Simply by Maha
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DessertCinnamon Roll Carrot Cake
American · Dessert

Cinnamon Roll Carrot Cake

This cinnamon roll carrot cake loaf is soft, cozy, and packed with warm spice. It has a cinnamon sugar swirl all through the middle and gets topped with a rich cream cheese icing that makes it so good.

5.0 (3 reviews)
60m
Prep
60m
Cook
120m
Total
8
Serves
medium
Level
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Instructions

  1. Prepare the loaf pan
    Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and grease or line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
  2. Make the cinnamon sugar swirl
    In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, flour, and a pinch of salt until a thick paste forms. Set aside.
  3. Start the wet ingredients
    In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined.
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla
    Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Mix the sour cream and milk
    In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the sour cream and milk until combined.
  6. Mix the dry ingredients
    In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  7. Combine the batter
    Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold them together. As you mix, slowly pour in the sour cream and milk mixture. Mix until just combined, then gently fold in the grated carrots. Be careful not to overmix.
  8. Layer the loaf
    Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spoon half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter, then use a butter knife to gently swirl it in. Repeat with the remaining batter and the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  9. Bake
    Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
  10. Cool
    Let the loaf rest in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then remove it and let it cool for another 30 minutes.
  11. Make the icing
    In a bowl, beat the softened butter, then add the cream cheese and continue mixing on medium speed. It may look like it is not coming together at first, and that is okay. Gradually add the powdered sugar to your preferred sweetness, then mix in the vanilla extract. Keep whipping until the icing is smooth.
  12. Finish the loaf
    Once the loaf is fully cooled, spread the icing over the top. Slice and enjoy.

About this recipe

This is two of my favourite bakes in one tin. It is a proper carrot cake, soft and spiced and full of grated carrot, with a cinnamon roll swirl running through it. I drop spoonfuls of a brown sugar and cinnamon mixture into the batter and drag a knife through to ribbon it, so every slice has that gooey cinnamon-bun stripe baked right in.

The carrot cake part is the one I always come back to, lightly spiced with cinnamon and a little nutmeg, not too sweet, kept moist with oil rather than butter. The cinnamon swirl adds pockets of soft, almost caramel-like sweetness that sink into the crumb. Then it gets a cream cheese frosting, because carrot cake without cream cheese frosting is just not the same thing to me.

It looks impressive when you cut into it and people see the swirl, but it is honestly an easy bake. There is no rolling, no proving, none of the fuss of an actual cinnamon roll. You stir, you swirl, you bake, you frost. If you like carrot cake and you like cinnamon rolls, there is really no reason not to put them together.

Per serving
  • 430Calories
  • 5gProtein
  • 23gFat
  • 53gCarbs
estimated

Good to know

Why you'll love it

  • You get carrot cake and a cinnamon swirl in one easy bake, no dough rolling or proving.
  • Oil keeps the crumb properly moist, so it stays good for days.
  • The swirl makes it look special when you slice it, with almost no extra effort.
  • Cream cheese frosting and warm cinnamon are a combination that never misses.
  • It is forgiving. A rustic, uneven swirl still tastes great.
  • It works as a sheet cake for a crowd or as a layer cake for something more dressed up.

Ingredient notes

Carrots: grate them fresh on the fine side of a box grater. Pre-shredded bagged carrots are dry and too thick, and they stay firm in the bake.

Oil: a neutral oil like vegetable or sunflower keeps the cake moist longer than butter does. Butter makes a drier, firmer crumb.

Brown sugar: use it for the cinnamon swirl rather than white. The molasses in it gives that soft, almost caramelly cinnamon-roll character.

Full-fat cream cheese: the block kind, not the spreadable tub. The tubs have more water and make a runny frosting that slides off.

Cinnamon: this is the lead flavour in both the cake and the swirl, so use a fresh jar if yours has been open a year. Old cinnamon goes flat and dusty.

Tips & tricks

Do not overmix the swirl. A few drags with a knife or skewer is enough. Stir it in fully and you lose the ribbon and end up with brown cake.

Make the swirl mixture spreadable, not stiff. If it is too thick it sinks in clumps. A spoon of melted butter loosens it.

Bake until a skewer comes out clean from the cake part (not through a gooey swirl), usually around 35 to 45 minutes at 175C for a sheet pan.

Let the cake cool completely before frosting. Warm cake melts cream cheese frosting straight off the top.

Keep the cream cheese cold and do not overbeat the frosting, or it turns loose and soupy.

Storage & make-ahead

Because of the cream cheese frosting, keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let slices sit out 15 minutes before eating so the crumb softens.

Freeze unfrosted cake well wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw, then frost fresh.

No reheating needed, but a few seconds in the microwave on an unfrosted piece brings the swirl back to soft and gooey.

Variations

Fold in chopped toasted walnuts or pecans for crunch in the classic carrot cake style.

Add a handful of raisins soaked in warm water (or a splash of orange juice) so they plump up instead of staying hard.

Turn it into a layer cake. Bake in two rounds and frost between the layers as well as on top.

Add a little orange zest to the frosting. It lifts the whole thing and cuts the sweetness.

Frequently asked questions

Keep the swirl mixture spreadable rather than thick, dollop it across the top of the batter, then drag a knife through just a few times. Over-stirring or a too-stiff mixture both make it sink.
I do not recommend it. Bagged shredded carrots are dry and cut thick, so they stay firm and the cake loses moisture. Grate fresh carrots on the fine side of a box grater.
Usually it is the wrong cream cheese or overbeating. Use cold full-fat block cream cheese, not the spreadable tub, and beat only until smooth and combined.
Yes. Spoon in batter, add a small dot of the cinnamon swirl on each, give a quick swirl with a toothpick, and bake around 18 to 22 minutes at 175C. Check with a skewer.
Yes, once it has cream cheese frosting it needs the fridge and keeps about 5 days. Let slices come closer to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Yes. Bake the cake a day ahead and keep it wrapped, or freeze it unfrosted for up to 3 months, then frost on the day you serve.
A neutral oil such as vegetable, sunflower, or canola. It keeps the crumb moist for days, more so than butter, and it lets the cinnamon and carrot flavours come through.
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