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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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:
janet
Just wondered if I could leave out the pineapple? My picky family doesn’t like it in cake. Thank you! This looks delicious!
Kay
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?
Celebrating Sweets
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!
Gail
Would this recipe work in a 9×13 pan?
Celebrating Sweets
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!
Kim
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 !
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Barbara
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.
Allison
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! 🙂
HoneyBunny20
Are there any reviews from people who have made this cake?
Allison
There are quite a few. Scroll towards the bottom of the post, there are several pages of comments.
Jackie
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.
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Jennifer
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.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Janet
Can I make these into cupcakes? Do I need to alter anything?
Allison
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!
Karen
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.
Allison
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Enjoy! 🙂