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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Published: Mar 26, 2020 · Modified: May 11, 2022 by Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Carrot Pound Cake With Cream Cheese Glaze

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Pound cake never tasted so good. Rich, dense and ultra moist, this perfectly spiced carrot pound cake with a cream cheese glaze puts a tasty spin on a classic dessert. For the utmost decadence, serve with a giant scoop of ice cream for a dessert everyone is sure to love.

The carrot pound cake on a white marble cake stand with orange flowers.

OK, who loves carrot cake? And who loves pound cake? I know you have two hands raised. That's why you're here, right?

As you can probably guess, I love both, so I naturally had to bring the two together to make one ultimate cake.

My inspiration for this cake came when I made my buttermilk-pumpkin pound cake. The dense nature of the pound cake perfectly held up the moisture-filled pumpkin, and I just loved how those warm spices played with the subtle buttermilk tang. Instantly, I started thinking of other pound cake variations, and my brain went to my favorite carrot cake.

Of course! If this pumpkin pound cake was so delicious, how could a carrot variation not be up to the task? And trust me. This carrot pound cake certainly is.

Bonus: If you love this recipe, all check out my banana pound cake! It's truly divine.

An aerial view of the carrot pound cake with a cake server on the side on a yellow and white napkin.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Let's start baking. We begin by sifting together flour, salt and plenty of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. You may notice I didn't mention baking soda or baking powder. Pound cake traditionally doesn't use a leavening. Instead, it gets its lift from lots of mixing, so that wasn't oversight.

Before getting to the wet ingredients, I like to take this time to prepare our carrots. Using a box grater, we use the smallest holes to grate our carrots like so.

Using the smallest holes on the grate to grate the carrots.

We don't want to use the large holes on our grater. These small pieces of carrots meld perfectly into our cake. Otherwise, the large holes would leave us with huge carrot chunks, and no one wants that.

Now we move on to our wet ingredients. We start by beating a combination of dark brown sugar, white sugar, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until the mixture turns light and fluffy.

As I've mentioned many times, I'm a huge fan of dark brown sugar over light brown sugar. The extra molasses adds an extra touch of moisture and richness that I love, but don't worry if you only have light brown sugar. That will also work, but my favorite is dark brown sugar.

The same goes with almond extract. I love the unique flavor it brings to the dark brown sugar and warm spices, but if you only have vanilla extract, you can use that instead and still end up with a delicious cake.

Now we add our eggs one at a time and then alternate spooning in our flour mixture with buttermilk, which is another huge moisture-maker in this pound cake.

Adding the eggs to the batter one at a time in a mixing bowl.

Once we mix in all our flour and buttermilk, we beat our pound cake for several minutes. I know -- this may seem like a long time, but don't forget that we don't use leavening in this cake. At the end, we stir in our carrots, crushed pineapple and toasted walnuts.

Stirring in the pineapple, carrots and coconut into the batter in a mixing bowl.

How to Grease Bundt Pan

With our batter mixed, we're ready to grease the bundt pan. Unlike layer cakes, I like to do this right before adding the batter to make sure everything doesn't start sliding down the side of the pan.

We first generously coat the bundt pan with cooking spray, including the middle, and then sprinkle flour inside. Now we cover the top of the bundt pan with plastic wrap and give it a good shake to coat the pan with the flour.

Removing a cake from a bundt pan is notoriously tricky, but I find a well-floured pan helps my cakes come out nicely. And if you do have any spots that don't come out smoothly, you can always cover it with a little cream cheese glaze, though flouring should do the trick.

How to Test When Pound Cake Finishes Baking

Considering the thickness, it's probably obvious that pound cake takes some time to bake. We bake it for 30 minutes and then lightly tent it with foil to prevent over browning, and continue baking for another 50 minutes or so.

The batter in a bundt pan after it's been floured.

To make sure it's completely baked, a toothpick won't do like in your layer cakes. We need a long skewer that we poke all the way through to ensure we don't have wet batter in the middle. To be safe, I test it a few times in other areas of the cake. When the skewer comes out clean, our carrot pound cake is ready.

How to Make Cream Cheese Glaze

And now for our cream cheese glaze. It just isn't carrot cake without some kind of cream cheese-based finishing touch, you know?

To make the glaze, we simply beat room-temperature cream cheese until it's fluffy and then add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Once we add enough milk to give it a drizzling consistency, we can either spoon it directly on our pound cake or add it to a squeeze bottle and then drizzle it onto the cake.

For this drizzle, I prefer using a squeeze bottle as you can see from the photos. Spooning directly on the cake isn't as precise, and I think those white stripes are just oh-so pretty. But if you don't have a squeeze bottle, carefully spooning will work -- you just might have a little clean-up at the end.

And please don't ignore room-temperature distinction for our cream cheese. Have you ever tried beating cold cream cheese? It's not easy. We need room-temperature cream cheese to get the right consistency.

How to Serve

Considering that we just topped this cake with a homemade cream cheese glaze, we technically don't need anything else. A simple slice of this carrot pound cake is a treat in itself. But that doesn't mean we can't give it an even more decadent twist.

