Perfectly spiced, super moist, cosy and very comforting Carrot Bundt Cake. Packed with sweet carrots, crunchy pecans, chewy sultanas and drizzled with runny icing, this easy-to-make (no mixer required) cake is made for the days when you just want to eat your feelings.
As news around the world worsens, I wanted to bring you a big virtual hug via this comforting Carrot Bundt Cake. Life right now feels surreal and mentally I can’t even begin to comprehend what’s happening. So, instead of remaining caught up in my own feelings and grief today I decided to turn the oven on, grease my favourite bundt tin and stir together this simple carrot cake to share with you my love. If you’re feeling anything like me, this is just the kind of comfort you need. And the perfect way to celebrate Easter at home this year.
Everyone has their own opinion as to what makes a great cake. Some prefer light and airy with a tender crumb, others like it moist, dense and super chocolatey. Some love fruit and spice and everything nice, whilst others prefer the mellow goodness of simple vanilla bean. My personal favourite is carrot cake. For me, it ticks all of the boxes. Carrot cake is wonderfully moist, with a tender, dense (but not heavy) crumb. It’s perfectly scented with fall spices and studded with sticky bits of chewy sultanas and crunchy pecans. It’s not overly sweet and like banana bread tastes even better the next day. It’s a classic in the best possible way.
How to make carrot bundt cake:
Whilst this cake looks quite spectacular (a bundt tin will do that) it’s seriously simple to make. No mixer required! Here’s what to do…
- Whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder/soda, spices and salt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.
- Fold through the carrots, pecans and sultanas.
- Pour into a greased bundt tin (or simple square tin if you prefer).
- Bake.
- Cool.
- Frost.
- Slice. Eat. Repeat as needed.
See, this sweet spiced carrot cake is SUPER SIMPLE to make. In just 15 minutes you can have this darling nestled in the oven filling your house with most amazing snuggly fragrance too!
Carrot Bundt Cake Ingredients
Carrots: Lots of carrot truly makes the BEST carrot cake. I like to hand grate the carrots as the super tiny pieces tend to create the moistest crumb. This recipe calls for 2 cups of grated carrot, it sounds like a lot but trust me – it’s perfect and hey, this is carrot cake after all.
Brown Sugar: Works perfectly with the carrots to sweeten the carrot cake whilst adding lovely notes of deep caramel and butterscotch too.
Spices: No carrot cake is complete without cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. These cosy spices smell heavenly and make carrot cake the cosiest of them all.
Eggs: Provide the cake with essential structure.
Oil: Creates the moistest softest and tender crumb.
Sultanas: Are an optional addition but a delicious one if you ask me. The tiny bites of sticky chewy sultanas are absolutely yummy strewn throughout the crumb. Chopped medjool dates also work beautifully too. Your choice.
Pecans: Toasted and chopped pecans provide each delicious bite with crunch and texure. Yum.
Orange Zest: Unusual but surprisingly good. The zest of an orange adds an ever so slight hint of citrus zing that works perfectly with the carrots and spices.
Tips to stop a bundt cake sticking to the pan…
- Prepare the Pan: Take extra care when greasing the bundt tin ensuring every nook and cranny is thoroughly greased with butter. A pastry brush is the perfect tool for this job. Also, don’t forget to grease the centre tube of the tin.
- Cool: Once the cake is baked, place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes. This allows the cake structure to become firm enough to remove from the bundt tin without breaking apart. If you forget about the cake and it cools too much, it will become damp and stick to the pan. Don’t despair, simply pop the cake back into the oven for 2 minutes to warm it up again.
- Tap: After the required cooling time, invert the tin onto a wire rack and gently but firmly tap the bottom of the pan a few times to loosen the cake. Lift the tin off and allow the cake to cool completely on the rack.
- Don’t have a bundt tin? Bake the cake in a regular round cake pan.
For the moments life feels just a little too heavy, this carrot cake is for you. Comforting, cosy, sweet and easy-to-make, this cake is the delicious cuddle you need right now.
More Simple Bakes You’ll Love:
Banana Blackberry Poppy Seed Bread
Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sticky Date Granola Cookies
Peach Raspberry & Coconut Cookies
One Bowl Banana Carrot Mini Loaves
One Bowl Blueberry Poppy Seed Lemon Muffins
Apple Coconut Buckwheat Breakfast Cookies
Apple Brown Butter and Hazelnut Mini Bundt Cakes
Raspberry Pistachio and Lemon Scones
I know you’re going to love this Carrot Bundt Cake, please let me know if you make it by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. I’d love to hear from you and it helps encourage others to make the recipe too! Kayla xo.
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
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Carrot Bundt Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12 1x
Description
Perfectly spiced, super moist, cosy and very comforting Carrot Bundt Cake. Packed with sweet carrots, crunchy pecans, chewy sultanas and drizzled with runny icing, this cake is made for the days when you just want to eat your feelings.
Ingredients
Carrot Bundt Cake:
- 1 cup (240 grams) caster sugar
- 1 cup (210 grams) brown sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 2 cups (300 grams) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) sultanas
- zest of 1 orange
Icing:
- 2 cups (320 grams) icing (confectioners) sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Instructions
To make the carrot bundt cake:
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and generously grease a bundt tin. Set aside.
- Place the white sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla into a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Into a separate bowl, place the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, cinnamon, all spice, ginger and salt and whisk to combine creating a well in the centre.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry and stir until just combined.
- Gently fold through the carrots, pecans, sultanas and orange zest.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt tin.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and when a skewer inserted removes cleanly.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
- Cool cake completely.
To make the icing:
- Place the icing sugar, oil, vanilla and boiling water into a bowl and stir to form a smooth but thick paste.
- Spread the icing onto the cooled cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
- Decorate with finely chopped pecans and cinnamon sugar (if desired).
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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