Easy Carrot Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Updated March 26, 2019
Easy Carrot Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting-This moist carrot cake is packed with carrots, pineapple, cinnamon, raisins and topped with a thick layer of caramel cream cheese frosting.
Spring is springing in Utah this week and I really hope it isn’t a teaser. I am done with the snow and I am ready for sunshine ALL the time! To celebrate our springy week, I made an Easy Carrot Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting. I am always looking for things to celebrate so I can eat dessert:) I think signs of spring call for cake, especially carrot cake. It is my favorite spring dessert.
Every Easter, I make my favorite Carrot Cake recipe. It is the traditional layered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It is my all time favorite carrot cake and a must make for Easter and special occasions.
Well, this week I decided to try a new carrot cake recipe because I saw Christina’s carrot cake recipe in her new cookbook, Sweet & Simple. I was craving carrot cake, but wanted a simple dessert. Christina’s recipe is made in an 8×8 pan and comes together in no time. And the caramel cream cheese frosting…SWOON!
This easy carrot cake is made with freshly grated carrots, crushed pineapple, cinnamon, and raisins. Christina’s recipe didn’t call for raisins, but I HAD to add them in. I couldn’t help myself, I love raisins. I know there are haters out there and that is fine, you can leave them out, I won’t be offended. The cake is super duper moist and let’s talk about the frosting, I am normally a cream cheese frosting purist when it comes to carrot cake, but the caramel addition was amazing! Christina uses melted caramel candies to create the caramel cream cheese frosting, but I had some of my favorite salted caramel sauce on hand so I used that. Holy frosting! I wasn’t sure the frosting was going to make it to the cake, I wanted to eat it by the spoonful!
This easy carrot cake was such a treat! It came together in no time and was the perfect size for our family and a few friends.
I love the Sweet & Simple cookbook because the desserts are scaled down to feed a few. Sometimes you don’t need a big layer cake or a million cookies. The recipes are guaranteed to cure your sweet tooth, but without a lot of fuss. Make sure you check it out! And make sure you make this Easy Carrot Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting to celebrate spring! It’s foolproof and so delicious!
If you like this Easy Carrot Cake Recipe, you might also like:
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Carrot Cake Roll
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
Easy Carrot Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1/2 cup neutral oil canola, vegetable, or grapeseed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple drained
- 1 cup freshly grated carrot
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt I added the salt
- 1/4 cup raisins I added the raisins
For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 3/4 cup chopped caramel candies or ¾ cup salted caramel sauce I used salted caramel sauce
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the oil and sugar together with a spoon, don't use a mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla, pineapple, and carrots.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the raisins, if using.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 33-36 minutes or until cake is nicely golden brown and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. If you are using the caramel candies, melt the caramel in the microwave with a splash of water, set aside. If you are using the salted caramel sauce, just stir it and set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the melted caramel or salted caramel sauce and vanilla extract. Stir until frosting is smooth.
- Frost the cooled carrot cake with caramel cream cheese frosting. I like to drizzle a little extra salted caramel sauce over the top of the cake. Cut into squares and serve.
- Note-cover the cake and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can bring it to room temperature before serving or eat it cold. I like carrot cake cold:)
Have you tried this recipe?
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I am craving carrot cake lately! I was just feeling over winter myself, especially with the time change. But now we are just getting our first blizzard here this winter. Go figures. I’ll just close my eyes and eat cake and pretend it’s spring 😉
I hope you get some sunshine soon! This carrot cake should help:)
Now, I can totally get behind this! WOW. Loving all that caramel!
It’s so good with the carrot cake!
Carrot cake is the best and this one looks so good!
I LOVE carrot cake- this looks awesome!
I discovered carrot cake recently and was searching for its recipe. Your’s look so tempting and delicious.
It is! I hope you like it too!
Next to Red Velvet, Carrot cake is my favorite! This one looks and sounds so delicious! I think I need to buy Christina’s book…since I love all the recipes I’ve used on her site
Yes, you will love the book! Christina’s recipes are wonderful!
I LOVE carrot cake! I totally need to make this before Easter!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Yes, the perfect Easter dessert!
When you say a 1/2 can of pineapple–what size can are you talking about
It’s 1/2 cup crushed pineapple.
Can you use fresh pineapple?
Thank you!
I haven’t tried fresh pineapple. If you do, make sure you chop it really small.
Sounds good. Will have to give it a try. Think I have everything.
hey girl- this looks so yummy! I’m ready for Spring to down here in Oklahoma!
If I don’t frost the cake, must it be kept in the refrigerator? I know, sacrilege not to frost carrot cake, but I often need to make non-dairy, and a family member is intolerant of all non-dairy cream cheese products (they contain soy, pea protein, or other ingredients that are problematic for him). The cake part of the recipe looks amazing, even without having the frosting on it.
Yes, you can leave it covered on the counter. Enjoy!
looks great! if you’re using the caramel sauce, do you need to wait for it to cool completely before adding to the icing mixture?
This looks oh so delicious!!
I tried this recipe this weekend and the cake part was delicious but the frosting didn’t work so well with caramel candies. I let the melted caramels cool a bit but they were still warm (and starting to harden) when I added them to the cream cheese mixture. The heat from the caramels changed the consistency of the cream cheese mixture — it wasn’t as fluffy and didn’t look like the photos. It tasted fine but wasn’t my favorite. I would definitely try this again but use caramel sauce so it can be semi-liquid at room temperature.
Sorry to hear that. I used our salted caramel sauce and it worked out great. The cookbook said to use caramel candies, but I didn’t try it. Bummer! Thanks for letting us know!
Would it be possible to use this recipe with a traditional cake pan? What changes would you make? Thank you for sharing!
It’s toooo Awesome!!! thanks for sharing this wonderful article… very beneficiery tips, You are given in this article…
Can I use self raising flour for your recipes?
I haven’t tried it!
Hi,
Just wondering why this recipe has no brown sugar? Can u add brown sugar to it?