Description
Carrot Cake Roll transforms classic carrot cake into elegant rolled dessert that impresses everyone at Easter dinner. Spiced carrot cake gets rolled around tangy cream cheese frosting for beautiful spiral presentation.
Ingredients
CARROT CAKE:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots (loosely packed)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
8 ounces cream cheese, cold
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, letting paper extend slightly beyond edges. Spray parchment lightly with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
3. Whisk eggs in large bowl until frothy. Beat in sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined and slightly thickened.
4. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture until almost combined. Fold in shredded carrots gently until evenly distributed. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
5. Bake 10-13 minutes until cake springs back when touched. Immediately roll cake from short end inside parchment paper. Cool rolled 10 minutes only.
6. Beat cold cream cheese until smooth. Add butter 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
7. Carefully unroll slightly cooled cake. Spread frosting evenly, leaving 1-inch bare at far end. Re-roll tightly from frosted end, peeling off parchment as you go.
8. Wrap rolled cake in plastic wrap and freeze 1 hour minimum. Use hot wet knife to slice while still frozen for perfect spirals. Thaw slices 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Roll cake while still warm. Hot cake is flexible and won’t crack when rolled. Wait too long and cake becomes brittle.
Don’t skip the initial roll. Rolling cake up while hot creates muscle memory that makes final roll with frosting easier.
Freeze before slicing. Frozen cake roll slices cleanly without squishing frosting out sides.
Use parchment paper instead of kitchen towel for rolling. Towels leave texture marks and cake can stick.
Grate carrots finely and chop even smaller if needed for smoothest texture.
Store wrapped cake roll refrigerated up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American