Makes: 1 large 10-inch/25-cm Bundt cake
Serves: 12–14
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 55–70 minutes
Total: about 1½ hours
Ingredients
For the cake
2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose/plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice, optional
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
¾ cup (180 ml) neutral vegetable oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups (about 300 g) finely grated carrots
¾–1 cup (85–115 g) chopped walnuts
½ cup (80 g) raisins, optional
½ cup (120 g) crushed pineapple, well drained, optional
The carrot/pineapple/walnut combination is well established in moist carrot cakes, although the pineapple can be omitted for a more straightforward carrot-and-walnut flavor.
For the simple glaze
100 g cream cheese, softened
1 cup (120 g) powdered/icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
OR, for the powdered-sugar appearance in your photograph:
2–3 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting
Detailed Metho
1. Prepare the Bundt pan
Generously grease a 10-inch Bundt pan, making sure you get into all the grooves.
Dust lightly with flour and tap out the excess.
This step matters because Bundt cakes can stick easily; recipes specifically recommend thoroughly greasing and flouring the pan.
Preheat the oven to:
175°C / 350°F conventional oven
If using a fan oven, use approximately 160°C / 320°F.
2. Prepare the carrots
Peel and finely grate approximately 300 g carrots.
For the texture shown in the picture, use the fine side of a box grater rather than making large carrot shreds.
Don’t puree the carrots.
If the carrots are extremely wet, lightly squeeze them—but don’t squeeze them completely dry. Their moisture helps produce the soft crumb.
3. Prepare the walnuts
Roughly chop ¾–1 cup walnuts.
For a much deeper flavor, toast them first:
Spread walnuts on a baking tray.
Bake at about 175°C/350°F for 5–7 minutes.
Cool completely.
Chop them.
Don’t make the pieces into powder. Small pieces give the cake the attractive speckled interior visible in the photograph.
Nut substitution: pecans work beautifully as well. Carrot cakes commonly use either walnuts or pecans.
4. Combine the dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together:
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
cinnamon
ginger
nutmeg
allspice
Mixing the raising agents and spices evenly through the flour prevents concentrated pockets of baking soda or spice.
5. Mix the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together:
oil + granulated sugar + brown sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
Add vanilla.
You don’t need to whip this mixture like a traditional butter cake. Oil-based carrot cake is normally mixed quite simply, which helps give it its moist, dense texture.
6. Add the dry mixture
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in 2–3 additions.
Fold gently.
Stop mixing as soon as there are no obvious streaks of flour.
Don’t overmix.
7. Add the carrots and nuts
Fold in:
grated carrots
chopped walnuts
raisins, if using
drained crushed pineapple, if using
Mix just until evenly distributed.
The batter will be relatively thick and chunky.
That’s normal.
8. Fill the Bundt pan
Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
Use a spatula to push the batter into the grooves.
Tap the pan gently on the counter 2–3 times to remove large air pockets.
Smooth the surface.
9. Bake
Bake at 175°C / 350°F for approximately 55–70 minutes.
Start checking around 55 minutes.
Insert a wooden skewer or toothpick into the thickest portion.
It’s ready when:
the skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs
the cake springs back lightly when touched
the edges have begun pulling slightly away from the pan
Bundt carrot cakes commonly require around an hour; published recipes range from roughly 55–65 minutes depending on the pan and oven.
If the top gets too dark
Loosely cover it with aluminum foil during the final part of baking.
10. Cool correctly
This is important.
Leave the cake in the pan for 10–15 minutes.
Then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack.
Let it cool completely before glazing.
Don’t try to frost a hot cake—the frosting will melt and slide off. Published Bundt recipes similarly recommend cooling before icing.
Cream Cheese Glaze
Beat together:
100 g softened cream cheese
120 g powdered sugar
vanilla
lemon juice
Add milk ½ tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you want.
For a thick coating:
Use less milk.
For a dripping Bundt-cake glaze:
Add a little more milk.
Drizzle over the completely cooled cake.
To reproduce the photograph
The pictured cake appears to have a very simple finish, so you can skip the cream-cheese glaze.
Instead:
Let the cake cool completely.
Place it on a serving plate.
Put 2–3 tbsp powdered sugar into a fine sieve.
Dust generously over the top.
This gives the attractive white snowy appearance seen around the Bundt cake.
Nut Information
Does this recipe contain nuts?
