Carrot Cake Roll

This carrot cake roll is spongy and warmly spiced, dotted with finely grated carrots, and layered with cream cheese filling for the perfect spring dessert rolled and sliced into a fun swirled design!

Why this recipe works

Not only does this carrot cake roll has all the same delicious flavors as a classic carrot cake, but you also create a fun, swirled presentation when you roll it snuggly together with smooth cream cheese frosting.

This roll, slice, and serve kind of cake is a fun twist on a classic and isn’t as difficult as it might seem. Cake rolls are a fantastic option when you’re looking for something to bring along to parties that isn’t a hassle to transport, like this carrot cake version for Easter, a pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving, or a Swiss roll for whenever. Though they may take a little more prep than your average rectangular cake, the swirled look is worth the small amount of extra effort! 

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CARROTS – Wash and peel carrots and then grate on a box grater or simply run them through your food processor fitted with the grater attachment. The number of carrots you need will depend on the size of the carrots. The carrots we used were particularly skinny and it took 6-8 carrots to yield 2 cups.

CAKE – The cake is light and moist, much like a chiffon cake. The oil adds moisture along with the carrots. This type of cake is malleable and easy to shape without cracking, which is exactly what you are looking for when making a cake roll.

How to Make Carrot Cake Roll

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, use a standing mixer or electric hand mixer to combine eggs and sugar until they are foamy and slightly pale.
4. Mix in the vanilla, vegetable oil, and grated carrots until fully combined.
5. With a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan.
7. Bake 15 minutes – the cake should be evenly browned across the top.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes.
9. Lay out a clean linen. Lift the cake from the pan and place on top of the linen, aligning one short edge of the cake with the side edge of the linen. (*see notes) Roll from short end to short end. Dusting the top of the cake with powdered sugar will help prevent the linen from sticking to the cake. Place the rolled cake on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature – about 30 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling by beating together the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
11. Gently unroll the room-temperature cake onto a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Peel the parchment paper off of the cake as you unroll it if you have not already done so. The two ends will still be curled slightly; it’s best to leave them curled.
12. Spread the filling over the cake – leaving about an inch of space at the right-hand short edge (the filling will squish and fill out this space as you re-roll it.
13. Working from the left-hand side, re-roll the cake, tucking it as tightly as you can while maintaining that nice layer of cream cheese filling on the inside.
14. Wrap the log with plastic wrap, to ensure it holds its shape. Chill in the refrigerator (or the freezer) for at least one hour more, seam side down.
15. When ready to serve, unwrap the cake roll, dust with powdered sugar, and slice into approximately 1” pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

It feels like a carrot cake roll is incomplete without a dusting of powdered sugar, though they can certainly be enjoyed without it as well. For serving, cut the log into 1-inch slices. Chilling the cake roll before slicing will help you achieve clean cuts, enjoy!

More Carrot Cake Recipes

• Carrot Cake Trifle
• Carrot Cake Pancakes
• Carrot Cake Mix Cookies
• Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
• Carrot Cake Truffles

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Carrot Cake Roll

Not only does this carrot cake roll has all the same delicious flavors as a classic carrot cake, but you also create a fun, swirled presentation when you roll it snuggly together with smooth cream cheese frosting.

3.86 from 7 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 servings

2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Calories: 359

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 cups finely grated carrots

Cream Cheese Filling

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Jelly roll pan
• ▢
  Hand mixer or stand mixer
• ▢
  Mixing bowls
• ▢
  Rubber spatula

Before You Begin

• Wash and peel carrots and then grate on a box grater OR run them through your food processor fitted with the grater attachment. The number of carrots needed will depend on the size of the carrots. Our carrots were particularly skinny and it took 6-8 carrots to get 2 cups.
• It is easiest to leave the parchment paper attached to the bottom of the cake when you roll it up initially. I like to use the dish towel because it feels more secure. If you use the dish towel and the parchment paper, you need to dust the cake with powdered sugar to prevent the linen from sticking to the cake. If you simply roll it with the parchment paper, less sticking will occur. The caveat to this is that the parchment paper kind of “steams” the cake and the exterior is a bit stickier when you remove the parchment after cooling (no one in my family seemed to notice or care and could not tell the difference.)
• You can also turn the cake out onto a powdered sugar dusted linen, remove the parchment paper, and then roll the cake (dust the top too) within just the towel. This eliminates the parchment paper issue, but I don’t think it ultimately makes a huge difference. Leaving the parchment on is easier. If you were not going to frost or dust the finished roll with powdered sugar, I would opt for the second method (remove parchment paper for initial cooling) as it is a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, use a standing mixer or electric hand mixer to combine eggs and sugar until they are foamy and slightly pale.
• Mix in the vanilla, vegetable oil, and grated carrots until fully combined.
• With a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined.
• Spread the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan.
• Bake 15 minutes – the cake should be evenly browned across the top.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes.
• Lay out a clean linen, such as a tea towel. Lift the cake from the pan and place on top of the linen, aligning one short edge of the cake with the side edge of the linen. (*see notes)

  Roll from short end to short end. Dusting the top of the cake with powdered sugar will help prevent the linen from sticking to the cake. Place the rolled cake on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature – about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling by beating together the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
• Gently unroll the room-temperature cake onto a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Peel the parchment paper off of the cake as you unroll it if you have not already done so. The two ends will still be curled slightly; it’s best to leave them curled.
• Spread the filling over the cake – leaving about an inch of space at the right-hand short edge (the filling will squish and fill out this space as you re-roll it.
• Working from the left-hand side, re-roll the cake, tucking it as tightly as you can while maintaining that nice layer of cream cheese filling on the inside.
• Wrap the log with plastic wrap, to ensure it holds its shape. Chill in the refrigerator (or the freezer) for at least one hour more, seam side down.
• When ready to serve, unwrap the cake roll, dust with powdered sugar, and slice into approximately 1” pieces.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1 slice) | Calories: 359cal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 4947IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

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