Today I bring you a super easy moist and delicious carrot cake recipe. But this isn’t your ordinary carrot cake; it’s a carrot cake roll.

I know many people are scared of cake rolls, rather they’re scared of attempting to bake cake rolls. I used to be one of those people. There’s something extra intimidating about baking a successful cake, and then rolling it. What could possibly go wrong?! I used to worry about it splitting down the middle, coming out too dry or too thin.

But today I bring you a recipe that is so simple and easy, that you’ll never be afraid of a cake roll again! And perhaps this carrot cake roll will turn into a staple dessert in your home like it is in my home! Perhaps this successfully baked cake roll will bring out more creativity and desire to step away from the typical cake, and to bake cake rolls more often.

What is a carrot cake? Does it taste like carrots? Carrot cake is a cake which includes grated carrots in its batter. The short answer is no, it does not taste like carrots. But the grated carrots add a special dimension, moisture, and texture to the cake. Carrot cake has been found in cook books dating back to the 18th century, but some variations have been found in cook books as early as 1591. In modern times, carrot cake almost always requires a cream cheese filling to go along.

What You Need:

~For the carrot cake~

2 carrots – grated makes about 2 cups

3 eggs {room temperature}

3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

~For the cream cheese frosting~

1 cup cream cheese {room temperature}

3 tbsp butter {room temperature}

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

First of all, let me start off by saying that what I love most about this carrot cake roll is that most of these ingredients are already in our pantries and refrigerators! That takes out the anxiety of making lists and grocery shopping.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cake pan prior to getting started on the batter. It helps to use an actual cake roll pan. Using a cake roll pan allows you to ensure the size and shape of your cake roll turns out perfectly. Line your cake roll pan (or regular pan) with parchment paper, and add a touch of cooking spray.

Use a hand mixer or a simple whisk to whisk the eggs in a bowl until they’re frothy. Then add sugar and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth and blended. Now add the salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and flour and stir to combine. Do not over mix; baking powder loses its gas bubbles if the batter is over mixed, and we want our cake to be fluffy and light in texture.

At the end, fold in the grated carrots. Pour batter over into the cake roll pan and make sure to coat evenly for even cooking and proper shape. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your cream cheese frosting! None of that pre-made stuff; real cream cheese frosting tastes so much better! It’s important to note that cream cheese must be at room temperature, as should the butter. Not only are these ingredients much easier to work with when they’re at room temperature, but this prevents the cream cheese frosting from being clumpy.

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk by hand or use a hand mixer to combine until smooth! So yummy. Cream cheese frosting is my favorite. And it’s so simple and easy to make.

By now our cake roll should be done, so take it out of the oven. You can roll the cake right into the parchment paper to make a log shape. Roll it while it’s still warm, and then set aside to cool completely before unrolling and adding the cream cheese frosting.

Don’t be scared of unrolling! If you’ve followed this recipe, your cake should not tear! But if it does tear, just double up on your frosting recipe and cover the entire cake with the frosting, while simultaneously mending the tear.

Once the cake is unrolled, add the cream cheese frosting to the cake in an even layer, making sure to reach the outermost corners. Remove parchment paper, and roll cake back up. Dust the top of your carrot cake roll with powdered sugar. (If you’ve covered your entire cake roll with frosting, you can use cocoa powder to dust the top for a beautiful contrast!) Chill cake roll in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes prior to devouring.

Some of my favorite additions to carrot cake include pecans, walnuts, or almonds, and even raisins or dried cranberries. I enjoy my sweet carrot cake roll with a cup of americano and love the taste of black coffee alongside this moist and airy carrot cake. Enjoy!