Carrot Cake Roll Recipe with Sweet Cream Cheese
The Best Carrot Cake Roll Recipe!
I really enjoy a good spiced carrot cake, especially when it involves plenty of cream cheese! In my opinion, there’s really no better way to finish off an Easter dinner than with a delicious carrot cake dessert!
This carrot roll is one of my favorite carrot cake recipes. It’s a perfectly spiced carrot cake with a tangy, sweet cream cheese filling. The ratio of cream cheese filling to carrot cake is fabulous. The cream cheese filling is in every bite!
Initial Prep
Line the bottom of your jelly roll pan with parchment paper or foil (either one works). Speaking of the pan, you will want to use one that is about 10 x 15 inches. I only end up using it to make cake rolls, but it is totally worth it to me!
Be sure to pat dry the shredded carrots so your cake batter does not become too wet.
Baking Tips
The cake batter barely covers the bottom of the pan, so use a rubber spatula or something similar to spread the batter evenly and into the corners. This carrot cake roll only takes about 10 minutes to bake!
How to Roll Your Carrot Cake Log
While the carrot cake is baking, spread about 1/4 cup powdered sugar over a kitchen towel. The thinner cotton towels with little texture seem to work best – I think they are sometimes called flour sack towels or tea towels. But whatever you have will probably work too as long as it is big enough.
Once the carrot cake is done baking, roll it up in the towel and let it cool while rolled up.
Spreading the Cream Cheese Filling
Once the cake has cooled, whip up the cream cheese filling, unroll the cake, spread the filling on, and roll the cake back up. If you love chopped walnuts in your carrot cake, try adding some to the filling! You can really customize this carrot cake log however you want!
Love my small angled spatula for spreading!
Serving Tips
Chill the carrot cake roll in the refrigerator before serving. For a more tidy look, you can trim the ends before serving too.
Once you’re ready to enjoy your cake, sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top, slice, and enjoy!
Did you enjoy this recipe?
Your carrot cake roll will look like a thing of glory when you bring it to the table during your Easter dinner. Be sure to bookmark this recipe or pin it on Pinterest so that you can find it later!
Also, make sure you tell us how it goes down when it’s all said and done! We love to hear feedback on our recipes.
More Easter Recipes:
- Easy Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Ham Recipe
- Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Egg Recipe
- Easy Instant Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Would you like to see more of our favorite recipes? Subscribe to our recipe email.
Carrot Cake Roll Recipe with Sweet Cream Cheese
Equipment
- 10x15-inch jelly roll pan
- Large pan
- Medium bowl
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ cup flour
- 2 cups shredded carrots about 2-3 medium carrots
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for rolling
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Lightly grease the bottom of a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Cut parchment or foil to fit the bottom of the pan, then grease the paper or foil and the sides of the pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs at high speed for about 5 minutes. Then beat in the sugar, oil, and vanilla.
- In a small or medium bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and flour. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, just until blended. Then stir in the carrots. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Edges should be set and the center of the cake should spring back when you lightly press on it.
- While the cake is baking, lay a clean kitchen towel out on a work surface. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup powdered sugar onto the towel covering an area about the size of the cake. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, turn it out onto the prepared towel. Remove the pan and carefully peel off the foil or parchment.
- On one of the short ends, fold the edge of the towel over the cake, then roll the cake and the towel up all the way. Let cool for at least 1 hour.
- Once the cake is cooled, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Gently unroll the cake. Spread the filling evenly over the cake and carefully re-roll the cake tightly. You can use the towel to help keep your fingers from sticking to the cake.
- Chill cake until filling is set, at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Dust with powdered sugar, then slice and serve.
Can the cake stay refrigerated overnight?
Sure. Just make sure it is covered in plastic wrap or something to keep it from drying out. Then plan to dust with powdered sugar right before serving. 🙂
can I use canned carrot in this cake and how
I have not worked with canned carrot before, so I’m not much help there. Sorry!
I’ve tried using canned carrots in cake recipes before… they have WAY to much liquid in them, and I would very much NOT recommend it!
I’m sorry you didn’t like this one. We have plenty of other recipes I am sure that you’ll love!
Can use carrot cake mix to make this or is it different?
I haven’t tried it with a cake mix before, so I’m not sure! My guess is that it would turn out pretty differently though. A cake roll cake works better if it is a little more spongy and dense than other cakes. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Do not use a carrot cake mix! I just tried the Saturday night before Easter and it was a failure!
Ok! Good to know! Hope you are still able to have some yummy Easter desserts. 🙂 Thank you for letting us know!
No nuts and pineapple?
Not for me! I don’t like nuts, pineapple, or raisins in my carrot cake. Feel free to experiment though! It should be easy enough to add some nuts or raisins in there. The pineapple brings more moisture though, so take that into consideration. 🙂
So does the cake want to break when rolling or unrolling ….I’m afraid to even try, I’m 60….and never have gave it a shot…is there a trick to it ?
It might try to crack a bit (especially if it is overcooked or dried out), but I think this cake is actually pretty easy to work with compared to other cake rolls. I think if you follow the instructions and read the little tips in the blog post that you will do a great job!
Can you purée your carrots? I am not a fan of carrots or their texture but I like carrot cake and spiced cake. Can you make this a pumpkin roll? Can you use canned pumpkin?
I haven’t tried this recipe with pureed carrots or pumpkin, so I’m not much help with your questions! However, I do worry that pureeing the carrots or going with pumpkin could alter the texture of the cake enough to affect the results. So if you do some experimenting, come back and let us know how it goes. A friend of mine posted this pumpkin roll recipe, so maybe you would like this one: https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/recipes/pumpkin-rolls/