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!
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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 Recipe
- Shredded carrots, pumpkin puree and a shredded apple make this cake extra moist, fresh and delicious.
- Warmly spices add that signature delicious carrot cake flavor!
- This carrot and pumpkin cake is super easy to make.
- You can make this as a sheet cake or a layer cake. Try my carrot cake loaf recipe for carrot cake in loaf form!
- The brown sugar cream cheese frosting is luscious and delicious!
Ingredients
Below are notes about some of the ingredients in this pumpkin and carrot cake.
- 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 pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. The cans look very similar, but they are different. I recommend using store bought canned pumpkin puree for consistency. If you have leftover pumpkin puree, make these banana and pumpkin muffins.
- Buttermilk: Use room temperature buttermilk.
- Carrots: You will need two cups of shredded carrots. I don’t recommend using store bought shredded carrots. Grate carrots at home using a box grater or food processor. If you’re craving carrot cake for breakfast, try my carrot scones recipe!
- 1 red apple: Peel and grate the apple. Drain any juice.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat block-style cream cheese. To get creamy frosting, make sure to use room temperature cream cheese. Leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making the frosting.
See recipe card for ingredient measurements and recipe instructions.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add some chopped nuts to the batter or as decoration. Use walnuts, pecans or almonds. For best taste, toast the nuts.
- I have not made this cake gluten free, but many of my recipes work well with 1:1 gluten free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill.
Instructions
Here are the directions on how to make and bake this carrot pumpkin cake recipe.
Step One– (Photo 1 above) Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Step Two- (Photo 2 above) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin puree followed by the oil.
Step Three– (Photo 3 above) Add the buttermilk alternatively with the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix just til combined.
Step Four- (Photo 4 above) Stir in the shredded carrots and apple. Pour the batter into a 9 by 13 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 28 to 36 minutes.
Step Five-(Photo 5 above) Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until combined. Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar.
Step Six-(Photo 6 above) Frost the cooled cake. Enjoy as is or decorate with chopped nuts for decoration.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese and butter. Take them out an hour before making the frosting.
- Sift the powdered sugar. Sifting will prevent lumps in your frosting.
- Use fresh brown sugar. Brown sugar can get hard lumps if it’s not fresh. Fresh brown sugar will dissolve better for smooth frosting.
- Allow cake to cool completely before frosting it. The frosting could melt a bit if the cake is still warm.
- Pipe some mini carrots for a fun decoration. Set aside a little frosting in two small bowls. Add orange and green gel food coloring to the frosting. Transfer the frosting to piping bags fitted with small round tips. Pipe mini carrots evenly around the cake.
Recipe FAQs
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.
No. You don’t have to add nuts or raisins to carrot cake. I omitted them since I prefer my carrot cake without them.
Store this cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Pumpkin Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Carrot Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 cups shredded carrots see notes below
- 1 red apple medium sized, 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 *
- 2½ cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating (optional)
- 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.
- In large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Cansu
Thank you for the delicious looking recipe 🙂
I haven’t baked them yet but planning to do today.
The one question I have is if I can bake them as cupcakes. If yes, how long should I bake them?.
Natalie
Hi! For cupcakes, you’ll want to bake them for around 20 minutes. Hope you enjoy them and please let me know if you have any other questions!
Khyrzie
This was amazing! We bought a cake from Costco for my son’s birthday. It has been everyone’s favorite cake and so that was the birthday plan. The day before his birthday I found this recipe and it looked too delicious to not make. So I quickly (emphasis on the quickly part) mixed this up and baked it – single layer. When it was still warm, because who are we kidding, I frosted it and we each had a slice. Everyone went crazy over it! My husband was at work, so we saved the other half to share with him the next day, knowing he wouldn’t eat the Costco Tuxedo Cake. The next day, the birthday boy woke up and all he wanted was this cake, and he happily helped himself to a rather generous slice. This prompted his siblings to do the same, and Dad barely managed to get a piece! But he said it was the best cake he has had, and it hit the spot magically (I’m paraphrasing, because he says manly things and even though “magical” should be a part of his vocabulary – at least when describing what I’ve created in the kitchen – it is not, so interpretation was necessary)! I’ll be making this again, and soon. In the meantime, I sent the recipe to 2 of my sisters so they can enjoy a slice or 3 of heaven.
1 note: I did not have apples, so I added a bit of unsweetened applesauce and it worked wonderfully. I also used butter, because I’m fancy like that.
Natalie
Oh my gosh! This is the sweetest comment I’ve ever received! Thank you for putting such a big smile on my face and for including this cake in your son’s birthday celebration! I’m so happy the whole family enjoyed it and thank you for sharing the recipe with your sisters 🙂 Love that you whipped the cake up so quickly too and thanks for sharing your recipe notes! I love that you included the word magical in the story too haha Have a fantastic weekend and thank you again for sharing this sweet story!!
Connie Mintero
Can this be made into a bunte cake? How long in the oven
Natalie
Hi, Unfortunately I have not tried this recipe in bundt cake form so I can’t say for sure if it would work or how long it would take. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Have a nice week!
Alex Walker
Never had so many compliments on a Thanksgiving dessert! Amazing flavor and super moist cake. Will be making every year!!
Natalie
Ahh love to hear that, Alex! So happy this cake was a hit and that you’re planning to make it every year 🙂 Happy holidays!
Heidi (@watercolorcreative)
Natalie! Your recipes never disappoint! We ate this cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 😉 It is so delicious. Make it, you will love it! I think we’ll bring this to our church’s fall festival in a couple weeks.
Natalie
Thank you so much for your kind words, Heidi!! Love to hear you enjoed the cake all day long hehe 🙂 and great idea to bring it to your church’s fall festival. Thanks for your comment and for supporting my blog! Have a wonderful week! -Natalie
Claudia
Make this Cake yesterday since we had company for dinner! It turned out absolutely awesome. Love your website and all the recipes you have, I will be try other ones on here.
Natalie
So happy you enjoyed this pumpkin carrot cake, Claudia! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and thank you for your kind words. Excited for you to try more of my recipes 🙂 -Natalie
Luna
Taste delicious, a must try
Natalie
Hi Luna! Thank you for making this pumpkin carrot cake. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great rest of your weekend 🙂
Cindy Trujillo
This cake! So moist and flavorful. Super easy recipe to follow, and Natalie was very patient with my questions. I’ll be making this over and over again.
Natalie
Hi Cindy, Thanks so much for your comment and feedback. So happy you enjoyed this cake and love to hear it’s been added to your rotation 🙂 Have a great week!!
Jamie
This was a delicious way to end our Canadian Thanksgiving meal yesterday. I didn’t let it cool completely before icing, so some of the icing melted into the cake between the layers. Regardless it was a hit and was enjoyed by the young and old!
Natalie
Hey Jamie, Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for including this cake in your holiday meal! So happy the cake was enjoyed by all! XO Natalie
Roxanne
Hi there ! Can these be baked as muffins? And what would be the temp and time of baking?
Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Roxanne! Yes I actually have made these into cupcakes and baked them at 350 for about 20 minutes. I topped mine with frosting, but you could of course leave the frosting off. Here’s the recipe for the cupcakes. https://parsleyandicing.com/carrot-cake-cupcakes/ Please let me know if you have any other questions! -Natalie
Beckery Ann
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.
Natalie
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
Suz E
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!!
Natalie
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
Barbara Briggs Ward
Will become a Yummy Fall favorite of mine!
Natalie
Happy to hear that! The pumpkin and carrot are so yummy together!