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!
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.
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.
