This is not your ordinary carrot cake recipe. Carrot Bundt Cake is wrapped around a cheesecake filling and covered with cream cheese frosting. It makes an impressive centerpiece for any dessert table!
Love carrot cake recipes? Be sure to try these amazing carrot cake cookies with our homemade cream cheese frosting on top!
Why this Recipe Works
Today’s recipe combines my favorite things: carrot cake, bundt cake and cheesecake!
Okay, FOUR of my favorite things. Frosting. We can’t forget about frosting!
If you’re looking for something a little different for Easter dessert this year, this Carrot Bundt Cake is just the ticket. I have a classic Carrot Cake recipe that’s a family favorite!
I adapted it for a bundt pan and added nuts. Then I stepped up the WOW factor” by adding a ribbon of cheesecake. Who doesn’t love a Carrot cake cheesecake Cake, right?
Top it off with some homemade cream cheese frosting and this is the cake of your dreams.
Or my dreams. Or all our dreams.
I can’t resist sneaking bite after bite of this Carrot Bundt Cake!
Ingredient Notes
In addition to the usual suspects for cake: flour, sugar, and eggs…
- Shredded carrots. Shred whole carrots at home for moistest carrot cake. You can shred them with a grater or the grating attachment of your food processor (do not puree).
- Chopped pecans. You can swap these out for walnuts if you prefer. Or keep them out if you like your cake without nuts. Toast the pecans for best flavor!
- Vanilla. My How to Make Vanilla Extract is perfect in this cake.
Easy Instructions
- Make the cake batter. Set aside.
- Make the cheesecake filling. Set aside.
- Assemble the Carrot Bundt Cake by filling the bottom of a greased bundt pan with 3/4 of the cake batter. Spoon the cheesecake layer on top of that. Finally, add the rest of the cake batter over the cheesecake.
- Bake for an hour. Let the carrot cake cool completely.
- Frost. When the cake is cool, beat together the frosting ingredients. Pipe onto the cake and garnish with more chopped pecans. Slice and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Use a 12 cup bundt pan. I used this one from Amazon.
- Don’t forget to spray! Spray the inside of your bundt pan well with baking spray before adding the cake batter or use Homemade Cake Release.
- Check for doneness. When done baking, the cake should easily pull away from the sides of the bundt pan.
- Use freshly shredded carrots. Store bought shredded carrots tend to be much drier and will reduce the moistness in the cake.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, feel free to omit the nuts in this bundt cake recipe if you prefer a nut free carrot cake.
This recipe was designed and tested to be baked in a 12 cup bundt pan. Try this classic Carrot Cake Recipe for a traditional cake version. Or check out my Carrot Cake Cupcakes!
Once frosted, this cake (and all carrot cake with cream cheese frosting) should be stored in the refrigerator. Left at room temperature for more than a few hours, the cream cheese will soften and melt. Not to mention it has the potential to spoil! Take your Carrot Bundt Cake out of the fridge an hour or so before serving to bring it to room temperature. Or feel free to enjoy it chilled.
Stored in the fridge, this cake stays good for about 4 days. I can never resist eating it all up long before then!
More Cake recipes
- German Chocolate Cake
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Coconut Cake recipe
- Hummingbird Cake
- Cream Puff Cake
- Banana Cake
- Peanut Butter Cake
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section below!
Carrot Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups grated carrots or finely shredded
- 1 cup chopped pecans
For the Filling:
- 1 package cream cheese, softened 8 ounce
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
For the frosting:
- 4 ounce cream cheese softened
- 3 Tablespoon milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan generously with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combined all the ingredients for the cake, mixing until well combined. Batter will be very thick! Set aside.
- For the filling, beat cream cheese with sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- To assemble, fill bottom of sprayed bundt pan with about 3/4 of the batter. Spoon the cream cheese into the pan, being careful not to let it touch the sides of the pan. Spoon the remaining batter over the cream cheese layer. It’s okay if it doesn’t cover completely.
- Bake cake in a preheated oven for 60-65 minutes. Cake will be browned and will pull away from the pan when done. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pour frosting into a large ziploc bag and snip off the corner. Pipe onto cake, generously. Sprinkle immediately with chopped pecans. ENJOY!
Notes
- Use a 12 cup bundt pan. I used this one from Amazon.
- Don’t forget to spray! Spray the inside of your bundt pan well with baking spray before adding the cake batter or use Homemade Cake Release.
- Check for doneness. When done baking, the cake should easily pull away from the sides of the bundt pan.
- Use freshly shredded carrots. Store bought shredded carrots tend to be much drier and will reduce the moistness in the cake.
