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A close up of a carrot cake roll cut into slices
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Carrot Cake Roll

How to make a delicious Carrot Cake Roll with a sweet cream cheese frosting. Don't forget to check out my step-by-step photos and tips above.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 12 servings
Calories 370kcal
Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (90g)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded carrots about 2–3 medium carrots (200g)
  • powdered sugar for rolling
  • Food coloring optional

For the frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese 1 package at room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar sifted (360g)
  • 1/2 cup butter room temperature (113g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (5ml)
  • 1 tsp lemon extract (5ml)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F and line a 10”x15” jelly roll sheet or quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut the paper so it has an extra inch on the sides, you’ll use this excess paper to pull the cake out of the pan after baking.
  • Sift the flour, salt, spices, and baking powder into a medium bowl then whisk together and set aside.
  • Combine eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar in a large bowl then whisk or beat until lighter in color and smooth.
  • Add the grated carrots and mix until incorporated.
  • Pour the dry mixture into the wet then fold in until just combined.
  • Transfer the batter into your prepared baking sheet and use a spatula or offset spatula to smooth out. The batter will be quite thin after it’s smoothed out but that’s as it should be. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 375F. The cake is done when the center springs back when pressed lightly.
  • While the cake bakes prepare your thin kitchen towel by dusting it with powdered sugar. When the cake is done lift it out of the pan and invert onto the sugared cloth.
  • Peel back the parchment paper and roll tightly then place the rolled cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Make the cream cheese frosting by creaming the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or large bowl if using a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar then beat until fluffy, smooth, and light in color. Reserve about ¼ cup of frosting for the buttercream carrots.
  • Unroll the cake on your counter then spread the frosting leaving about half an inch unfrosted on the two long sides as well as the short side that will be on the outside after rolling.
  • Roll the cake back up then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour so the frosting can set up.
  • Divide the reserved buttercream into two batches, color one green and the other orange then transfer to piping bags and snip the tips off.
  • Once the cake is chilled, dust with powdered sugar and pipe little carrots on the top and sides using the orange and green frostings (see notes for decorating tips).
  • Cut into slices using a sharp serrated knife and enjoy!

Notes

  • Make sure you refrigerated ingredients are all at room temperature before starting (butter, egg, and cream cheese).
  • Cut a small slice off of each end so you can see the roll effect when serving.
  • Make sure to dust your kitchen towel with powdered sugar before rolling to stop it from sticking.
  • Roll the cake straight after baking and let it cool completely rolled up. If you let your cake cool before it will be much harder to roll.
  • Make sure to wrap the cake in plastic wrap while it's in the fridge to stop it from drying out.
  • The decoration is optional but adds a nice touch for an Easter celebration.
  • Measure the flour correctly, to do this fluff the flour with a fork first then spoon it into cups and level it off with a knife. There's much less chance of over-packing the cup with flour this way. If you have a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients I recommend using it for accurate results.
  • Decorating Notes: When piping the carrots you’re going to start with the blunt top of the carrot and finish with the pointy part. Squeeze a bit more in the beginning, then release by pulling away after you’ve stopped squeezing the piping bag. Pipe little green leaves on top of the carrots; you can use a small leaf tip if desired but snipping the tip off a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag will work just as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 4115IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg