Food and Recipes Veggies Carrots 19 Carrot Dessert Recipes That Go Beyond Cake By Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 22, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf If you're bored with serving the same classic carrot cake, then you have come to the right place. We've gathered more than a dozen of our favorite carrot dessert recipes, and yes, a few are traditional carrot cake recipes, but most are fun riffs on the format. (We even have one recipe known as the "Oddball Carrot Cake.") They are perfect ways to end a big Easter meal, but equally welcome year-round at all sorts of occasions, from showers to birthdays. Grab your box grater, or for those lucky folks, food processor attachment—and get to shredding, because these sweet treats are loaded with carrots. 01 of 19 Carrot-Pineapple Cake Hannah Hufham, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Many will say canned pineapple is the secret to a good carrot cake. For those that agree, this is the recipe for you. Get The Recipe 02 of 19 Mini Carrot Cakes Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Grab your piping bag and star tip because these Mini Carrot Cakes are almost too cute to resist. The best part? They don't require a fancy cake pan to pull off, simply punch out the cake rounds from a sheet pan. (And enjoy the scraps as a chef's treat.) Get The Recipe 03 of 19 Best Carrot Cake Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox We don't call it the "best" for nothing. Three layers of moist, nutty cake are moistened with a buttermilk glaze and stacked with tangy cream cheese for an excellent way to end the meal. Get The Recipe 04 of 19 Carrot Cake Cupcakes Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster A lot easier to transport than a layer cake, these cupcakes still pack the same carrot-filled bite. We use walnuts as a garnish, but the South's favorite nut (pecans) work just as well. Get The Recipe 05 of 19 Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Not only is this cake filled with grated apples, but we use apple pie spice to enhance the apple flavor and drizzle the cake with an apple cider caramel. It doesn't get more autumnal than that. Get The Recipe 06 of 19 Carrot Cake With Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones The candy carrot decorations are easily our favorite part of this cake. Well, aside from the sweet maple twist on the classic cream cheese frosting. Get The Recipe 07 of 19 Carrot Cake Bars Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin A finishing sprinkle of toasted coconut chips is the small detail that really sets this carrot dessert recipe apart from others. The pro move? Add a little flaky salt, too; it helps balance the sweetness of the cake and frosting. Get The Recipe 08 of 19 The Ultimate Carrot Cake Alison Miksch Candied carrot curls are the pièce de résistance on this towering carrot cake made a little untraditionally with grated apples, pecans, and a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. This recipe only proves that some traditions are meant to be broken. Get The Recipe 09 of 19 Carrot Cake Cheesecake Micah A. Leal If you love cheesecake and carrot cake, don't compromise, and make this dessert that combines both. We swap a classic graham cracker crust for a layer of carrot cake under an impossibly fluffy cheesecake. Get The Recipe 10 of 19 Carrot Cake Quick Bread Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf If you want all the flavor of a carrot cake, but none of the hassle of baking (and frosting) multiple layers, this recipe is the solution. As the name alludes, it comes together quickly, and when finishing with a beautiful white drizzle, looks just as stunning as a layer cake. Get The Recipe 11 of 19 Carrot-Walnut Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke This cake comes together in one-bowl, a fact that alone should convince you try it at least once. It also contains double the carrot content, from both shredded carrots and carrot juice. Get The Recipe 12 of 19 Erika Kwee's Spiced Carrot Cake with Candied Pecans and Caramel Sauce Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Erika Kwee tests recipes for a living, so you know her version of carrot cake is foolproof and deeply considered. For a fresh take on the format, the cake is topped with candied pecans and a rich brown sugar caramel. Get The Recipe 13 of 19 Oddball Carrot Cake Courtesy Ecco This cake earns its name from the yellow frosting used to coat the layers. You can achieve the look with a little food coloring, or for a more natural approach, using carrot juice. Get The Recipe 14 of 19 Carrot Bundt Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Loops of cream cheese frosting, carrot chips, and crystalized ginger, help make this humble Bundt cake a stunning showstopper. Get The Recipe 15 of 19 Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Coconut makes its way into every part of this cake, from the sponge itself, to the buttercream made with coconut milk, and the garnish on top. In fact, this cake contains two types of flaked coconut for added flavor and texture. Get The Recipe 16 of 19 Tropical Carrot Cake Micah A. Leal Banana, pineapple, and coconut add sunny tropical flavors to this carrot cake. Get The Recipe 17 of 19 Easter Carrot Cake Trifles Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn We use boxed cake mix to make these trifles extra easy to pull off. That said, if you accidentally break a carrot cake layer, or find yourself with cake scraps, this is a great recipe to put them to good use. Get The Recipe 18 of 19 Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox We can't explain why, but mini baked goods are just somehow better. Is it because they are inherently cuter? These mini Bundts sure are pretty cute, and they taste as good as they look, too. Get The Recipe 19 of 19 Carrot Cake Muffins Micah A. Leal A muffin might not technically be a dessert, but if serving Easter brunch this year, they might just be the perfect sweet way to end the meal. Get The Recipe Best Carrot Cake Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit