This is THE BEST carrot cake. It’s so easy to make (hello single layer sheet cake!) it’s SO moist, dense, packed with warm spices, and topped with the silkiest salted caramel cream cheese frosting.
What Makes this Carrot Cake the BEST?
- EASY. The cake comes together in one bowl and you don’t even need a mixer! Just a whisk and rubber spatula will do the trick. It’s also just a small single layer sheet cake so no stacking and crumb coating business happening here. Just swirl on some frosting and some cute carrot sprinkles and call it a day.
- Perfectly Spiced. This cake has the perfect blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and cardamom that bring those warm flavors which pair beautifully with the sweet carrots and tangy cream cheese frosting.
- Moist & Dense. I love a moist dense cake. It’s dense enough that you can pick it up and eat it, but moist enough that it melts in your mouth. Truly perfect.
Ingredients
- Carrots. I like to buy whole carrots and shred them myself on a VERY small grater. Yes, it takes longer but nothing is worse than a bite of a large raw carrot in your cake.
- Coconut Oil. Any neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) that’s good for baking would work, but I used coconut. I used the kind that hardens at room temperature and just microwaved it for 10 seconds to liquify it.
- Spices. Carrot cake is usually pretty heavily spiced with warm fall spices. I used a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom.
- Salted Caramel. Homemade or store bought will work fine, just make sure it’s a pourable caramel sauce, not soft caramel candies.
- Cream Cheese. I like both Philadelphia Cream Cheese and also the Trader Joe’s brand. Both whip up nice and smooth and have great flavor.
How to Make Salted Caramel Carrot Snack Cake
Make the Carrot Snack Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang of parchment paper so that you can easily lift the cake from the pan after it cools.
Into a large mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and coconut oil until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until the egg whites are very well combined and the batter thickens up, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream and finely shredded carrots.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cake cool completely while you make the salted caramel cream cheese frosting.
Make the Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer to cream them together until completely smooth with no lumps of cream cheese remaining. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the salted caramel and mix until combined. If it’s too thin, add a little bit of extra powdered sugar and if too thick, add a bit more caramel sauce. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake. Dollop some extra salted caramel all over the top then use an offset spatula or spoon to swirl it into the frosting.
Top with carrot sprinkles (optional!) or some flaky salt, slice into squares, and serve.
Salted Caramel Carrot Snack Cake FAQs
- Can I make this cake gluten free? I haven’t tested it, but you should be able to swap the all purpose flour for a measure for measure gluten free flour like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur with no issues.
- Can I double the recipe to feed a crowd? Yes! Just double all of the ingredients (make sure to use 2 eggs AND 2 egg yolks) and bake it in a 9X13 pan for 28-30 minutes.
- My frosting is too thin/thick? If your frosting comes out too thin just add 2 TBSP of powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add a little extra salted caramel or some heavy cream to thin it out.
Salted Caramel Carrot Snack Cake
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 22 min
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 8” Snack Cake 1x
Description
Moist and dense carrot cake packed with warm spices, and topped with the silkiest salted caramel cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake
- 1/2 C (110 g) Coconut Oil (or canola/vegetable)
- 1/2 C (100 g) Light Brown Sugar
- 1/4 C (50 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Lg Egg, at room temperature
- 1 Egg Yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 6 TBSP (75 g) Sour Cream, at room temperature
- 1 C (100 g) Finely Shredded Carrots
- 1 C (125 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom
For the Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz (half block) Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 3 TBSP (42 g) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 C (240 g) Powdered Sugar
- 2 TBSP Salted Caramel Sauce
Instructions
For the Carrot Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang of parchment so that you can easily lift the cake from the pan after it cools.
- In a medium/large mixing bowl, whisk the sugars and coconut oil until combined.
- Add the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and mix for 1-2 minutes or until the eggs are very well incorporated and the mixture thickens up.
- Whisk in the sour cream and finely grated carrots.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cake cool completely.
For the Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and cream cheese with the vanilla until totally smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low for 2-3 minutes. Add the salted caramel and mix until combined.
- Spread onto the cooled cake then swirl extra caramel into the frosting with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.
- Slice into squares, top with carrot sprinkles, and serve.
Keywords: carrot snack cake, salted caramel carrot cake, carrot cake recipes
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