A combination of pumpkin cake and carrot cake; a moist and flavorful layer cake filled with carrots, pumpkin, and warm spices and finished with tangy cream cheese frosting. A beautiful dessert for Thanksgiving or any fall occasion. VIDEO below!
Is it safe to say that the holiday season is upon us? Halloween is in a week and after that there’s no turning back.
This Pumpkin Carrot Cake has been part of our Thanksgiving dessert spread for the last several years and this year will be no exception. When I think of this cake I automatically think “Thanksgiving”, but, there’s no reason something this good should only be served on a special occasion.
Which is why on a random, cloudy Sunday in October I made this triple layer, fall scented, cream cheese smothered cake for no reason at all.
Yes, you read that right. No reason at all. It was glorious (and a tad indulgent). My family of four ate our fair share of the cake and then I sent the leftovers with my husband to work. It was gone in record time.
This cake is always met with rave reviews.
The Best Pumpkin Carrot Cake
What makes this cake so great? It’s tender and moist from pumpkin puree, crushed pineapple, and buttermilk. Pumpkin pie spice adds warm spices that will remind you of a pumpkin pie.
The sweetness of the cake gets balanced by the tangy cream cheese frosting. I covered the outside of the cake in toasted walnuts, which add a great crunch, but feel free to leave them off if you’d prefer.
Your guests/family/friends/co-workers/neighbors will devour every last bite of this beautiful cake.
So now you have two options: Bookmark this cake for Thanksgiving (or any other holiday celebration) OR just go ahead and bake it right now.
Forget to buy buttermilk? This Buttermilk Substitute works beautifully in this cake.
You might also like:
- Pineapple Carrot Cake
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes (with brown sugar cream cheese frosting!)
- Carrot Cake Cookies
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Recipe
Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups canned pumpkin puree
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 cup grated carrots, (about 2 medium carrots see note)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 teaspoons milk
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, optional
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease two or three 9-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with a round of parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat buttermilk, eggs, pumpkin, sugars, oil, vanilla, pineapple, and carrots until well combined. Slowly add flour mixture, beating until the flour is fully incorporated in the wet ingredients. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans (see note). Tap the pans on the countertop a few times to remove air bubbles.
- If using two cake pans, bake for approximately 35 minutes. If using three cake pans, bake for 25-28 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract for several minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Using a butter knife or offset spatula, frost the cooled cake. Press chopped walnuts onto the sides of the cake. Transfer to the refrigerator for several hours before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!You might also like:
Frances
Excellent cake moist & tasty. Could you use this recipe to make a batch of muffins.
Allison
Hi, Frances. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I would assume so. Start checking them around 15 minutes, then every couple minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I also have a pumpkin muffin recipe.
Linda
I don’t usually like pumpkin but this cake is wonderful.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Linda
Totally delicious and pretty easy to make. A new favorite for my family and friends.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Carolyn Faulkner
I see someone asking about omitting the coconut but I don’t see coconut in the ingredients !! Is this referring to a different recipe ???????
Allison
Hi, Carolyn. This recipe was modified November 2022 since many people had asked about omitting the coconut. If you’d like the original recipe it is linked at the bottom of the recipe card.
Carol
I have made this cake several times the way that it’s written. However, my son does not like the flavor of pumpkin. Would I be able to make this recipe omitting the pumpkin or will that threw off the rest of the ingredients?
Allison
Hi! You can try my carrot cake recipe or pineapple carrot cake recipe. Feel free to use the frosting from the pumpkin carrot cake, if you prefer.
Meli & Mari
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
We made it for Thanksgiving & it was a huge hit with every single person. We tweaked it a little bit by adding shredded coconuts & a teaspoon of nutmeg. We also whipped a carton of heavy cream and added to the frosting but reduced the butter & sugar by half & it was great! Got asked for the recipe and was told it was the best carrot cake ever! Merry Christmas!
Meli & Mari
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Carol G
Thanks for the idea to cut sugar from the frosting. The original recipe with coconut is my favorite cake. The frosting is wonderful too however I need to cut back on sugar. Last time I made it in 2 9 inch pans without frosting and it was STILL SO GOOD.
Tami
If I want to leave out the pineapple, do I need to replace with another ingredient?
Allison
Hi! You can just leave it out, no need to add anything else. Enjoy!
SV
Hi. Can you please recommend a substitute for the buttermilk? Thank you.
Allison
Hi! You can try one these: buttermilk substitutes.
Katie
Would this bake through if I tried it in a decorative bundt for the holidays?
Allison
Hi, Katie. I haven’t tried but I would assume so. Don’t overfill the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I also have a pumpkin bundt cake recipe that is quite popular if you want to try that. Enjoy!
Robin
Absolutely delicious. I made for a friend who needed something for potluck. She came back saying they want the recipe . The frosting is perfect.The cake super moist. I hate sweet frosting and this was creamy and just right .
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!