There are so many foods, like this Spiced Carrot Cake, that I’ve learned to appreciate with time. Perhaps it was the idea of vegetables in a cake that threw me off as a questioning kid back then. Making this cake years later, though, I taste how nicely each ingredient works together to make an enjoyable bite.
With my Spiced Carrot Cake recipe, I add in a few special ingredients to make it an extra cozy slice of sweetness. Cake, for me, provides the best reason to curl up on the sofa and ponder in peace for no reason at all. The notes of ginger and freshly cracked peppercorn in the batter warm you up for just a second. That is until a cool blend of cream and goat cheese frosting that’s lightly sweetened with honey and cardamom follow it.
As with any recipe, make it your own! Feel free to play with the types of spices used or the amount of each. I’m sure this recipe could be made a hundred different ways. That’s the best part about cooking. Every chance to make a recipe is a chance to try something new.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you do, you may also enjoy my Baked Chai Donuts with Ginger Milk Glaze, Spiced Coconut Milk French Toast, or my Lemon Cardamom Cookies.
If you have questions about my Spiced Carrot Cake recipe, reach out to me @thefamiliarkitchen on instagram. Please tag me, too! I’d LOVE to see how this turns out for you and answer any questions you might have!

Spiced Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- Carrots, 2 cups, grated (about 3 carrots)
- Pineapple, 1/2 cup, diced
- Coconut, 1/2 cup, grated
- Walnuts or Pecans, 1/2 cup, crushed
Dry Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour, 2 1/2 cups
- Baking Powder, 2 tsp
- Baking Soda, 1 tsp
- Salt, 1 tsp
- Cinnamon, 2 tsp
- Ginger Powder, 1 tsp
- Nutmeg, 1/2 tsp
- Cracked Peppercorns, 1/2 tsp
Wet Ingredients
- Light Brown Sugar, 1 1/2 cup
- Sugar, 1/2 cup
- Vegetable Oil, 1 cup
- Sour Cream, 1/4 cup
- Vanilla Extract, 2 tsp
- Eggs, 4 (room-temp)
Whipped Cream & Goat Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese, 1 cup
- Goat Cheese, 1/2 cup
- Butter, 1/2 stick, room-temp
- Honey, 1 tbsp
- Vanilla Extract, 2 tsp
- Powdered Sugar, 2 1/4 cups
- Ginger Powder, 1/2 tsp
- Cloves, 4-5, ground
- Green Cardamom, 6-8 pods ground
- Salt, a pinch or two
Instructions
Make the batter.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Combine the wet ingredients by mixing the sugars and oil together. Vigorously whisk until it turns more pale in color and becomes slightly thicker. Once it reaches this consistency, add in the remaining wet ingredients. Now add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients about 1/2 cup at a time and mix together just until combined. Don't over-mix.
Fold in the good stuff.
- Now add the grated carrots, pineapple, and coconut to the batter. Fold this into the batter just until it's combined.
Time to bake!
- Set the oven to 350° F. Spray oil in your pans and then line with parchment paper. You can use two 9” round baking tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or a 4-5” deep round tin for 60-70 minutes. Let the cake bake undisturbed for the entire baking time (i.e. don't open the oven door and release all that heat). At the end of the baking time, check the cake is ready by piercing it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean (give or take a crumb or two), it's ready. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack for further cooling.
The frosting.
- While your cake cools, let's make the frosting. On high speed, whisk your cream cheese, goat cheese, and butter until smooth and creamy. Then add all of the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined.
Assemble the cake.
- If you baked a 4-5" deep cake, slice it evenly in half once it is completely cool. Generously frost the first cake layer. You want about a 1/2" thick later of frosting. Add the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Optionally top with crushed walnuts. Toasted pecans, pistachios, or, really, any nut, would go great! Enjoy!
Perfect texture and flavor! Made it for a dinner party and everyone loved it!