Maple Caramel Carrot Cake
Spiced carrot cake layers infused with maple syrup and topped with maple caramel & cream cheese frosting.
We’re most of the way through August now, which means we’re that much closer to Fall (my fave season), and I really could not be happier.
We’re still in summer mode, so I’m not going to bust out the pumpkin recipes just yet. But I thought it would be a great time to do a seasonal transition cake of sorts, using those fresh carrots from your garden or local farmer’s market and pairing them with the comforting Fall flavors of maple to make this delicious Maple Caramel Carrot Cake.
I had so many challenges with this cake that at one point I considered the possibility that the universe didn’t want me to make this recipe.
There are too many carrot cake recipes out there already (it said), why does the world need another one?! Nevertheless, I’m glad I persevered, because this Maple Caramel Carrot Cake is truly like no other.
Cake Tip!
Don’t try to use rainbow carrots thinking you’ll have a pretty, colorful rainbow cake. You won’t.
How to Make this Maple Caramel Carrot Cake
Little known fact (at least to me): purple carrots turn dark green when baked in a cake. True story.
My original vision for this cake involved the pretty rainbow carrots that you can see all around farmers market stalls this time of year. I LOVE them. I thought they would be so pretty in a cake — the contrasts of the orange, yellow, and purple… SO pretty right? Right. Much to my dismay when the cake layers came out of the oven, I knew my perfect rainbow vision was not going to happen.
At any rate, cake #1 was scrapped due to dark green worm-like specks through the layers (not pretty). It actually would have been scrapped anyway though, because the layers didn’t bake up as tall or pretty as I wanted, so I needed to tweak the recipe. Just as well, but I was sad to give up my dream of the rainbow carrots!
Maple Caramel
The next issue was with the maple caramel. I don’t know why, but I always have issues with caramel. It’s easy enough to make (or should be), but it always gives me problems.
Caramel and I are not BFF’s and likely never will be. It’s just one of those things. My first attempt seemed like it was going okay, but something was off and I ended up with a thick, crystallized mess. Attempt # 2 was much better.
How to Make Caramel
I now have a detailed tutorial on How to Make Caramel with all sorts of tips and troubleshooting.
Assembling the cake was no picnic either.
Somehow I was low on powdered sugar. How this could happen still boggles my mind. I am usually so diligent about noting ingredients I am running short on so that I’m never in this situation. I searched and searched for another bag of powdered sugar, but no luck.
So my frosting was 1/2 cup short on powdered sugar (recipe adjusted for correct amounts), which meant that the frosting was softer than I wanted it to be. Normally it wouldn’t be a huge problem, but assembling a cake with soft frosting and soft caramel in 30+°C (85+°F) temps with no A/C posed a bit of a challenge, to say the least. Amazon
In the end, it all worked out and OMG is this cake good. Maybe my favorite cake ever. EVER!
Carrot cake is delicious as it is, but something about the combination of the maple and the caramel with the cream cheese frosting is just pure heaven. It’s so good that Ryan won’t even let me give any slices away, so they’re squirreled away in our freezer.
If you’re looking for something a little different, a twist on something traditional, then this is the cake for you! The cake layers are incredibly moist and the maple caramel has a delicious and unique flavor. It really is my new favorite cake recipe. I hope you like it as much as I do. Oh and if you’re into all things maple, be sure to give my Maple Cake a try too!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
The recipe as-is will also work in three 6” pans. For three 8” pans, 1.5x the recipe. Baking time may need to be adjusted.
To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15 mins or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes depending on size.
For other conversions go here.
Can I make it in advance?
The cooled cake layers can be baked ahead of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
The caramel can be made the day before and left at room temperature overnight or refrigerated for a couple weeks (or frozen for longer). You’ll need to bring it to room temperature again before use.
The finished cake (whole or sliced, stored airtight) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I get the measurements by weight/grams?
There is a Metric option in the recipe card. If you click it, it will convert everything to grams.
This conversion is done automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy but many readers have had success using the metric option for this recipe.
