The Ultimate Moist Brown Butter Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prepare to discover your new favorite way to enjoy carrot cake! This recipe transforms the classic, lightly-spiced dessert into an effortlessly elegant bundt cake, brimming with delicious mix-ins like tender shredded coconut and crunchy pecans, all crowned with a luscious cream cheese icing. But what truly sets this carrot cake apart and elevates it to an unforgettable level is the secret ingredient: browned butter. This simple technique infuses the cake with a deep, nutty, and incredibly rich flavor that will make this the BEST carrot bundt cake you’ve ever tasted, guaranteed.
To be completely honest, for a long time, I wasn’t the biggest fan of carrot cake. Throughout my childhood, I often thought the only truly enjoyable part was the generous slather of cream cheese frosting. However, as I’ve grown older and developed a more discerning palate for baked goods, this particular carrot bundt cake recipe has absolutely won me over! It’s not just a good carrot cake; it’s a revelation that has completely changed my perspective on this beloved dessert. The depth of flavor and perfect texture are simply irresistible.
This cake is incredibly moist and bursting with a symphony of flavors, thanks to its thoughtful blend of traditional ingredients that everyone loves. Each bite delivers the delightful textures and tastes of sweet coconut, finely chopped pecans, fresh shredded carrots, and the tangy brightness of crushed pineapple, all perfectly balanced with warm spices like cinnamon and ginger. The inclusion of browned butter is a game-changer, introducing a whole new layer of complex, toasted flavor that complements the spices beautifully. And, of course, we absolutely cannot overlook the rich, creamy, and decadent cream cheese frosting – which, even now, might still be my favorite part of the entire experience. It truly ties all the amazing elements together into a harmonious and utterly delicious dessert.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love it
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make this carrot bundt cake, step-by-step
- Recipe tips and FAQs
- Make it now, here’s the recipe
- More cake recipes
Why You’ll Fall in Love with This Carrot Bundt Cake
Here’s why I’m confident that this particular carrot cake recipe is going to become an instant favorite in your kitchen!
- No mixer required! This recipe simplifies the baking process immensely. Forget about lugging out your stand mixer or hand mixer; all you need are a couple of bowls and a whisk. It’s perfect for beginner bakers or anyone looking for a less fuss, more flavor approach to baking.
- Bundt cakes are so much easier and less fussy than layer cakes. If you’ve ever been intimidated by stacking and frosting a multi-tiered layer cake, a bundt cake is your answer. It offers a stunning, elegant presentation with minimal effort. Just bake, cool, and drizzle with frosting – it’s that simple, yet always impressive!
- It boasts all the cozy, comforting flavors you expect—warm spices, nuts, and coconut—with an extra layer of gourmet taste. The secret? Brown butter. This magical ingredient adds an incredible depth of nutty, toasted caramel notes that complement the cinnamon and ginger beautifully, making every bite exceptionally rich and complex.
- Shredded carrots and crushed pineapple work together to create the perfectly moist, tender texture. These natural moisteners ensure your cake is never dry, but instead delightfully tender and succulent. The pineapple also adds a subtle tangy sweetness that brightens the overall flavor profile.
- It’s generously topped with a rich, creamy cream cheese glaze, ensuring a perfect cake-to-frosting ratio every time. We’re talking about a pourable, decadent frosting that drapes beautifully over the fluted edges of the bundt, guaranteeing that you get a bite of moist cake and luscious frosting with every single forkful.
This incredible carrot bundt cake is versatile enough for any celebration. It’s absolutely perfect for festive occasions like Easter gatherings, Thanksgiving desserts, Christmas celebrations, birthday parties, or simply as a special treat to brighten an ordinary day. Its impressive appearance and unforgettable flavor make it a crowd-plepleaser no matter the event!
Essential Ingredients for Your Carrot Bundt Cake
While a carrot cake ingredient list might seem a bit long, rest assured there’s nothing overly complicated or unusual required for this recipe. Each component plays a vital role in creating its incredible flavor and texture. For the full, precise measurements and detailed instructions, you can always find the complete recipe card further down below:
- Salted butter: The star ingredient that will be browned to impart an incredible nutty depth to the cake. Salted butter adds a nice balance to the sweetness.
- Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will work, but I highly recommend choosing dark brown sugar. Its higher molasses content provides richer moisture and a more pronounced caramel flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the cake.
- Eggs: Large eggs are essential for structure, richness, and binding the ingredients together, contributing to the cake’s moist crumb.
- All-purpose flour: The foundational dry ingredient, providing the cake’s structure. Make sure to measure it correctly for the best texture.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt: These leavening agents ensure a light and airy texture, while salt balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
- Ground cinnamon and ginger: The quintessential warm spices that give carrot cake its comforting aroma and flavor. These provide that classic cozy spice blend.
