My carrot bundt cake has everything you could want from a carrot cake: a beautifully, tender moist crumb, rich warming spices, plenty of walnuts and the most gorgeous tangy cream cheese glaze to finish. It is elegant, delicious and is really so much easier than it looks!
My love affair with carrot cake
There are some bakes that just feel like a warm comforting hug, and for me carrot cake is always one of them. Warmly spiced, wonderfully moist, packed with plenty of carrots and walnuts, and finished with an irresistible smooth and sweet cream cheese glaze. And when you bake it in a bundt tin? Well, suddenly it goes from a lovely everyday cake to an absolute showstopper that looks like it belongs on the cover of a magazine. No special decorating skills required!
Whether you are looking for a dinner party centrepiece, a spring celebration cake, or a “simply because” bake, I honestly believe making anything in a bundt tin elevates it instantly into something stunning. And trust me, this carrot cake bundt is sure to impress anyone and everyone!
Why you’ll love this carrot bundt cake
- Incredibly moist and tender. The combination of oil (rather than butter) and buttermilk (my secret ingredient!) gives this bundt cake an unbelievably soft, moist crumb that stays that way for days.
- The bundt tin does all the decorating for you. Invest in a beautiful bundt tin and you have an impressive, elegant cake with absolutely zero decorating faff. Just drizzle over that cream cheese glaze and let gravity do its thing. Stunning bundt carrot cake recipe every single time!
- Warmly spiced and completely irresistible. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom give this cake the most beautiful, cosy depth of flavour. It smells absolutely mouthwateringly-beautiful as it bakes, leaving your whole kitchen smelling warm and welcoming!
- Perfect for springtime and any celebrations. There is something about a carrot cake that just screams spring to me, and this bundt carrot cake version makes such a beautiful centrepiece for the table. Far more impressive to look at than a regular round cake, but genuinely no harder to make!
- The cream cheese glaze is EVERYTHING. Thick, tangy, sweet and just drippy enough to cascade beautifully into every ridge and groove of the carrot cake bundt cake. It is the perfect finishing touch and honestly one of my very favourite things to make.
What spices are in carrot cake?
Carrot cake recipes normally ask for a combination of spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. I prefer keeping ginger as a spice used in more festive bakes around Christmas, so I have opted to use cardamom in my recipe easy carrot cake instead.
Ingredients for carrot cake bundt
- Butter: melted and used to prepare the tin before baking to ensure easy release of the baked carrot bundt cake.
- Oil: using oil instead of butter helps keep the bake light, but also helps it last well for days.
- Buttermilk: keeps the basic carrot cake recipe tender and beautifully moist. If you don’t have buttermilk, make it up with equal weights of milk and greek yogurt (my preferred method).
- Eggs: helps with the structure and rise of the cake.
- Vanilla: for added rounded sweetness in the carrot bundt cakes and in the tangy cream cheese glaze.
- Brown sugar: brings beautiful caramel notes to this bake.
- Caster sugar: for sweetness in this simple carrot cake recipe.
- Carrots: the star ingredient! I like to grate my carrots using a larger sized grater, as I prefer the texture throughout the cake.
- Flour: use plain flour for this moist carrot cake recipe as it allows control of the amount rising agent used.
- Baking powder/bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): the raising agents used in this bake.
- Salt: enhances the flavours in the bake. You won’t taste it, I promise!
- Spices: a lot of carrot cakes use just cinnamon for the spices, but I like the addition of nutmeg, cloves and cardamom for extra flavour dimension.
- Walnuts: for texture and crunch to the carrot cake and over the cream cheese glaze to decorate. Totally optional if its not your thing, but for me its a nice addition to the bake.
- Cream cheese: the beautiful tanginess goes so well with the spiced carrot cake! Make sure to use full fat cream cheese for best results.
- Milk: just a little bit is used in loosening the glaze to help achieve the perfect drip consistency.
- Icing (powdered) sugar: for the cream cheese icing to cover and decorate the cake.
