Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect springtime dessert! A soft spiced cake filled with grated fresh carrot, rolled up around a homemade cream cheese filling then dusted with powdered sugar. This cake roll is a winner!
We always love to have carrot cake in the spring, especially for Easter. So when thinking of a new dessert to try, I wanted something based on carrot cake. The carrot cake roll with cream cheese frosting is just the thing!
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Finely grated carrots
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
- Butter
Making Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting
Be sure to leave the eggs out on your counter for 30 minutes before you begin so they can warm up to room temperature. This is important for the next step, which is beating the eggs.
You will beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high speed for a solid 5 minutes until they’re fluffy. I really recommend using a stand mixer for this if you have one. My KitchenAid was so helpful! I just set it to high speed, set a timer, and went on with other things while the eggs were beaten.
Now, add the sugar and beat the eggs again for another minute.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the cake, then gently fold the mixture into the whipped eggs.
Add finely grated carrot and fold the batter just until combined.
Spread the carrot cake batter into a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with a raised edge) that has been prepared with parchment paper and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Leave extra parchment paper sticking up from the sides of the pan to give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan after it’s been baked.
Bake the cake at 350ºF for about 10-12 minutes until the cake is done.
While the cake is baking, very generously dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar.
As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, turn it out onto the prepared towel.
Fold one end of the towel over one of the short ends of the cake.
Roll the cake up tightly into the towel, but not so tight that you smash the cake.
Set the cake aside to cool completely to room temperature, which will take about an hour.
While the cake is cooling, mix up the cream cheese frosting so that when the cake is cooled, you can unwrap it from the towel and frost it.
Re-roll the carrot cake roll and dust with powdered sugar before refrigerating for 30 minutes to chill. Slice and serve!
Troubleshooting
This cake is really simple, but a few things can possibly go wrong. Here are some tips to be aware of when making Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Substitutions – there really are very few substitutions to the cake recipe that won’t negatively impact the cake. I suggest sticking closely to the recipe for best results.
- Flipping the cake onto the towel – this part is tricky! It’s best to leave parchment paper sticking up from the sides of the pan to give you a way to lift that cake out of the pan. I suggest wearing heat-resistant gloves or oven mits and holding the cake with both hands underneath. Move very close to the prepared kitchen towel and allow one end of the cake to ease down to the cake. Once the end of the cake touches the towel, very carefully scoot the rest of the cake, a little at a time, onto the towel. Gently peel away the parchment paper.
- The cake sticks – the reason you will line the pan with parchment paper AND spray with non-stick cooking spray is to avoid any possibility of the cake sticking. Just be sure before moving the cake at all that the edges are not stuck. If you notice any sticking to the pan or to the parchment paper when you’re peeling it away, use a knife to gently release the cake.
- The cake cracked – this has definitely happened to me and it’s frustrating! The cake is thin and delicate, so as you re-roll it after adding the frosting, it can easily crack. Moving slowly when rolling is important. But if you cake does crack, don’t worry! It will still taste wonderful and you can cover it with powdered sugar.
Toppings
The Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting is perfect as it is! But you may want to add your own twist on this dessert. Here are some ideas:
- Frosting – pipe extra cream cheese frosting on top of the cake roll (especially good for hiding a crack if needed!)
- Toppings – pipe frosting on top of the cake, then sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, or coconut flakes.
- Cinnamon sugar – sprinkle the cake with cinnamon sugar
Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect springtime dessert! A soft spiced cake filled with grated fresh carrot, rolled up around a homemade cream cheese filling then dusted with powdered sugar. This cake roll is a winner!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups finely grated carrots
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 5 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with a raised edge) with parchment paper. Allow the parchment paper to come at least 1 inch above the sides of the pan for easy lifting the finished cake from the pan. Spray the parchment paper in the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs at high speed for 5 minutes until thickened and frothy. Add the sugar and vanilla, then beat at high speed for 1 minute.
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir gently just until combined. Stir in the grated carrots.
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan, spreading all the way to the edges. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (do not under bake).
- Sprinkle a large, clean kitchen towel very generously with powdered sugar (use at least ½ cup). As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn the cake out of the pan onto the prepared towel. Peel away the parchment paper carefully.
- Fold the end of the towel over one of the short ends of the cake. Roll the cake up into the towel, starting at the short end. Set the cake aside to cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined and the frosting is creamy.
- Very gently, unroll the cooled cake roll and be sure it is fully released from the towel. Spread the frosting onto the cake, edge to edge. Re-roll the cake gently. Transfer the cake roll to a plate, seam side down.
- Chill the cake roll in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Would love to hear from you!
After you make Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting, come back and tell me how you like it! You can leave a comment and recipe rating in the comments section below. You can also click here to see this on Pinterest and leave a comment there or even your own picture of your dessert. Another option would be to tag me on Instagram @MomNeedsChocolate. Can’t wait to hear from you!
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