- Vanilla extract: A crucial flavor enhancer that complements the spices and adds a touch of sweetness and warmth.
- Canned crushed pineapple: Do NOT drain the pineapple! The juice is vital for contributing significant moisture and a lovely tangy sweetness to the cake, keeping it incredibly moist.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: While unsweetened coconut can be used, sweetened shredded coconut is preferred here. It adds extra moisture and a delightful chewiness that enhances the cake’s texture and sweetness.
- Chopped pecans: Or walnuts, if you prefer! These add a wonderful crunch and nutty flavor that contrasts beautifully with the soft cake. Ensure they are finely chopped for even distribution.
- Freshly shredded carrots: This is a non-negotiable ingredient! Store-bought shredded carrots are often dry and lack the fresh moisture needed for a truly exceptional cake. Grating your own from whole carrots ensures maximum moisture and flavor.
- Cream cheese: The base for our irresistibly tangy and creamy frosting. Ensure it’s at room temperature for easy blending.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the cream cheese frosting, giving it that classic smooth consistency.
- Heavy cream: Used to adjust the consistency of the frosting, making it pourable yet rich, allowing it to beautifully drape over the bundt cake.
How to Craft This Perfect Carrot Bundt Cake, Step-by-Step
Making this incredible carrot bundt cake is a straightforward process, even with the added step of browning butter. Follow these steps for a perfectly moist and flavorful cake:
- Brown butter, grate carrots, and prep other ingredients. The first crucial step is to brown your butter on the stove. This simple technique takes a few minutes and will infuse your cake with unparalleled nutty flavor. While the butter is browning and then cooling, get ahead by freshly shredding your carrots. You can use a box grater for a classic shred or a food processor for speed. Additionally, measure out all your other ingredients, ensuring they are ready to go for a seamless baking process. It’s also a good idea to finely chop the shredded carrots, coconut, and pecans for the best texture.
- Prepare the batter. Begin by combining all your dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger – in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cooled browned butter with the wet ingredients: brown sugar, undrained crushed pineapple, eggs, vanilla extract, and of course, the freshly shredded carrots. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry mixture. Stir gently, just until a few streaks of flour remain, being careful not to overmix. Then, fold in your chopped pecans and sweetened shredded coconut until just incorporated.
- Bake. The carrot cake batter will be delightfully thick, so use a spoon or spatula to scoop and evenly spread it into your meticulously well-greased bundt pan. Baking at 350°F for approximately an hour will yield a beautifully golden brown and thoroughly cooked cake. Keep an eye on it towards the end of the baking time.
- Cool completely. After baking, allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 10-15 minutes. This crucial resting period helps the cake firm up before you carefully invert it onto a wire rack. It’s essential to let the cake cool completely on the rack before applying any frosting to prevent it from melting and sliding off.
- Top with frosting. While your cake is cooling, prepare the luxurious cream cheese frosting. Simply stir together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream until smooth and thick. You want an icing that is luscious enough to drape elegantly over the bundt’s sides but still holds its shape. Use a spoon to generously drizzle and spread it over the top of your completely cooled cake.
- Serve and enjoy! Once frosted, your magnificent carrot bundt cake is ready to be sliced and enjoyed immediately. If you’re not serving it right away, store it in the refrigerator. For the best taste and texture, I highly recommend taking it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to allow the cake and frosting to come closer to room temperature, enhancing their flavors.
Recipe Tips and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some additional tips and answers to common questions to help you achieve the most perfect carrot bundt cake every time:
I strongly recommend using a 10-12-cup capacity bundt pan to ensure your cake bakes evenly and has enough space to rise. This is the specific pan I use and trust. Opt for a light-colored metal pan, as darker metal pans tend to absorb more heat, which can lead to overbrowning and dry edges. Whether you use a nonstick or regular pan, the most crucial step is to generously grease it with a nonstick baking spray that contains flour, like Baker’s Joy. This ensures your beautiful cake releases cleanly and effortlessly.
Please, for the love of moist cake, do not use store-bought, pre-shredded carrots! By the time they reach your home, they have often lost a significant amount of their essential moisture, which is crucial for achieving that wonderfully tender cake texture. Instead, invest a few extra minutes to grate your own fresh carrots using either a box grater or, for ultimate convenience, a food processor (my preferred method). After grating, I also recommend giving the carrots a rough chop with a sharp knife to break them into even smaller pieces for a more uniform and pleasant texture throughout the cake.