Equipment needed
- Bundt tin*: essential for this carrot cake in bundt pan! The size of the bundt tin really matters: a 12-cup bundt tin is the sweet spot for this recipe. I love a classic Nordic Ware bundt for a beautiful, defined pattern and easy release every time.
- Pastry brush*: really useful for greasing every nook and cranny of the bundt tin. This is the most important step when it comes to a perfect, clean release so don’t skip it!
- Digital kitchen scales*: I provide all my measurements in cups too, however I would encourage all bakers to weigh out ingredients when baking. A set of digital kitchen scales is so useful and totally an essential baking tool for me.
- Measuring spoons*: a set of measuring spoons is essential for any baker. This is because these are more accurate than using everyday teaspoons and tablespoons, which can vary greatly in size.
- Box grater*: for grating the carrots. You want the medium-sized holes for a texture that disappears beautifully into the cake batter as it bakes.
- Large jug*: to mix the wet ingredients in before combining with the dry when making this carrot cake recipe bundt.
- Mixing bowl*: useful to have a large bowl for plenty of room to combine everything together without making a mess.
- Balloon whisk*: for mixing together the ingredients for the cake when combining wet with dry. A large whisk allows you to mix thoroughly but be more gentle, so is my recommendation here.
- Spatula*: for folding the carrots and walnuts through the batter as gently as possible.
- Wire rack*: to cool the cake on after baking. Place a baking tray under the rack when you add the glaze to catch any potential drips for super easy clean up!
How to make carrot cake bundt
This gorgeous cake comes together so easily in just a few steps. The most important thing, and I CANNOT stress this enough, is to grease and flour the bundt tin thoroughly before you begin. The rest is wonderfully simple and satisfying to do!
For the bundt cake:
Step 1: Brush the bundt tin with melted butter, ensuring you get into all the nooks and crannies and that you come up the sides high enough. Once the tin has been thoroughly brushed, sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of plain (all purpose) flour and rotate the tin, tapping as you go, to get the flour to stick to the butter. Once all the buttered part of the tin has a coating of flour, turn the tin upside down and give it a couple of firm taps to release any clumps of stuck on flour. Set the tin aside and preheat the oven to 170C/340F whilst making the carrot cake batter.
Step 2: In a large jug or bowl, tip together the oil, buttermilk, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Whisk to combine, then set aside. Separately, grate the carrots and roughly break the walnuts into small chunks.
Step 3: In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), salt and spices, giving it a quick whisk together. Pour in the wet ingredients and gently whisk it all until mostly combined.
Step 4: Tip in the grated carrots and walnuts and fold through using a spatula.
Step 5: Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared bundt tin, flattening once done and levelling the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until springy to touch and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
For the glaze and decoration:
Step 1: Loosen the cream cheese by placing in a mixing bowl and stirring gently until smooth. This helps make combining the glaze much easier.
Step 2: Add icing (powdered) sugar, 1 tbsp milk and vanilla into the bowl with the cream cheese and use a whisk to combine everything together until smooth. Add more milk as required to achieve the consistency of drip you prefer.
Step 3: Once the cake is cool, spoon or pipe the glaze over the cake, allowing it to fall into the crevices of the cake. Sprinkle with extra walnuts to decorate, then serve and enjoy!
How to keep your cake from sticking to the pan
This has been my greatest heartbreak in the past, and I promise it happens to the best of us, more often than you think! But fret not, I’m here to help!
I’ve discovered there are two common causes: not greasing and flouring the tin thoroughly enough (remember to pay special attention to every crevice and the central tube). The other is ensuring you leave the cake long enough in the tin post baking: the recommended 10-minute cooling window is more important than you realise! Too short and the cake is too fragile, crumbling or sticking as it is removed from the tin, but too long and it can steam and stick.
As odd as it sounds, I actually gently shake my tin (up and down) to lightly release the cake from each edge before I turn it out completely. This weird trick works every time to encourage the cake to release using its own weight and gravity!
Can I make this without a bundt tin?
