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Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Published: Oct 23, 2017 · Modified: Mar 29, 2021 by Allison · 89 Comments

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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!

Close up of three layer carrot cake with white frosting.

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.

A piece of pumpkin carrot cake on a white plate.

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.

Three layer carrot cake on a white plate.

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.

Carrot cake batter in a glass bowl

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.

Round layer cake with white frosting and walnuts

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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A slice of carrot cake on a white plate with a gold fork.

 

Close up of three layer carrot cake with white frosting.

Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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.
5 from 31 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 508kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

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

This cake is made in 9 inch pans not 8 inch pans (see below). The batter will overflow in 8 inch pans. When placing the batter in the cake pans, make sure that it is evenly divided. To do this, I use a 1 cup measure and scoop the batter into each pan, a cup at a time, until they are evenly filled.
Only have 8 inch pans? You can still make this cake, just don't put all the batter into the pans. Fill your pans about halfway full and use any remaining batter to make cupcakes. Adjust cooking time accordingly.
I use the medium or fine holes on a box grater to grate the carrots.
Recipe updated November 2022. Original recipe HERE.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 4999IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

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!

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Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Stack of carrot cake cookies filled with frosting.

Healthier Carrot Cake

Square slice of carrot cake topped with white frosting.

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Comments

  1. janet

    February 25, 2019 at 11:30 pm

    Just wondered if I could leave out the pineapple? My picky family doesn’t like it in cake. Thank you! This looks delicious!

    Reply
  2. Kay

    September 28, 2019 at 2:13 am

    5 stars
    The cake was delicious! However, it didn’t appear to rise at all. I used three 8 inch cake pans. I followed the directions exactly, as I always do with a first time recipe. It did look very much like your picture though. Did something go wrong or does this cake not rise much?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      September 30, 2019 at 11:54 am

      Hi, Kay. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It does not rise very high, the layers are quite thin. The cake batter is fairly heavy (due to the pumpkin, carrots, pineapple, coconut), so the batter is more dense than light and fluffy. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Gail

    October 18, 2019 at 8:54 am

    Would this recipe work in a 9×13 pan?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      October 22, 2019 at 10:34 am

      It should work, but I think you will have more batter than you need. I would only fill the pan half to 2/3 full with batter, then maybe make cupcakes/muffins with any remaining batter. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Kim

    November 26, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    5 stars
    Made this in 3- 8” pans. To make it a little higher I divided eggs, adding in yolks. Then beat egg whites to fold in at the end. Delicious !

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      November 27, 2019 at 11:09 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Barbara

    November 16, 2020 at 9:47 am

    I made the cake and it was delicious. What would you reccomend to add to make it a tad fluffier? I will say it was VERY moist.

    Reply
    • Allison

      November 18, 2020 at 10:34 am

      Hi, Barbara. You can try reducing the crushed pineapple by half. Also, pat it dry with a paper towel to get out any excess moisture. If you live in a humid environment you can try making a couple of these tweaks: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/tips-for-baking-high-humidity-27970

      Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  6. HoneyBunny20

    January 03, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    Are there any reviews from people who have made this cake?

    Reply
    • Allison

      January 04, 2021 at 11:14 am

      There are quite a few. Scroll towards the bottom of the post, there are several pages of comments.

      Reply
  7. Jackie

    April 21, 2021 at 12:23 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today minus the nuts and it was absolutely awesome! My husband couldn’t stop commenting on how good it was. Thank you for this great recipe.

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 22, 2021 at 12:36 pm

      You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Jennifer

    September 15, 2021 at 7:40 am

    5 stars
    Fabulous. My family enjoyed for days after. It chilled and kept well. I found that the frosting consistency was perfect and did not need any milk. I would also add a smidgen of nutmeg to amp up the flavor next time. I’m going to make it this holiday season and illuminate the coconut. I found it wasn’t needed and a little stringy for such a great moist and flavorful cake. Definitely five stars.

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 15, 2021 at 2:58 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Janet

    September 29, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    Can I make these into cupcakes? Do I need to alter anything?

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 02, 2021 at 6:09 am

      I haven’t tried it, but I would assume so. You’ll need to reduce the bake time. I’d start checking them around 18 minutes, then every couple minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I usually frost my cupcakes pretty heavily (with a piping tip) so you might want to increase the frosting a bit if doing so. Enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Karen

    October 27, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    5 stars
    This cake is so moist. I made 24 cupcakes instead of a cake. I’m going to freeze them. Can’t wait to try them with the frosting. Definitely a keeper! I did not use the coconut as I did not have any. Otherwise, I followed the recipe.

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 28, 2021 at 9:09 am

      Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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