Last updated on August 3, 2021 by Liza Hawkins
This cream cheese flavor frosting is the icing on the cake (literally) for this super easy carrot cake that’s full of flavor, loaded with spices, and perfect for fall!
I make no bones about not being much of a “from scratch” baker. Sure, I can manage alright with cookies and muffins, the occasional zucchini bread, and even pizza dough.
Ask me to bake a cake from scratch, though, and I shudder a bit.
I’ve had many failed attempts with cakes, resigning myself — no, preferring — to doctor up a box mix instead.
My homemade, completely-from-scratch, followed a no-fail recipe to the letter, always turns out poorly. Too crumbly. Not dense enough. SO. DRY.
So, doctored box mix it is. C’est la vie, right?
I have a similar history with frostings.
Plenty of mishaps with buttercream that ends up turning out grainy or too buttery (if there’s such a thing).
And while I’ve gotten better over time with homemade buttercream frosting, I still sometimes like pre-made grab-and-go options. These days you can even find frosting in the grocery store that’s already loaded into a pastry bag with tips included!
Easy Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
With fall right around the corner (my favorite season!), I can’t think of a better dessert to make and devour than carrot cake that’s full of rich, warm spices like cardamom, ground cloves, and allspice.
And nothing, NOTHING, goes better with carrot cake than cream cheese frosting.
The beauty of this recipe is its ease, due mostly to box cake mix and the aforementioned to the wondrous pre-filled pastry bag.
Add a few extra ingredients to a standard spice box cake mix, bake as directed, and then after it’s cooled, top it with cream cheese frosting right from the pastry bag.
It’s a baking and decorating activity that’s fun for the whole family, made even better by the fact that you can eat your treats once you’re done.
Om-nom-nom.
Yum!
Easy Carrot Cake
This super easy carrot cake is full of flavor, loaded with spices, and perfect for fall!
Ingredients
- 1 16oz Pre-filled pastry bag - cream cheese flavor
- 1 box spice cake mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 ounces shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon butter (to grease the pan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use the butter to grease a tube pan.
- Add the spice cake mix, milk, oil, eggs, vanilla, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the ingredients together on medium-high speed with a hand mixer for two minutes. Fold in the carrots with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepped tube pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the carrot cake cool completely, then gently remove it from the tube pan. Use the cream cheese frosting in the pastry bag to decorate the carrot cake.
Recommended Products
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Wilton Excelle Elite 3-Tier Cooling Rack for Cookies, Cakes and More -
Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece) -
M KITCHEN WORLD Heat Resistant Silicone Spatulas Set - Rubber Spatula Kitchen Utensils Non-Stick for Cooking, Baking and Mixing - Ergonomic, Dishwasher Safe Bakeware Set of 4, Orange -
Cuisinart HM-90BCS Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Handheld Mixer with Storage Case, Brushed Chrome -
KitchenAid KSM75SL Classic Plus 4.5-Qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, Silver -
Chicago Metallic Professional 2-Piece 9.5-Inch Angel Food Cake Pan with Feet, 9.5" x 4"
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 467Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 534mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 8g