You can, absolutely! However, you will not have the beautiful design only achieved when using a bundt tin, rather you will have a rather plain looking round or square cake instead. It will absolutely still taste delicious, especially once covered with the cream cheese glaze and decorated, but for me there is something magical about the shape of a bundt cake!
How to make carrot cake moist
The secret to keeping a carrot cake moist is in a simple swap of using oil in the cake rather than butter. In my recipe, the addition of buttermilk also aids the cake to retain some of the tenderness of crumb too. The result? A moist and tender carrot bundt cake with cream cheese glaze that everyone will love!
Can I make this carrot cake bundt ahead of time?
Yes of course! You can make the cake itself easily the day before serving (in fact I would recommend this, as it will allow it to cool completely before decorating). Make the glaze and finish earlier in the day before serving for entirely fuss free cake sharing!
Can I freeze carrot cake bundt?
You can freeze the unglazed, fully cooled bundt cake for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in cling film and then in foil before freezing, and defrost overnight at room temperature before glazing and serving. I would not recommend freezing the carrot bundt cake once glazed.
My cream cheese glaze is too runny, can I fix it?
Add a little more sifted icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well between additions until you reach the right consistency. Always make sure to use full fat cream cheese, as reduced fat versions contain significantly more water which will make the glaze much harder to control. Prevent too runny a glaze by adding the milk more gradually, always.
Tips for making the best carrot bundt cake
- Make sure you have all tools and ingredients prepared before you start mixing: grease and flour the bundt tin, preheat the oven and get the ingredients out ready to use. It is easy to forget something and get flustered for it once you get started!
- Take your time getting the bundt thoroughly prepared. This is KEY to ensuring the cake released fully and to avoid any heartache of broken cake! Brush using melted butter not oil, as this allows the flour to adhere to the tin much better, and use a brush to ensure you have covered every inch of the tin.
- Once the tin has been buttered and dusted with flour, tap the tin upside down firmly a few times to remove as much excess flour as you can. This will make sure that the baked cake doesn’t have clumps of flour baked onto the outside, which will spoil the look of the cake with white “patches” where there is excess flour.
- Do not overmix the cake batter once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Overmixing will lead to more of a “gluey” cake texture, not the light and fluffy one we want instead.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating with the cream cheese glaze. Decorating the cake when still warm will melt the icing and result in a messy end result (but it will still taste delicious, so that’s something!)
- Use a good quality, full fat cream cheese in the glaze. Having tried many different brands and alternatives, I always come back to Philadelphia as being reliable and good to work with (and it tastes good too!)
Share the social love!
Did you make this carrot bundt cake recipe? I would love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @movers_bakers or leave a comment and star rating below pretty please! It genuinely makes my day to see your bakes using my recipes! Happy baking friends!
More recipes from my blog for you to enjoy
Please do have a look at these other recipes from my blog I think you will love!
My favourite easy carrot cake recipe: warmly spiced and covered with the most amazing cream cheese icing, carrot cake is always a good choice! Decorate simply with some nuts and a bouquet of carrot roses for the perfect celebration cake!
Red velvet cupcakes: vanilla and cocoa light velvety cupcakes topped with a glorious swirl of cream cheese frosting, these beauties are absolutely irresistibly divine!
Carrot cake tray bake: a delicious moist and fluffy cake packed with carrots, walnuts and spices, then spread generously with a tangy cream cheese icing and even more walnut pieces. Not only is this a super easy bake, but it’s always a crowd pleaser!