- STORAGE: Store cake in refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video
Nutrition
The perfect Easter dessert! This Carrot Bundt Cake with cheesecake filling is bound to turn a few heads at your holiday meal.
Although prep time was more than 15 minutes, this was easy to make. And so delicious! The cake itself is so moist and tasty, but then there’s that cream cheese filling and frosting! I’m a chocaholic, but I could eat this carrot cake every day. Thanks for this perfect recipe. I did add vanilla to the frosting, my personal magic in all frostings.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I just made this, and mine, too had all the cheesecake filling at the bottom, which was the top when baking. Suggestions??? Thanks!
Made this cake and it tasted great. However, the cream cheese filling did not float in the center. What could have went wrong? After flipping it out the cream cheese was all at the bottom. Thanks in advance.
I made this cake today and my problem seems to be the same as a few other bakers. I followed the receipt except for I used coconut oil. I removed it from the oven after 55 mins. And after cooling for about 15 mins flipped the cake. It stuck to the pan so I smack it against the counter and flipped again. Half the cake fell out down to and including some of the cream cheese filling. It was a mess. My husband is sitting here eating it with spoon and says it tastes great. I think I will try one more time and use the vegetable oil and also leave it in for the full 60-65 mins.
I can only say that given my directions are what worked. WHen you change ingredients and baking time, results will vary.
Hello, I have made once already. Came out so perfect and delicious! I now would like to add crushed pineapple. Is there anything I need to adjust? Would hate to ruin this yummy cake. Thanks in advance.
I’ve not tried that! I would just make sure you drain that pineapple so it doesn’t add extra moisture (you may need to cut back some of the liquid)!
I made this carrot cake for my family and everybody loved it. I was particularly surprised that the grandkids loved it seeing it was carrot cake. It was a hit with everyone. Will definitely make this Again. I might cut down on the pecans though. Just a little to much for me. Definitely a keeper.
Love that your family loved it 🙂 Thanks for letting us know!
Just made this cake. It is delicious but way to much sugar. Didn’t taste like a carrot cake, just tasted like sugar.
Hi can you use Splenda or Truvia instead of sugar?
I made this last night, and like a previous commenter, when I flipped it out of my bundt pan, it was all cracked and broke apart. I let it cool about 15 minutes prior and my pan is non stick and it flipped out easily, so it wasn’t an issue of it falling apart because it was stuck in the pan. Such a bummer because this was supposed to be my Easter dessert, but I will say the broken pieces were delicious!
I made this over the weekend to see if I can trouble shoot for you guys, but mine turned out just fine again. I’m so sorry, wish I knew why that happened for you!
This is the first comment I have ever made on a pinterest find. I followed the instructions and the cake turned out amazing. It looked just like the picture and was so delicious. Thank you, it will be a new family favourite from now on.
Awww I love to hear this! I’m so glad it was a hit 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Because this has cream cheese does it have to be refrigerated?
I would cover and refrigerate it after baking. ENJOY!
I made this tonight and the plan was to have a bit and then he could bring it to work. I followed the directions exactly, no fudging including a generous coating of baking spray on the bundt pan . After the 10 min of cooling prior to frosting the cake I went to turn it over and the cake basically fell apart. I don’t know if it wasn’t cool enough or what. Should this have been baking spray with flour by chance? Yes it was good but I’m more upset about it falling apart. It’s a lot of work and time to make this and to have that happen is just totally frustrating.
The baking sprays DO have flour in them. I’m so sorry it didn’t come out of the pan for you. I use a nonstick bundt pan, which may also help ease it out. It really should have flipped out, so without being there I’m not sure what went wrong.
hello, I would like to know how much is a cup? big or small tea? thanks
250 ml
Aimee – thanks for sharing this. I made it for Easter and it was delicious!
Hi Nicole, thanks for letting me know!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Looks YUMMY…Question is…Can I make it this week & freeze it til next week???
I haven’t tried freezing it. If I were though, I would freeze without the frosting…and put the frosting on after it’s thawed.
This bundt cake looks amazing! I can’t believe how pretty it is 🙂 I love carrots, and its the time of year I start craving carrot desserts.
Wow, now this is a dessert that I can get down with. This is a creative idea and I love it. I love cake and cheesecake, but it takes it to a different level when the two are combined.
This has like all of my favorite things in one cake! Looks soo good.
Carrot cake is actually one of my favorites!!! And I love that cheesecake ribbon inside of course 🙂 Good to know that others cut clean slivers on their desserts too…I tend to keep making cuts and before I know it half of the dessert is gone. Whoops!!!
I just got a bundt pan and carrot cake is one of my faves! This is happening in my future.
Enjoy the recipe Medha! Bundt cakes just taste better than regular, haha!