Carrot Cake Roll

This Carrot Cake Roll is a fun spin on a classic carrot cake, combining warm spiced flavors and cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Easter!

Best Carrot Cake Roll

This Carrot Cake Roll recipe is a must-try Easter dessert! It has all the traditional flavors of homemade carrot cake including warm spices like ginger and cinnamon and freshly shredded carrots. It’s rolled up with with a cream cheese filling to create a lovely presentation. I promise if you bring this to a party like a baby shower or Spring gathering, everyone will be impressed with this showstopping cake. I have made it several times for special events and now I get requests for me to bring it or for the recipe so they can make it at home. It’s really just that good!

Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake Roll Recipe

• It’s a simple recipe. This is a quick and easy homemade carrot cake recipe with a decadent frosting rolled into a fun Swiss roll. The instructions are easy to follow even if you don’t bake much.
• It’s budget-friendly. The ingredients in this recipe are made up mostly of affordable pantry staples. You may even have many of these items in your kitchen right now. It’s a cheap recipe that tastes gourmet!
• It’s kid-approved. Little ones love cake and this recipe is no exception! This cake roll is nice and thin as well so it leaves even more room for frosting (which is usually their favorite part).

Ingredients Needed

These are the components needed to make this homemade carrot cake roll as well as the cream cheese frosting. It’s a recipe that utilizes common baking staples to create a yummy dessert (get the full amounts in the recipe box below).

For the cake

• Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this carrot roll cake but you may use your favorite gluten-free blend to make it gluten-friendly.
• Baking powder: This is a key ingredient to achieve the perfect texture. The baking powder keeps your cake light and airy so it isn’t dense. It also helps with rolling, too!
• Spices: I use warm spices like ground ginger and nutmeg to give it a lovely spiced flavor. You may also add cinnamon, too. I also include salt to balance the flavors.
• Sugar: To keep the cake soft, white granulated sugar is the perfect sweetener. 
• Eggs: This will hold the structure of the cake together while also adding flavor and texture. I recommend using room-temperature eggs to ensure they mix into the batter completely.
• Vegetable oil: Melted butter and vegetable oil both work great in cake recipes. I like to use vegetable oil for convenience and consistency.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla when possible but it can get a little pricey. Imitation vanilla will work in a pinch.
• Carrots: Ensure you shred the carrots yourself for best results. They mix best into the cake batter and provide plenty of moisture. This way you don’t have huge pieces of carrot throughout, too.

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• Cream Cheese: Feel free to use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese in the frosting. It won’t change the flavor or texture. Leave it out to soften while you work on the cake!
• Butter: Both unsalted and salted butter work well here. Take it out of the refrigerator when you take out the cream cheese so you have a smooth and creamy frosting.
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract

How To Make A Carrot Cake Roll

Here are all the steps needed to prepare, bake, frost, and roll a perfect carrot cake Swiss roll. I made it super easy to follow so you can enjoy a successful and delicious result.

• Prep the oven and sheet pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then, generously spray a 9×15 jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Lay a piece of parchment on top and spray with with cooking spray as well. Add a sprinkling of flour and then set it aside.
• Beat the eggs and sugar. Add the eggs first and beat them on high with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes. Then, add the sugar and beat the mixture for 3-4 more minutes or until the mixture is frothy.
• Add vanilla and oil. Next, add the vanilla extract and vegetable oil and mix until the ingredients are just combined.

• Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir flour, baking powder, and spices until they are well incorporated. 
• Add the flour mixture to the eggs. Then, pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until everything is just combined.

• Fold in carrots. Carefully fold the carrots into the cake batter until they are well distributed.
• Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake it for 15-16 minutes or until it’s fully baked but soft.

• Roll the cake. Lay out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar. Flip the cake pan over onto the towel and use it to roll the cake from the short end.
• Let it cool. Allow the cake to cool completely rolled up on the counter.
• Make the frosting. When the cake is cooled, make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and then add the sugar and vanilla. Continue to beat the ingredients until they are creamy.

• Unroll and frost. Gently unroll the cake and spread the frosting evenly over the top.
• Reroll and chill. Then, reroll it gently and tightly. Place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to firm up.
• Garnish and slice. Dust it with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Proper Storage

Store this carrot roll cake in the refrigerator tightly covered for up to 4 days. You may freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or tightly covered with foil and plastic wrap.

More Roll Cake Recipes to Try

• Lemon Cake Roll
• Swiss Cake Roll
• Strawberry Roll Cake
• Pumpkin Cake Roll
• Red Velvet Cake Roll
• Yule Log Cake