipment

• Bundt Cake Pan (greased with baking spray)
• Food processor (if it has a grater) to prep carrots.
• Electric Mixer – Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Plastic wrap and aluminum foil or an airtight container for wrapping leftovers

How To Make Carrot Bundt Cake Recipe

1: Make Carrot Cake Batter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prep the bundt pan by generously greasing, or using a baker’s release product to ensure easy release. Set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl until combined.
4. Beat in the vegetable oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla at medium speed – working until a smooth batter has formed.
5. Fold in the pre-shredded carrots.
6. Set the bowl aside while you make the filling.

2: Make The Cream Cheese Filling

1. Whisk the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until creamy.
2. Transfer this mixture to a piping bag.

3: Bake The Cake

1. Transfer half of the cake batter to the prepared bundt pan.
2. Pipe the filling mixture on top of the cake batter.
3. Top with the remaining cake batter. This should fill the pan ¾ full.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

4: Cream Cheese Frosting (Glaze)

1. Blend the cream cheese and the butter together in a mixing bowl until smooth.
2. Mix in the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla – whisking well until the glaze is smooth and thick (or until you reach the desired consistency).

5: Decorate Cake With Cream Cheese Glaze

1. When the cake is done baking – let it cool for 10-15 minutes before gently inverting it onto a wire rack to remove it from the pan.
2. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake – allowing it to drip and drizzle over the edges of the cake. You can guide the glaze with a knife or spoon to coat as desired.
3. Let cool for another 15 minutes on the cooling rack before cutting and serving.

Storage

Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can make the cake 1 day ahead and keep the unfrosted cake at room temperature.

You can also freeze individual slices of carrot cake, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, and stored in a freezer bag, for 1 month. Cool completely before freezing.

If you freeze the unfrosted cake, it will last longer in the freezer, up to 2 months.

Substitutions & Variations

• More warm spices. You can also use allspice, ground ginger, and ground cloves. You can also add orange zest.
• Cream cheese frosting. You can beat cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and heavy whipping cream. The simple version is also to use just butter and cream cheese (with sugar and vanilla, of course).
• You can also skip the frosting and dust the cake with powdered sugar, apply chocolate glaze, or make buttercream or any other frostings you like!
• Add nuts. Fold in some chopped walnuts or chopped pecans (toasted pecans are the best). You can also use them as a topping.
• Add-ons. Besides chopped nuts you can add raisins, shredded coconuts, crushed pineapple, carrot baby food, and unsweetened applesauce (pineapple, carrot baby food, and applesauce make the cake incredibly moist and rich).
• Add cute sprinkles or candy carrots as topping!

If you love this carrot cake recipe, you’re going to love these other carrot cake treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Bundt Cake Recipes

Banana Coconut Bundt Cake

German Chocolate Bundt Cake

Chocolate Bundt Pudding Cake

Mini Bundt Cakes

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