Carrot cake is a great choice to end any spring meal, but this Salted Caramel Carrot Cake is especially sweet and delicious. Begin with a light and fluffy carrot cake, add a luscious cream cheese frosting, and top it all with salted caramel. Once you try it, this cake will become a family tradition. Happy Easter!
What could be more delicious than a poke cake filled with salted caramel? The addition of salted caramel in this carrot cake makes it gooey and moist. Using a box of yellow cake mix as a shortcut makes the cake easier to assemble and saves time in the kitchen.
Salted Caramel Carrot Cake
Cake:
- 15-ounce box yellow or white cake mix (Betty Crocker ‘Super Moist’ is the best)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 canola oil
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups finely shredded peeled carrots
- 2/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup salted Caramel ice cream topping
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, if desired
Frosting:
- 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
How to make Salted Caramel Carrot Cake?
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix and the next 5 ingredients until blended, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shredded carrots and the coconut.
- Spray a 13×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack. Poke the warm cake with a fork to create rows of holes. Try not to tear the cake as you are making the holes. While the cake is still warm, pour the salted caramel topping over the cake and spread it evenly with a spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to settle the caramel. Add coarse sea salt to the top of the caramel, if desired. Refrigerate the cake for at least two hours.
- Beat the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl on medium speed until well blended. Dollop frosting evenly over the cake and spread to cover. Drizzle 2 more tablespoons of salted caramel topping over the frosting for decoration. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
I served the cake with vanilla ice cream at a family gathering. This was a real crowd-pleaser. Sweet and salty at its best, I hope you give this recipe a try.