This decadent bundt cake stores exceptionally well! It will retain its deliciousness for about 5 days, though it will gradually lose a tiny bit of its moisture over time. Because the frosting contains cream cheese, it is essential to store the frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you wish to prepare ahead or save some for later, you can absolutely freeze the unfrosted carrot bundt cake for up to 1 month. To do so, wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. When you’re ready to enjoy it, let the cake thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours, making sure to only remove the plastic wrap once it has fully thawed to lock in all that precious moisture.
baking tip:How do you know when your bundt cake is perfectly done?
I typically begin checking for doneness approximately 5-10 minutes before the recipe’s stated bake time is complete. This is because oven temperatures can vary, and baking times are always approximate. Trust your judgment and these testing methods for the perfect bake!
Ready to Bake? Here’s the Full Recipe!
Carrot Bundt Cake
Pin Recipe
Leave a Review
Ingredients
Carrot Bundt Cake:
- 1 cup (226 grams) salted butter , cubed
- 2 ¼ cup (325 grams) all-purpose flour , measured correctly (see Notes)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ cup (320 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup (215 grams) canned crushed pineapple , not drained
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 grams) freshly shredded carrots , 3-5 carrots depending on size
- 1 cup (90 grams) sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup (60 grams) pecan pieces (coarsely chopped pecans)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese , at room temperature
- 2 cups (227 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream , as needed
Equipment
Instructions
To make the carrot bundt cake:
-
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and generously grease a 10-12 cup capacity bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray (ensure it contains flour for best release).
-
Add cubed butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat. It will melt and begin to foam. Stir frequently with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan, and continue to cook until you see small brown specs forming in the butter and it emits a rich, nutty aroma. Remove from heat immediately and pour it into a large bowl to cool slightly.
-
While the butter is browning and cooling, efficiently prep your other ingredients. Once carrots are freshly shredded, use a sharp knife to chop them into smaller, finer pieces (this step is especially important if you use a food processor). I also prefer to more finely chop the coconut and pecans after measuring them to ensure an even distribution in the cake.
-
In a separate large bowl, thoroughly combine all the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger. Whisk them together until well blended.
-
Once the browned butter has cooled to a slightly warm room temperature (it shouldn’t be hot), stir in the wet ingredients: packed brown sugar, undrained crushed pineapple, large eggs, vanilla extract, and the freshly shredded carrots. Mix until everything is well combined.
-
Pour the wet ingredients mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula or spoon, just until a few streaks of flour visibly remain. At this point, add the finely chopped sweetened coconut and pecan pieces, and continue stirring just until they are fully incorporated into the batter. Be careful not to overmix.
-
Spoon the thick cake batter evenly into the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. For a more precise reading, an instant-read thermometer should register between 190-200°F (88-93°C) when inserted into the deepest part of the cake.
-
Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 10-15 minutes. This cooling period is crucial for the cake to set and firm up before you carefully invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
To make frosting:
-
In a medium bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. You can use an electric mixer for a super smooth frosting, but it can also be easily done by hand with a whisk or spatula. You are aiming for a very thick icing, yet one that is still soft enough to elegantly drape down the sides of the bundt cake. If needed, gradually add more heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired pourable consistency.
-
Once the bundt cake is completely cooled, use a spoon to generously add the prepared frosting to the top. Gently encourage it to cascade down the fluted sides of the cake, creating a beautiful and delicious finish.
-
Serve your magnificent carrot bundt cake immediately and savor every bite, or store it in the fridge for later enjoyment. The bundt cake will keep wonderfully for about 5 days in the refrigerator, but it is truly at its absolute best and most flavorful when enjoyed within the first 2 days of baking.
Notes
- For consistently accurate baking results, all recipes on completelydelicious.com are meticulously tested using the “spoon and level” method of measuring flour. For superior accuracy, especially if you’re looking for professional-level consistency, I highly recommend using gram measurements and a reliable kitchen scale.
- I have consistently found that this cake achieves its most exquisite texture when all of the delightful mix-ins are finely chopped. This ensures there are no unexpectedly large chunks of anything, leading to a perfectly harmonious bite every time. This is why I’ve included the extra steps of finely chopping the shredded carrots, coconut, and even starting with “pecan pieces” instead of whole pecans, which I then chop further.
- Should you wish to prepare this cake in advance or save a portion for later, the unfrosted cake can be frozen. Wrap it securely in a double layer of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn and store it for up to 1 month. To thaw, simply place it overnight in the refrigerator or let it sit on the counter for a few hours. Crucially, only remove the plastic wrap once the cake has fully thawed to help retain its moisture.
More Delightful Cake Recipes to Explore
If you loved this carrot bundt cake, you might be interested in trying out some of our other delicious cake creations that are perfect for any occasion: