Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake

This Carrot Bundt Cake is filled with an irresistible cream cheese filling AND it’s topped with an orange-cream cheese glaze. Perfect for the holidays!

Super moist, spiced Carrot Bundt Cake stuffed with sweet cream cheese filling and drizzled with sweet and tangy Orange Cream Cheese Glaze that will have you drinking it straight from the bowl. 

 

Mouth Watering Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

There are many reasons I get excited for spring, but one of the main ones is Carrot Cake! I looooove Carrot Cake in every form from my Carrot Cake Cookies to Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting to Carrot Cake Crepes,  I just can’t get enough – so I’m bringing you this epic Carrot Cake stuffed with Cream Cheese!

So I really love you guys.  I made this  homemade carrot cake 3 times this week (not counting the time I forgot the flour – it’s been that kind of week), to create the perfect carrot cake that’s super moist without being oily, spiced to perfection with hints of orange, and with a surprise sweet cream cheese filling.

All the reasons to love this Carrot Cake Bundt Cake Recipe

The dreamy cream cheese layer is like a little slice of cheesecake nestled in between the layers of cake and is as easy as drizzling it over the batter, then topping it with the rest of the batter.

And after it bakes, a delectably delicious surprise awaits your happy eaters.  Very happy eaters.

The cream cheese layer is nestled in a shell of moist carrot cake spiced with allspice, nutmeg and a generous douse of cinnamon brightened by a splash of orange extract.  The pecans are coarsely ground so they are perfectly dispersed throughout the cake and add to the moistness created by the use of rich brown sugar, oil and yogurt.  

I tried this cake with just oil, and it didn’t want to cook all the way through.  So I tried it with less oil and it was still missing something.  Finally,  I tried it with a combination of oil and yogurt (which always adds moistness), and it so moist, so flavorful, and just so right.

Due to the high sugar content in this cake, the outside of the cake caramelizes and wants to stick to your pan, so be sure to use a nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it or to butter and flour your pan.  I prefer to use butter and cocoa powder to dust my pan so the cocoa powder blends right into the cake and caramelizes for a slightly crunchy exterior that is one of my favorite parts of the cake.

But not my only favorite part of the cake.  I can have multiple favorites, right?  The Orange Cream Cheese Glaze is

To.

Live.

For.

My goodness, its ridiculous.  The tang of cream cheese, the bright citrus of the orange juice, lemon juice, and orange extract all sweetened by powdered sugar.

The whole thing.  The cream cheese filling, the orange glaze, the spiced carrot cake.  Ridiculous.

Now go make this Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze so you can feel my love and please have a very Happy Easter!  (To read my Easter address, click HERE)

Carrot Cake Bundt Recipe Ingredients

Making carrot cake from scratch is easier than you’d think! Here are the carrot cake ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• Carrots: To make a really moist carrot cake, you need to grate your own carrots. The pre-shredded kind in a bag are often bone dry.
• All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it to avoid baking a super dense homemade carrot cake.
• Sugar: I used a blend of granulated sugar and brown sugar to sweeten the batter and add some moisture.
• Pecans: I bought a bag of raw pecans and chopped them up using my food processor.
• Baking powder and baking soda: The carrot bundt cake batter is quite thick, so you need both baking powder and baking soda to help the cake rise in the oven.
• Salt: Balances out the sweetness of the batter and enhances the spice flavor.
• Spices: I used a blend of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Yum!
• Eggs: Need to be at room temperature before being mixed into the batter.
• Vegetable oil: Canola oil would work well here too.
• Vanilla Greek yogurt: Adds moisture, flavor, and a little sweetness. Use full-fat Greek yogurt.
• Vanilla and orange extracts: So much flavor! You can find orange extract in the baking aisle right next to the vanilla extract.
• Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese that comes in a brick.
• Lemon juice: Gets mixed into the cream cheese filling to add some tang.
• Powdered sugar: Be sure to sift it, otherwise your cream cheese glaze will be lumpy.
• Orange juice: Gets mixed into the glaze to amp up the orange flavor.
• Butter: Just a few tablespoons are added to the glaze to make it ultra creamy.