I'm a huge fan of serving pound cake and ice cream together. After the ice cream sits for a few minutes, it starts to slowly soak that dense cake, making for the most luscious bite.

I made this cake around the same time I made this Baileys ice cream for the blog, so I had to try the two together along with a healthy drizzle of my bourbon caramel sauce. Y'all, that is one unbelievably scrumptious combination. I bet my butterscotch ice cream with candied pecans would also be a delightful option.

Pound cake also makes for a tasty trifle. Simply cube the pound cake and then layer it in a trifle dish with pudding and whipped cream. Voila! Just like that, you have a carrot pound cake trifle.

Like most cakes, I find this baked treat is best consumed within the first couple of days. This is a moist cake, which gives it some longevity, but you will definitely enjoy it much more on day two than, say, day five.

Looking straight on at the carrot cake with flowers on the cake stand and in the background.

How to Freeze Pound Cake

Admittedly, I prefer my pound cake fresh, but that doesn't mean it doesn't freeze reasonably well. Just don't apply the glaze before freezing. You'll need to do that after it thaws.

Once the cake completely cools, we wrap it with Press'n Seal to ensure it's airtight and then cover with a layer of foil. If you have a container big enough, you can place it in there, but if not, give it an extra layer of foil to make sure it's well-protected.

While cake is best frozen for up to three months, it's still safe to eat if you freeze it even longer. That said, the quality starts to go down, so just keep that in mind.

The carrot pound cake after it's been cut on the marble cake stand.

Perfect Pairing

Grab a nice barley wine and you're in for a well-paired treat. Barley wines show off lots of caramel-forward and dried fruit flavors that blend beautifully with our dark brown sugar and spices. Considering that this is such a dense cake, we want a beer with plenty of mouthfeel, and barley wines certainly cover us there.

More of a wine fan? You can't go wrong with a Madeira with its complex, sweet nuttiness. Madeira also comes with a nice level of acidity that balances the tangy buttermilk and cream cheese while adding some brightness to our rich cake.

Oh, and as I mentioned, Baileys is delicious with this pound cake. If you decide on a Baileys pairing rather than ice cream, you'll love my Baileys Irish coffee martini for the perfect dessert cocktail.

For a delicious twist on a classic dessert, I hope you try this carrot pound cake with cream cheese glaze. I have no doubt everyone will fall in love with this super moist, flavorful cake. Please let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!

A slice of the carrot pound cake on a white plate with the rest of the cake in the background.

Love Baking Cakes?

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The carrot pound cake with a cream cheese glaze on a marble cake stand with orange flowers.

Carrot Pound Cake With Cream Cheese Glaze

Pound cake never tasted so good. Rich, dense and ultra moist, this perfectly spiced carrot pound cake with a cream cheese glaze puts a tasty spin on a classic dessert. For the utmost decadence, serve with a giant scoop of ice cream for a dessert everyone is sure to love.
5 from 36 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 12 -16 servings
Calories: 340kcal
Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

  • Mixer
  • 12-cup bundt pan
  • Foil

Ingredients

Carrot Pound Cake

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly grated
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 7 eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk shaken before measuring
  • 1 cup grated carrots see note
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Carrot Pound Cake

  • Heat oven to 325 degrees. Toast the walnuts in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring often. This should only take two or three minutes. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, stir together the 3 cups of flour, spices and salt. Sift into another bowl and set aside.
  • Add the dark brown sugar, white sugar, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract to a separate large mixing bowl. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the ingredients over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes. If using a hand mixer, it might take an extra minute or so. From time to time, scrape the butter off the side of the bowl to ensure everything is well-incorporated.
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time just until combined. Once you beat in all the eggs, add about ½ cup of the flour into the batter and beat until combined on low speed. Beat in a splash of the buttermilk. Repeat the process until both are fully incorporated into the batter, ending with the buttermilk.
  • On medium-high speed, beat the batter for five minutes with a stand mixer or about six to eight minutes using a hand mixer. The batter will be thick and fluffy. Stir in the grated carrots, shredded coconut, crushed pineapple and toasted walnuts.
  • Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan, including the middle. The flour makes a big difference in keeping the finished cake from sticking, so don’t skip this step. I find it's helpful to place plastic wrap on top of the bundt pan after flouring and give it a good shake to make sure it's well-coated. Pour in the batter and smooth on top.
  • Bake for 30 minutes. Loosely tent the top of the bundt pan with foil to prevent excessive browning. Continue to bake until a long skewer comes out clean, about 50 more minutes. Make sure you insert the skewer all the way to the bottom of the pan to check for doneness. Allow to cool in the pan for an hour or up to two hours. Run a knife along the edge of the bundt pan to loose the cake. Invert on a wire rack to finish cooling. Drizzle with cream cheese glaze once cool. See below for directions.
  • Move to a cake stand when ready to serve. Store under a cake dome to create an airtight environment. If desired, serve with bourbon caramel or your favorite ice cream, such as this Baileys ice cream or butterscotch ice cream with candied pecans. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  • Add about ½ cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Repeat until you use all the powdered sugar, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
  • Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of milk and beat until combined. If you need to thin it out, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Either pour in a squeeze bottle to drizzle on the cake or do so directly.

