Easy Carrot Cake Recipe – Delightful and easy, this Carrot Pound Cake Recipe gives a new twist to the classic Easter dessert in pound cake form! Check out more Easter recipes HERE! If you love this Carrot Pound Cake, definitely try this Perfect Carrot Layer Cake and these Carrot Cupcakes!
This post was sponsored by McCormick®. All opinions are 100% mine.
SPRING IN CHICAGO
Spring is here, at least the calendar says so. Chicago’s weather, although slightly warmer which I’m appreciating, has still been very gloomy and the trees remain bare. I’m patiently awaiting the arrival of green grass and warm breezes so I can finally tuck away scarves and heavy coats. If you live in Chicago, you know that seasonal changes happen abruptly. One day you’re laying out by the lake feeling the hot sun on your skin and by the end of the week leaves are changing color and your sweatshirts have wriggled out of the closet. So as we pass by the last few days of what seems like Winter, I take comfort in the fact that Spring is right at my fingertips.
SPRING MEANS EASTER TO ME
When I think of Spring there is one thing that immediately comes to mind: Easter. Bunny rabbits, Cadbury Eggs, colorful baskets and freshly pressed church clothes all flood my thoughts. I start seeing everything with pastel colored lenses and the smell of phantom tulips waft in the air.
EASTER MEAL MEMORIES
Easter holds a special place in my heart because like most other holidays it’s a time when my entire family comes together. Every year we gather for an Easter Sunday lunch where the table is full of delicious food. The adults sit around the table filling their plates while the children dye eggs and decorate sugar cookie bunnies. The room fills with laughter, love and light but at the center of it all are the recipes we love to enjoy together. All of us contribute to the meal whether it something small like refreshments or an entire vat of collard greens. As I’m sure you guys could’ve guessed I love to bring dessert.
CARROT CAKE RECIPE
One of my favorite things to make for Easter is a Classic Carrot Cake. You truly can’t go wrong. We’re talking cream cheese frosting, a perfectly spiced cake with nuggets of carrots, walnuts and raisins. Frost one big carrot on the top and all of a sudden you’ve got the centerpiece for Easter dinner. But this year is a bit different because we’re putting a twist on it ya’ll.
CLASSIC EASTER RECIPE WITH A TWIST
Classics done in new and exciting ways are my favorite recipes. For Easter, we pull out our classic carrot cake recipes and make them without breaking a sweat. This year, however I wanted to switch things up and create a new carrot cake recipe in the form of a pound cake.
EASY CARROT CAKE RECIPE
A majority of the recipes we use on a daily basis have been adapted a million times over. One of the beauties of baking is being able to create original versions of a classic and not knowing if you yourself have created a new classic. According to food historians, our modern carrot cake most likely descended from medieval carrot puddings enjoyed by people in Europe. During the middle ages sugar and other sweeteners were difficult to come by as well as expensive. People, especially in Britain, began to use carrots as a substitute. Weird, I know. Eventually our version of carrot cake was born and boy, am I glad that it did.
Sometimes the fuss of making a layer cake is a little stressful to tell you the truth. Making sure the layers are just right and frosting it to near perfection is more anxiety than I need this time of year. This is exactly why my new Easy Carrot Cake Pound Cake Recipe, made with McCormick® spices and vanilla, should be the recipe you reach for this Easter holiday. This is hassle free; it’s all ease and totally delicious. This cake batter recipe doesn’t even require a mixer!
WHAT’S CARROT CAKE MADE OF?
With the help of McCormick®, this recipe has all the flavors of a traditional carrot cake you adore. Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves all help to make this cake perfectly spiced. A hint of pure vanilla extract whispers through the cake batter. This Easy Carrot Cake Pound Cake Recipe gets more heavenly with every single bite.
WHAT MAKES THIS CARROT CAKE RECIPE DIFFERENT?
To top it off, I added an easy orange and vanilla flavored cream cheese icing that pairs perfectly with this cake. I garnished the top with toasted coconut and fun robin egg candies. They took the presentation over the top. You don’t need an intimidating carrot layer cake on your Easter table this year.
This easy carrot cake pound cake recipe will definitely get you in the Easter mood in no time without all the fuss.
If you want more pound cake recipes, click HERE
EASY EASTER CAKES
If you like this Easy Carrot Cake Recipe, you’ll also like some of my other easy Easter cakes.
-
ORANGE CARROT CUPCAKES
- 7 UP POUND CAKE
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!*
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe - Delightful and easy, this Carrot Cake Recipe, made with McCormick®, gives a new twist to the classic Easter dessert in pound cake form.
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 303kcal
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon McCormick vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons McCormick ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon McCormick ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick ground nutmeg
For the Glaze:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla extract
- Optional: toasted coconut for garnish
- Optional: robin eggs for garnish
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In one large bowl, whisk together shredded carrots, granulated sugar, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and McCormick vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, McCormick ground cinnamon, McCormick ground cloves, and McCormick ground nutmeg.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk together until well incorporated.
- Add the batter to a non-stick sprayed 10 inch bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn the cake out on a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze:
- Add cream cheese to your mixer (or use a hand mixer and medium size bowl) and mix on medium high speed.
- Turn mixer down to slow speed and carefully add in confectioners sugar in two separate intervals until incorporated.
- Next add orange juice and McCormick vanilla extract and mix until smooth and pourable (add a little bit more orange juice if you want the icing a little looser or until you get the consistency you prefer).
- Drizzle icing over top of cooled cake.
- Optional: Garnish the top of the pound cake with toasted coconut and robin eggs and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 2985IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GrandbabyCakes or tag #grandbabycakes!
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email 
One of the best carrot cakes I have ever had and was so simple to make!! Came out pretty with lots of flavor not drowned out by overwhelming sweetness. My daughter wanted the icing sweeter but I LOVED the little tanginess of it!
This cake was simple to make, and delicious. At first it seemed pretty heavy texture-wise but it was just the moisture from the carrots.
Lovely flvour with all the spices, not too sweet, and the glazing is lovely (which I don’t say often because all frostings/glazings/icings are usually way too sweet and cloying for me).
Thanks so much for the recipe! This makes me want to check other recipes from your site.
Now I’m thinking about modifications I’d love to try, and would like to ask you if you think this could work with brown butter instead of oil, I love the nutty taste it adds to baked goods. Also, do you think the cake would take the addition of raisins and walnuts? What quantities would you recommend? Thanks again!
For the frosting can you sub fresh squeezed lemon juice for the orange juice?
I made this after stumbling across your site and oh so glad I did. You live up to your name with this one. The icing was the perfect balance to the pound cake. I will definitely make this for the fall and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or cider. What a great combination of the two.
It was delicious! My family loved it. I took half of it in to work and my co workers loved it too. The icing is perfect and not overly sweet. I did cover mine in toasted coconut. I do not own a pretty bundt cake pan.
Hooray that sounds lovely. So glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use 2 loaf pans instead of the bundt pan?
Yes you can!
I don’t have sour cream, what can use instead?
Do you have greek yogurt?
Love this. Definitely adding to our table this Easter!
Hooray I hope you enjoy!!
Update! Made this for Easter, the cake was so moist and perfectly spiced. The orange cream cheese icing was really good too. I might opt to add a little more powdered sugar to the icing next time so it’s just a little sweeter. Currently trying not the eat all the leftovers in one day, it was a winner!