How to make Carrot Cake Bundt Cake

1. Make the cream cheese filling. Beat together the filling ingredients, then set aside.
2. Make the cake batter. Stir together the dry ingredients, then add the wet. Fold the shredded carrots in last.
3. Assemble the cake. Spoon 3 cups batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over batter and gently smooth, but do not touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter.
4. Bake. Bake the carrot cake from scratch until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before inverting.
5. Glaze. Once the carrot bundt cake has cooled COMPLETELY, whisk together the orange-cream cheese glaze and drizzle liberally over the cake.

Tips for the Best Ever Carrot Cake

• To easily shred carrots, use the grater on your food processor. If you don’t have the grater blade, you can also finely chop in your food processor.
• When “flouring” my pan, I use cocoa powder instead of flour because the cake is brown.
• Your cream cheese layer may not be as thick as the picture all the way around — I chose the thickest slice 🙂

Carrot Bundt Cake variations

• Use different nuts. I used pecans, but chopped walnuts would also work.
• Omit the orange. I think this homemade carrot bundt cake is AMAZING as is, but if you’re not a huge orange fan you can try omitting the orange extract. Maybe bump up the vanilla extract in the batter to make up for it.
• Skip the glaze. Again, I LOVE the orange-cream cheese glaze, but for a simpler homemade carrot cake you could simply dust with powdered sugar and serve as is.

Carrot Cake Bundt storage

Homemade carrot cake can be covered with a cake dome and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Because the filling and glaze contain dairy, this cake must be refrigerated.

Freezing a Carrot Cake Bundt

Yes!  Don’t you love a dessert you can make beforehand and freeze and simply pull it out a few hours before it’s time to dig in?  This method makes dessert time stress free for everyone – especially during the holidays.

To freeze your carrot bundt cake:

1. If you are planning on freezing, then prep/glaze your cake on a freezer safe plate/platter.
2. Place glazed carrot cake in the freezer until it is firm to the touch.
3. Once firm, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then repeat with a second layer of plastic wrap. Next wrap tightly in 1-2 layers of foil until completely sealed.
4. If you are freezing individual slices, then place these plastic/foil wrapped slices in a freezer bag. If you are freezing your entire carrot bundt cake for an extended period of time, then secure the aluminum foil with freezer tape to prevent freezer burn.
5. You can store your homemade carrot cake for up to 4 months. You can also wrap and freeze unfrosted layers of Carrot Cake using the same method and frost when you need them.
6. To thaw your finished Carrot Cake, remove cake from the freezer and carefully remove the plastic and foil. Allow to thaw for about 4 hours before serving.

Looking for more Easter Cake Recipes?

• Coconut Cake (Triple Coconut!) 
• Lemon Poke Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Strawberry Shortcakes
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Banana Cake with Nutella Frosting
• Banana Coffee Cake
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Classic Carrot Cake
• Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• All of my Easter recipes!

Tools Used in This Recipe

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Pie & Cake Knife and Spatula

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Marble Cake Stand with Glass Lid

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Bundt Pan – 10 Cup

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Glass Mixing Bowl Set

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Hand Mixer

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Silicone Oven Grips

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Silicone Spatula Set

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See Favorite Tools

Carrot Cake Bundt Cake Recipe

Servings: 12 -14

Total Time: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (I use my food processor)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (regular or lowfat)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons orange extract

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz full fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Optional Decorative Garnishes

• roasted pecans, roughly chopped
• orange zest

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour a 10 cup bundt cake pan (or use nonstick-spray with flour in it). Set aside.**
• To make the Cream Cheese Filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in remaining Filling Ingredients until smooth. Set Aside.
• In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining Wet Ingredients just until combined. Don’t overmix.
• Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 ½ cups grated carrots until evenly combined (I use my clean hands to stir in the carrots).
• Spoon 3 cups batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over batter and gently smooth, but do not touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter.
• Bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes, cover with foil then reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• To make the Orange Cream Cheese Glaze, using an electric mixer, cream together all of the Glaze ingredients EXCEPT the powdered sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
• When cake has cooled, drizzle Glaze over cake or individual servings, whisking in additional orange juice/milk if Glaze has become too thick upon standing.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Notes

*To easily shred carrots, use the grater on your food processor. If you don’t have the grater blade, you can also finely chop in your food processor. **When “flouring” my pan, I use cocoa powder instead of flour because the cake is brown. ***Your cream cheese layer may not be as thick as the picture all the way around – I chose the thickest slice 🙂

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