Yes.
The main nut is walnut.
You can substitute:
pecans
hazelnuts
almonds
However, these are not interchangeable from an allergy perspective. Walnuts and pecans are both tree nuts.
Nut-free version
Simply omit the walnuts.
For a little texture, you can replace them with:
toasted pumpkin seeds, if tolerated
sunflower seeds
extra raisins
shredded coconut, if tolerated
For someone with a serious nut allergy, don’t assume a product is safe merely because the ingredient list doesn’t contain nuts. Flour, chocolate, spices, baking ingredients and other packaged products can have cross-contact warnings.
Gluten
Regular all-purpose flour contains wheat/gluten.
For gluten-free preparation, use a good 1:1 gluten-free baking flour formulated for cakes.
Dairy
The cake itself can be made dairy-free because it uses oil rather than butter.
The cream-cheese glaze contains dairy.
For a dairy-free cake, use powdered sugar alone or a suitable dairy-free cream-cheese alternative.
Eggs
This recipe contains eggs.
Should you add pineapple?
Optional, but highly recommended if you want an extra-moist cake.
Use about ½ cup (120 g) crushed pineapple, thoroughly drained.
Pineapple is frequently used in carrot cake specifically because it contributes moisture while keeping the cake soft.
If you don’t like pineapple, leave it out and don’t replace it with additional liquid.
Approximate Nutrition
Nutrition depends heavily on the amount of oil, sugar, nuts, glaze and serving size.
As a rough estimate, for 1 of 12 slices, without a heavy cream-cheese frosting:
Nutrient Approx.
Calories 390–450 kcal
Protein 6–7 g
Carbohydrates 50–58 g
Fat 19–23 g
Fiber 2–3 g
Sugar 27–33 g
With cream-cheese frosting, the calories and sugar will be higher. For comparison, published carrot-cake recipes vary substantially: one 12-serving recipe reports 535 kcal per serving, while another carrot cake reports 680 kcal per serving because of its richer ingredients and frosting.
Recipe Q&A
Why is my carrot cake dry?
The most common causes are overbaking, too much flour, or insufficient moisture.
Measure flour by weight if possible, and start checking the cake around 55 minutes.
Why did my Bundt cake stick?
Usually insufficient greasing, inadequate flouring, or turning it out too early/late.
Grease every groove carefully and allow the cake to cool for about 10–15 minutes before turning it out.
Can I use butter instead of oil?
Yes, but oil produces the particularly moist texture associated with this style of carrot cake. Oil-based carrot cakes are common in published recipes.
Can I use brown sugar only?
Yes. You can replace the white sugar with additional brown sugar, although the flavor will be slightly deeper and the cake may be somewhat darker.
Can I omit the raisins?
Absolutely. They aren’t necessary.
Can I omit pineapple?
Yes. The cake will still be moist because of the carrots and oil.
Should I peel the carrots?
Yes, preferably. Wash them thoroughly first, then peel and grate.
Can I use pre-shredded carrots?
You can, but freshly grated carrots generally give a better texture and distribute more evenly through the batter.
Why did my cake sink?
Possible reasons include:
underbaking
opening the oven too early
excessive liquid
too much baking soda/powder
overmixing
a Bundt pan that is too small
Can I make this without a Bundt pan?
Yes. Use a 9 × 13-inch pan or two 8–9-inch round cake pans. Baking time will change, so use the toothpick test rather than relying solely on the clock. Similar carrot-cake recipes give different baking times according to pan shape.
How do I store it?
If unfrosted, keep it well covered at room temperature for about 2 days, or refrigerate for longer storage.
If covered with cream-cheese frosting, refrigerate it. A Canadian dairy recipe recommends refrigeration for up to 4–5 days for a frosted carrot Bundt cake.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Wrap the completely cooled unfrosted cake tightly and freeze.
For best quality, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and bring it toward room temperature before serving.
Can I make mini Bundt cakes?
Yes. Divide the batter among greased mini Bundt molds, filling each roughly â…” full. Start checking much earlier because smaller cakes bake considerably faster.
What’s the secret to the cake in the photo?
For the closest result, I’d use finely grated fresh carrots + vegetable oil + cinnamon + toasted walnuts + a little crushed pineapple, bake it in a simple Bundt pan, cool completely, and finish with a very light dusting of powdered sugar. That combination closely matches the moist, golden, nut-speckled appearance shown.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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