Stunning carrot cake roll is a wonderful joining of deliciously spiced carrot cake, swirled with tangy cream cheese frosting. It looks fancy but it’s easy to make and so perfect for Easter and Spring themed celebrations!
The flavors of carrot cake are absolutely perfect this time of year. If you’re looking for other delicious carrot cake recipes to try, you’ve got to taste this Carrot Cake Cheesecake, this Carrot Cake Bundt Cake, and these incredible Carrot Cake Cookies.
Carrot Cake Roll Recipe
This festive carrot cake roll is so spectacular, it’s bound to get many oohh’s and aahh’s. Not only does it look gorgeous but it also tastes SO scrumptious and has the best texture. We love to enjoy it in the springtime or at Easter gatherings but it’s actually a really great dessert year-round. The moist cake, warm spices, fresh carrots and fluffy cream cheese frosting simply can’t be beat!
I know a cake roll can seem kind of intimating but they aren’t at all. If I can make one then anyone can! I’ll share all my tips, plus step-by-step photos below so you’ll get it perfect every time!
Ingredients Needed
Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients needed for this carrot cake roll. They are all simple baking ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen. See the recipe card below for a list of exact ingredient measurements.
Cake
- Eggs: Use three large eggs for structure, richness and proper baking.
- Brown Sugar: Sweetens the cake while adding depth of flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: For the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a subtle warm flavor.
- Shredded Carrots: To make grating the carrots really fast, use a food processor with the grater attachment.
- All-Purpose Flour: The best flour to use for a tender crumb.
- Spices: A warm blend of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg for that classic carrot cake flavor we love!
- Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise and get perfectly fluffy while baking.
- Salt: Intensifies all of the delicious flavors.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream Cheese: An essential ingredient when making the icing for carrot cake. The creaminess and tangy flavor are the most wonderful complement to the moist cake and warm spices.
- Salted butter: Mixes with the cream cheese for the most delicious filling.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the taste of the frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: To sweeten the frosting while keeping it smooth.
How to Make a Carrot Cake Roll
Once you see how easy this carrot cake roll is to make, you won’t want to reserve it just for Easter. It’s such a great dessert anytime of the year! Make it for your next baby shower, bridal shower or potluck.
Cake
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line jelly roll pan with parchment. Spray with pan spray and set aside.
- Whip Eggs: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the eggs for 2-3 minutes on high, until light and frothy.
- Add Sugars: Beat in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the shredded carrots.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in by hand just until no streaks of white remain.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cake is fully baked in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. While the cake bakes lay out a clean kitchen towel and dust it with about ¼-⅓ cup of powdered sugar.
- Cool and Roll the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto the kitchen towel. Using the short side, roll the cake up tightly into the towel. Leave the cake rolled up until it is completely cooled.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the Filling: While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese filling by beating the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until smooth.
- Finish with Vanilla and Powdered Sugar: Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Assemble
- Add filling: Unroll the cooled cake and spread the cream cheese filling evenly over it, leaving ½ inch of unfrosted cake on one of the short ends.
- Roll and Chill: Start on the short end without the unfrosted part and roll the cake up tightly into a log. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Serve: When you’re ready to serve, you can dust the chilled carrot cake roll with powdered sugar or leave it plain. Slice with a sharp knife for the cleanest slices.
Helpful Tips
Here are my best tips for making a carrot cake roll, so you can make a perfect dessert that your friends and family will love so much!
- Be Prepared: Read through all of the instructions before making the recipe. This recipe is straightforward but there are quite a few important steps, so it’s a good idea to read through all of them before starting.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For best results, start with room temperature butter, eggs and cream cheese.
- Carrots: Peel and grate large carrots using a box grater or food processor. Don’t use pre-grated carrots, as they have less flavor and may be too dry.
- For Presentation: For a pretty presentation, you may want to slice off a small amount of each end of the cake so you can easily see the swirled roll when serving.
- Prevent Sticking: It’s important to dust the kitchen towel with powdered sugar before using it to roll up the cake. This prevents the cake from sticking.
- Wrap in Plastic Wrap: Don’t forget to wrap the cake in plastic wrap while it’s chilling in the fridge. This will prevent it from becoming dry.
- Clean Slices: Ensuring your cake is nice and chilled will help with getting beautiful clean slices. For super clean slices, be sure to use a very sharp knife and wipe it off between each slice.
Storing Leftovers
You’re lucky if you have any of this amazing treat left! Here’s how to store it, so you can enjoy again later.
- In the Refrigerator: If you have some leftover carrot cake roll, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Then, place it in your fridge and it will keep for up to 3 days!
- In the Freezer: Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then wrap in aluminum foil. It will keep for about a month. Write the date on it! Before serving, thaw for about an hour at room temperature. Then, slice and enjoy!
More Cake Roll Recipes
Cake rolls look super impressive and fun! Here are some of our other favorite cake roll recipes!
Desserts
Swiss Roll Cake
1 hr 45 mins
Desserts
Yule Log Cake
2 hrs 42 mins
Desserts
Jelly Roll Cake
1 hr 15 mins
Desserts
The World’s Best Pumpkin Roll
40 mins
Carrot Cake Roll
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups shredded carrots
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line jelly roll pan with parchment. Spray with pan spray and set aside.
-
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the eggs for 2-3 minutes on high, until light and frothy.
-
Beat in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the shredded carrots.
-
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
-
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in by hand just until no streaks of white remain.
-
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cake is fully baked in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. While the cake bakes lay out a clean kitchen towel and dust it with about ¼-⅓ cup of powdered sugar.
-
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto the kitchen towel. Using the short side, roll the cake up tightly into the towel. Leave the cake rolled up until it is completely cooled.
Cream Cheese Filling
-
While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese filling by beating the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until smooth.
-
Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Assemble
-
Unroll the cooled cake and spread the cream cheese filling evenly over it, leaving ½ inch of unfrosted cake on one of the short ends.
-
Start on the short end without the unfrosted part and roll the cake up tightly into a log. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
-
When you’re ready to serve, you can dust the chilled cake with powdered sugar or leave it plain. Slice with a sharp knife for the cleanest slices.
