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:
Gina
Oh my stars – this looks incredible!!!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks, Gina!
Elane McIntyre
This could be made with mashed sweet potato go those who don’t care for pumpkin!
Annie+@+ciaochowbambina
Mm-mm-mmm. We just can’t get enough of these flavors, can we?? This looks divine! Love the walnuts along the side!
Celebrating Sweets
That’s the truth! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
CakeSpy
No words. Just want to bury my face in this!
Celebrating Sweets
Me too. And I did. Haha! 🙂
Thao @ In Good Flavor
Great recipe! I love your usage of pumpkin, carrot, and pineapple in the cake. Looks amazing!
Pearly
Allison,
This looks delicious! I’m definitely making it for Thanksgiving. What do you think about replacing the vegetable oil or canola with walnut oil? Thanks again for all your wonderful recipes. ❤️❤️
Celebrating Sweets
Hi Pearly! Great question. I have never baked with walnut oil before, I’ve only used it in salad dressings. That being said, I can’t say for sure how it will turn out if you sub walnut oil for the veg oil. It shouldn’t affect the texture of the cake, but it might change the taste slightly. If you’re looking to use a healthier oil, coconut oil would definitely work. Just melt the amount needed in the microwave and continue with the recipe as written. Good luck! Happy baking!
Pearly
Thanks Allison and will do!
Pearly
Thank you for the recipe. I made two of them for Thanksgiving and they were seriously delicious!! I’m making another one today to take to a party tomorrow. Thanks again Alli.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback!
Pearly
Once again love this recipe! Made it for a party last night and a complete hit!! My friends rarely eat sweets but once they had a little taste of it, they went back for a whole slice! Thanks again Alli. I’m making the Berry Pie tomorrow.
Celebrating Sweets
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for sharing!
Julie
Hello Alli
I’m going to make this cake for my husband ( well, in truth me too) but it’s HIS birthday and he absolutely hates coconut with a passion.
Do you think it would still work, be moist and delish without it? And if I use coconut oil instead of other oils is there any taste detectable of coconut?
He loves carrot cake and also really likes pumpkin.
Celebrating Sweets
Hi Julie. Yes, the cake will still work without the shredded coconut. If you’re going to use coconut oil make sure it is refined. Refined oil has a much more mild/neutral flavor than unrefined. If you use refined coconut oil I highly doubt that the taste would be detectable (there are so many other flavors in there). But if you’re really concerned about it, I’d suggest canola or vegetable oil. Good luck! I hope you like it!
Karren Haller Join Me for a Party
What a wonderful presentation, the recipe looks devine, and looks like one my grandmother used to make!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks, Karen! It definitely has an “old fashioned” feel to it. 🙂