This pumpkin carrot cake is a layered cake that is full of both pumpkin puree and grated carrots. The cake is full of cream cheese honey frosting and decorated in little pumpkins and carrots. The cake is full of spices and easy to put together.

Pumpkin carrot cake cut in half.

The pumpkin carrot cake is the type of cake where you just want to scarf down the whole piece. It is that delicious. This cake celebrates both a carrot cake and a pumpkin cake. Which makes this the perfect fall cake!

One slice of pumpkin carrot cake on a plate.

Tips for making cake

Here are my tips, so yours turns out like this recipe!

  • Tip 1: Properly measure the flour- Make sure the flour is spooned and leveled. If you stick the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will compact the flour. Compacted flour can cause the cake to be dry.
  • Tip 2: To easily remove the cake from the pan, make sure to first spray the pan with baking nonstick spray. Then, line bottom with parchment paper and spray it again to make sure that the paper does not stick to the bottom of the cake too much. If you miss any spots with the spray they can stick and tear the cake so be thorough.
  • Tip 3: For high altitude baking add 2 Tbsp of flour to the cake batter.

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Wet ingredients in a bowl.
With the pumpkin and carrots, it will be a orange batter!
Cake batter in a glass bowl.
The carrots in the cake batter will make it look lumpy, but this is normal.
Cake layers on a wire rack.
The cakes bake pretty evenly, so you won’t need to trim the tops.
Cream cheese frosting in a glass bowl.
Make the frosting right before using.
Decorated cake on a wood board.

For more carrot cake recipes, try my Carrot Cake Cupcakes and Carrot Cake Cheesecake.

Bite missing from one slice of cake.

Make sure to leave a star review if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.

Pumpkin carrot cake cut in half.
5 from 13 reviews

Pumpkin Carrot Cake

Stephanie Rutherford
This pumpkin carrot cake is a three layered cake with both grated carrots and pumpkin puree in the cake batter! The cake layers are extra soft and full of spices and filled with a honey cream cheese frosting. The cake is decorated with little pumpkins and carrots.
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Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 24 minutes
Decorating Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 4 minutes
Servings: 16 slices

Ingredients
 
 

Pumpkin Carrot Cake

  • 3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup Oil, canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup Brown sugar, packed light or dark
  • 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
  • 2 TBSP Local Hive™ Honey Rocky Mountain Honey
  • 1 cup Sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Grated carrots, Freshly grated using the smallest hole. Compacted.
  • 1 cup Pumpkin puree, blotted to soak up the extra moisture.
  • 4 Large eggs, room temperature

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 6 cups Powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1 TBSP Local Hive™ Honey Rocky Mountain Honey
  • 1 tsp Salt

Instructions
 

Pumpkin Carrot Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with 8-inch parchment paper circles and spray again.
  • In a small bowl, line it with 2 paper towels. Pour in the pumpkin puree and wrap the towels around it. Let it soak up all the moisture. Using the smallest hole on a grater, grate the carrots. It should 1 cup that is compacted.
    1 cup Grated carrots, 1 cup Pumpkin puree
  • In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice.
    3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, 2 tsp Baking soda, 1 tsp Baking powder, 1 tsp Salt, 2 tsp Ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg, 1 tsp Ground ginger, 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
  • In a separate bowl, mix the oil, brown sugar, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, honey, grated carrots. pumpkin puree, and eggs. Use a whisk to mix it together.
    1 cup Oil, 1 cup Brown sugar, 3/4 cup White granulated sugar, 2 TBSP Local Hive™ Honey Rocky Mountain Honey, 1 cup Sour cream, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 1 cup Grated carrots, 1 cup Pumpkin puree, 4 Large eggs
  • Add in the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold together until just combined. Pour the batter evenly between the three cake pans.
  • Bake for 23-25 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Sift the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Using a mixer, in a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed for 3 minutes.
    8 oz Cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups Unsalted butter, 6 cups Powdered sugar
  • Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the rest of powdered sugar and mix again. Scrape the bowl using a rubber spatula.
  • Add the vanilla, salt, and honey. Mix on high speed until creamy.
    1 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 1 TBSP Local Hive™ Honey Rocky Mountain Honey, 1 tsp Salt
  • Separate small amounts of frosting into 4 bowls. 2 different types of oranges, 1 brown, and 1 green frosting. You don't need much. (this part is optional)

Assembly

  • Use a cake leveler or a serrated knife to cut the domes off the cakes.
  • Place the 1st cake layer down and spread 3/4 cup of frosting over the cake. Repeat with the second cake layer. Place the last cake layer with the bottom of the cake facing up.
  • Spread a light layer of frosting over the cake. Freeze for 15 minutes for icing to set. Place the rest of the frosting in the fridge to firm up slightly.
  • Frost the rest of the cake. Place back in the freezer for 10 minutes for the frosting to set.
  • To decorate in little pumpkins and carrots, pipe the little pumpkins and carrots around the cake. Then, top with the brown stump for the pumpkins and green leaves for the carrots. See my blog post to see more information on how I did that.

Notes

Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cake layers.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 3 TBSP of flour.
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.
Calories: 550kcal, Carbohydrates: 94g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 511mg, Potassium: 125mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 3196IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 2mg
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