Notes

  • Use the smallest holes of the box grater for the carrots.
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g
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    Recipe Rating




  1. Beckigail says

    April 16, 2022 at 11:28 am

    I am about to make this and I can’t wait to try this cake. As everyone before has said, I am a huge lover of all things pound cake and I love carrot cake! My question, well questions;
    1. Should I reduce the amount of carrot if I use my food processor instead of hand grating?
    2. Leaving the coconut out and replacing with golden raisins shouldn’t affect the way the pound cake turns out, right? Allergy issue
    3. I used fresh pineapple i pulsed in my food processor. Should I reduce the amount of pineapple with juice? It is pretty juicy!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 16, 2022 at 11:49 am

      Hey there! I don't think leaving the coconut out will be a problem at all. As far as the pineapple and carrots, it's a little hard to say without seeing them, but if the pineapple seems too juicy, could you drain it so that you're getting mostly fruit and reduce the juice? I think you should be fine on the quantity of carrots -- do they look about the size of the carrots in the process photos? If so, I'd say you should be good to go! Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Val Sulser says

    April 11, 2022 at 8:16 am

    I am going to make this for Easter. I am not a fan of a lot of frosting so I think I will like this. And I love making pound cakes. Question about the nuts. Will it change the texture if I don’t use nuts? We have a guest
    allergic to nuts.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 11, 2022 at 8:20 am

      I think it’ll be just fine without nuts. Have a good wonderful Easter!

      Reply
  3. Cait says

    June 22, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    I want to make this for someone that loves raisins in their carrot cake. Any thoughts on what amount I would use without messing up the recipe?

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      June 22, 2021 at 1:49 pm

      Hi, Cait! Without being able to test it, I think about 1 cup of raisins would work nicely. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
      • Cait says

        July 29, 2021 at 10:41 pm

        5 stars
        Used 1 C of golden raisins (coated in a light dusting of flour) and it worked perfectly! This cake is a HEFTY lady, but it was really tasty!

      • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

        July 30, 2021 at 3:47 pm

        I'm so glad that worked for you! Thank you so much!

  4. Kacey Perez says

    April 06, 2020 at 11:14 am

    5 stars
    This carrot cake recipe is so gorgeous! I want to make Easter special for my family and this cake will be the perfect dessert that everyone will enjoy!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 06, 2020 at 2:58 pm

      I'm sure they will! I know it's such a hard time, but I'm hoping some fun baking projects will help. Hope y'all are hanging in there. ❤️

      Reply
  5. Charity says

    April 06, 2020 at 1:04 am

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious and so much easier than a layer cake. Will be making this for Easter for sure!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 06, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      I hope you love it! It really is super simple.

      Reply
  6. Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says

    April 05, 2020 at 5:02 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! Pound cake and carrot cake all in one, plus cream cheese glaze. That's a dream cake right there!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 06, 2020 at 12:50 am

      Totally! They're the perfect match.

      Reply
  7. Jacqui DeBono says

    April 02, 2020 at 10:15 pm

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe for Easter - it's a guaranteed way to get vegetables into the kids' diet too! I love the sound of the glaze, must try that instead of the usual frosting I make next time.

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 04, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      I didn't even think about that!

      Reply
  8. Pam Greer says

    April 01, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    5 stars
    You have combined my two favorite cakes into one!!! Moist and delicious!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 02, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      They were meant to become one ultimate cake!

      Reply
  9. Anna says

    April 01, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    5 stars
    I'm in love with this cake! The texture and flavours are just wonderful, will be making it for Easter for sure! Love your tip on using the smaller holes in grater too!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 02, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      I'm so glad to hear that! Happy Easter!

      Reply
  10. Kelly Anthony says

    March 31, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    5 stars
    I really like your idea of adding almond extract to this giving it an extra depth of flavor.

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 02, 2020 at 5:02 pm

      It's such a nice addition! I just love the flavor.

      Reply
  11. HEATHER PERINE says

    March 31, 2020 at 2:00 pm

    5 stars
    Oh I love a good bundt cake! This is perfect for Easter...and great tip on using the small holes on the grater!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 02, 2020 at 5:01 pm

      So glad that's helpful!

      Reply
  12. Caitlin says

    March 30, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    5 stars
    Yum this looks great! I have had carrot cake on my list to make during this self isolation and you've just convinced me to do it sooner rather than later! I LOVE a good cream cheese frosting - it's the best!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 02, 2020 at 5:00 pm

      I say let's eat all the cake possible during quarantine! Now is the time for comfort food.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Amanda, a Denver-based lady who believes life is best spent with comforting meals, tasty beverages and good company. When I'm not playing in the kitchen, I'm probably exploring new breweries with my husband, Matt, or obsessing over my adorable dog, Baylor.

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