Thanks for joining me for this stunning carrot bundt cake, friends! I truly hope this show-^stopping cake bring much joy and happiness to your dessert table too. As always, happy baking! x
Recommended equipment I used *
| Bundt tin | Pastry brush |
| Digital kitchen scales | Measuring spoons |
| Box grater | Large jug |
| Mixing bowl | Balloon whisk |
| Spatula | Wire rack |
Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
To prepare the bundt tin
- 1-2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1-2 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
For the bundt cake
- 180 ml (¾ cup) oil (I used vegetable oil)
- 160 ml (½ cup + 3 tbsp) buttermilk
- 100 g (½ cup) caster sugar
- 150 g (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 375 g (2 ¼ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 0.75 tsp nutmeg
- 0.5 tsp cloves, ground
- 1 tsp (½ tsp if fresh) cardamom powder
- 410 g (about 5 ½ cups) carrots, grated
- 130 g (1 ¼ cups) walnuts, broken into chunks
For the glaze and decoration
- 80 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) cream cheese
- 300 g (2 cups + ¼ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted
- 1-3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 30 g (¼ cup) walnuts, to decorate
Equipment
- 1 Bundt tin
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 Digital kitchen scales
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 Box grater
- 1 Large jug
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Balloon whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Wire rack
Instructions
For the bundt cake
- Brush the bundt tin with melted butter, ensuring you get into all the nooks and crannies and that you come up the sides high enough. Once the tin has been thoroughly brushed, sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of plain (all purpose) flour and rotate the tin, tapping as you go, to get the flour to stick to the butter. Once all the buttered part of the tin has a coating of flour, turn the tin upside down and give it a couple of firm taps to release any clumps of stuck on flour. Set the tin aside and preheat the oven to 170C/340F whilst making the carrot cake batter.1-2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, 1-2 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
- In a large jug or bowl, tip together the oil, buttermilk, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Whisk to combine, then set aside. Separately, grate the carrots and roughly break the walnuts into small chunks.180 ml (¾ cup) oil (I used vegetable oil), 160 ml (½ cup + 3 tbsp) buttermilk, 100 g (½ cup) caster sugar, 150 g (¾ cup) brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 large eggs
- In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), salt and spices, giving it a quick whisk together. Pour in the wet ingredients and gently whisk it all until mostly combined.375 g (2 ¼ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 0.5 tsp salt, 3 tsp cinnamon, 0.75 tsp nutmeg, 0.5 tsp cloves, ground, 1 tsp (½ tsp if fresh) cardamom powder
- Tip in the grated carrots and walnuts and fold through using a spatula.410 g (about 5 ½ cups) carrots, grated, 130 g (1 ¼ cups) walnuts, broken into chunks
- Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared bundt tin, flattening once done and levelling the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until springy to touch and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
For the glaze and decoration
- Loosen the cream cheese by placing in a mixing bowl and stirring gently until smooth. This helps make combining the glaze much easier.80 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) cream cheese
- Add icing (powdered) sugar, 1 tbsp milk and vanilla into the bowl with the cream cheese and use a whisk to combine everything together until smooth. Add more milk as required to achieve the consistency of drip you prefer.300 g (2 cups + ¼ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted, 1-3 tbsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla
- Once the cake is cool, spoon or pipe the glaze over the cake, allowing it to fall into the crevices of the cake. Sprinkle with extra walnuts to decorate, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you have all tools and ingredients prepared before you start mixing: grease and flour the bundt tin, preheat the oven and get the ingredients out ready to use. It is easy to forget something and get flustered for it once you get started!
- Take your time getting the bundt thoroughly prepared. This is KEY to ensuring the cake released fully and to avoid any heartache of broken cake! Brush using melted butter not oil, as this allows the flour to adhere to the tin much better, and use a brush to ensure you have covered every inch of the tin.
- Once the tin has been buttered and dusted with flour, tap the tin upside down firmly a few times to remove as much excess flour as you can. This will make sure that the baked cake doesn’t have clumps of flour baked onto the outside, which will spoil the look of the cake with white “patches” where there is excess flour.
- Do not overmix the cake batter once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Overmixing will lead to more of a “gluey” cake texture, not the light and fluffy one we want instead.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating with the cream cheese glaze. Decorating the cake when still warm will melt the icing and result in a messy end result (but it will still taste delicious, so that’s something!)
- Use a good quality, full fat cream cheese in the glaze. Having tried many different brands and alternatives, I always come back to Philadelphia as being reliable and good to work with (and it tastes good too!)