This pumpkin carrot cake is a combination of pumpkin cake and carrot cake. It’s flavored with warm spices and frosted with brown sugar cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect easy carrot cake recipe for fall and the holidays!
This pumpkin carrot cake recipe is made with both shredded carrots and pumpkin puree. In place of pineapple, this carrot cake includes shredded apple! It is full of fall flavors!
I love both carrot cake and pumpkin cake. They both taste so good with warm spices. Together, carrots and pumpkins make an amazing cake!
For more pumpkin recipes, try these Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes, pumpkin olive oil cake and pumpkin banana muffins!
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WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS CAKE
- Shredded carrots, pumpkin puree and a shredded apple make this cake extra moist and delicious.
- Warmly spiced taste and soft, moist texture that you love about carrot cake!
- This carrot and pumpkin cake is super easy to make.
- You can make this as a sheet cake or a layer cake.
- This is a pumpkin carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Brown sugar cream cheese frosting has hint of caramel flavor. It is luscious and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
Below are notes about some of the ingredients in this pumpkin and carrot cake. See recipe card for ingredient measurements and recipe instructions.
- All purpose flour: I have only tested this cake with all purpose flour.
- Oil: Use vegetable or canola oil.
- Brown sugar: Use light or dark.
- 3 eggs: Use 3 large, room temperature eggs.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. The cans look very similar, but they are different.
- Buttermilk: Use room temperature buttermilk.
- Carrots: You will need two cups of shredded carrots
- 1 red apple: Peel and grate the apple. Drain any juice.
- Cream cheese: Leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making the frosting.
SUBSTITUTIONS & VARIATIONS
Orange and green food coloring: Food coloring is used if you choose to pipe carrots on your finished cake. Gel is recommended but regular food coloring also works.
Nuts: Nuts are optional but make a nice topping. Use chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds. For best taste, toast nuts.
STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS
Here are the directions on how to make and bake this carrot pumpkin cake recipe.
Step One– Whisk to combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt).
Step Two- Mix together the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin puree followed by the oil.
Step Three– Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk alternatively with the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix just til combined. Stir in the shredded carrots and apple.
Step Four- Bake. Pour the batter into a 9 by 13 inch pan or three 6-inch pans. Bake 28 to 36 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Step Five-Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer to low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar.
Step Six- Frost the cake. For a 9 by 13 inch cake, simple frost it and you’re done! You can definitely add chopped nuts and/or pipe mini carrots for a little extra decoration! For the layer cake, top each layer with up to 3/4 cup frosting. Place top layer bottom up to ensure an even top. Frost top layer and sides. Chill cake 15 minutes. Finish frosting the top and sides of the cake.
Step Six- Decorate the cake. If piping mini carrots, reserve a little frosting in two small bowls. Color the frosting orange and green. Transfer the frosting to piping bags fitted with small round tips. Pipe mini carrots evenly around the cake.
Press chopped nuts along the bottom of the cake. Sprinkle extra nuts on top.
EXPERT TIPS
- Tip #1: Use room temperature cream cheese and butter. Take them out an hour before making the frosting.
- Tip #2: Sift the powdered sugar. Sifting will prevent lumps in your frosting.
- Tip #3: Brown sugar can get hard lumps if it’s not fresh. Use fresh brown sugar. Fresh brown sugar will dissolve better for smooth frosting.
- Tip #4: Allow cake to cool completely before frosting it. The frosting could melt a bit if the cake is still warm.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Buttermilk adds flavor and moisture and helps make the cake super tender. If you don’t have any, you can get away with a buttermilk substitute.
You don’t have to add nuts or raisins to carrot cake. I omitted them since I prefer my carrot cake without them.
Sweet fruits like raisins and pineapple go well with carrot cake. Since I prefer my carrot cake without add ins, this recipe has grated apple in it. The apple adds a little fresh, natural sweetness into the cake.
STORAGE
Store this cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Pumpkin Carrot Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 pieces
- Category: Desserts, Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy Pumpkin Carrot Cake makes the most delicious fall treat! It is made with both pumpkin puree and shredded carrots. It’s topped with a luscious brown sugar cream cheese frosting. So perfect for fall and the holidays!
Ingredients
PUMPKIN CARROT CAKE
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup oil, vegetable or canola
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 medium sized red apple, peeled and grated, juice drained
BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making)
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark, packed *
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DECORATING
- Orange food coloring, optional, gel recommended but regular food coloring also works
- Green food coloring, optional, gel recommended but regular food coloring also works
- Walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
PUMPKIN CARROT CAKE
- Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. For a three layer six-inch cake, spray sides of cake pans with baking spray and line pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F.
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In large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the sugars and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin puree followed by the oil. Add the buttermilk alternatively with the dry ingredients, mixing just til combined. Stir in carrots and apple.
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Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly in the pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake, 28 to 38 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for one minute until creamed and combined. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer on low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar.
DECORATING THE LAYER CAKE
- Frost the tops of the first two layers with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of frosting. Place top layer bottom up. Make sure the layers are straight. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides. This will be the crumb coat and will catch any crumbs. Place cake in fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes.
- If decorating the finished cake with piped mini carrots, place a small amount of frosting in two small bowls. Mix in a few drops of food coloring to make orange and green frosting.
- Finish frosting the cake. If decorating with chopped nuts, gently press them along the bottom of the cake. Sprinkle some on the top of the cake.
- Transfer the colored orange frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip. Pipe mini carrots evenly around the cake. Transfer green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip or a star tip. Pipe the little green tops on the carrots.
Notes
*For the frosting, either light or dark brown sugar can be used. If you want your frosting to be lighter in color, use light brown sugar.
Keywords: pumpkin, carrot cake, pumpkin carrot cake, apple, cream cheese, cream cheese frosting, Halloween, holidays, fall
Will become a Yummy Fall favorite of mine!
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Happy to hear that! The pumpkin and carrot are so yummy together!
This is cake is amazing Natalie!!!! It is a whole different level! Absolutely delicious 💯!!
I just came across your site the other day. You have so many lovely looking things. I will definitely be trying more!!
★★★★★
So happy you found my blog and thank you for making this pumpkin carrot cake! So glad you enjoyed it and I agree it’s next level delicious! 😉 Excited for you to try more recipes! Thank you again for such a nice comment! Have an awesome weekend xo Natalie
Baked this for a party recently. I let it stay in the oven far longer than your suggestion, and it still wasn’t long enough. I didn’t trust my testing because the cake is so very moist. Although it didn’t hold together very well, everyone liked it. I will make some adjustments and try again. We live at 7,400 ft; the altitude sometimes causes problems — that’s the cost of living in beautiful Colorado.
Hi Becky, Thank you for making my pumpkin carrot cake and for writing a comment! I’m sorry you had to play around with the cooking time and that the cake didn’t hold together well. I’m happy it was enjoyed though! Yes I have heard about high altitude baking, so that could explain why it took longer to bake! Please let me know if you try the cake again! My sister and cousin live in Colorado so I would definitely say adjusting baking times is worth it to live there (it’s so beautiful!) xxNatalie