Description
Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese delivers pure comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen, wrapping warm spices and silky frosting into a tender, rolled cake that feels like a sweet hug. Rolled with care and filled with creamy goodness, this dessert turns an ordinary afternoon into a delightful celebration of flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base:
- 2 cups finely grated carrots
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
Dry Ingredients:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 15×10-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper, ensuring the paper slightly overhangs the edges for easy removal.
- Whisk ¾ cup flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and all spices together in a medium bowl until perfectly combined.
- In a separate large bowl, beat 3 large eggs with ½ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar for 3 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and pale.
- Gently fold 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and your dry ingredient mixture into the egg mixture, creating a smooth batter without overmixing.
- Carefully fold 2 cups grated carrots and ½ cup chopped walnuts into the batter, distributing them evenly throughout.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it smoothly and evenly with a spatula to reach all corners.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 375°F until the cake springs back when lightly touched and edges pull away from pan sides.
- Immediately after removing from oven, dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar and invert the hot cake onto the towel.
- Carefully peel off the parchment paper and roll the warm cake with the towel, starting from the short end. Allow it to cool completely.
- For the filling, beat 8 oz softened cream cheese and ½ cup softened butter until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and spreadable.
- Unroll the cooled cake, spread the filling evenly, leaving a small border around edges.
- Re-roll the cake carefully without the towel, placing it seam-side down on a serving plate.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving chilled.
Notes
- Always line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cake removal and to prevent sticking.
- Grate carrots finely to ensure they blend smoothly into the cake batter and provide a consistent texture.
- Roll the cake while it’s still warm to prevent cracking and make rolling easier later.
- For a gluten-free version, swap regular flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend and check that all other ingredients are gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 to 8
- Calories: 289 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 133 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 68 mg