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Embracing springtime with a sweet Coconut Carrot Cake with Jam Swirled Buttercream. Three layers of light and fluffy cake swirled with sweet coconut, carrots, and a touch of warming cinnamon. This one is for all of those carrot cake lovers out there. Each cake layer is frosted generously with berry jam swirled buttercream. Every bite is layered with coconut, sweet vanilla, and filled with creamy buttercream. An easy, mouthwateringly delicious, carrot cake with incredible flavor to enjoy anytime time of the year! One of the best desserts!
When life gives you a lot of time to bake – we bake cakes! Or at least that’s what I’ve been doing. I mean, sort of. I’ve baked this cake, plus two others in the last few weeks. It’s just that time of year. Honestly, I wasn’t sure…heck, I’m still not sure…if you all would be interested in a cake recipe. Times are obviously a little different right now. But with Easter this Sunday I decided to go for it and share this easier carrot cake with you guys. This would also make for a great Mother’s Day cake. Time to get out the electric mixer!
I’ve been plotting and dreaming up this cake in my head for months now. I know we’re not having any large Easter gatherings or even any spring gatherings, but we can all still enjoy some cake, right?
Yes, yes. We have the time to bake, so let’s bake cake.
In all seriousness, I’m really excited to share this cake with you guys. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that chocolate cakes are the usual favorite around here. But I’ve slowly started to enjoy baking with fruits…and now vegetables too. For the longest time, I never understood why anyone would want carrots in their cake. It just didn’t make sense to me, but now I get it. Carrot cake is delicious.
It’s sweet, tender, moist and so flavorful with great texture.
The perfect springtime cake.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Melted coconut oil
- Milk or buttermilk
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Grated carrots
- Shredded sweetened coconut
Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting with Berries
- Salted butter (unsalted butter works too if you would prefer)
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- High quality fruit jam
- Salted pistachios
- Fresh berries
Some details.
With times being the way they are, I did have to adapt the recipe slightly from what I had originally created. I know many of you are cooking and baking using your pantry staples. So I wanted to be sure this was something we’d all be able to make with ingredients we all have access to. You’ll still need fresh carrots, but personally I always have carrots in my fridge.
The other key dry ingredients here are the usual baking items…flour, baking powder, etc. You’ll also need shredded coconut and any jar of berry jam. Not sure if coconut and jam are staples for everyone, but I like to have both on hand at all times. You never know when you might want a sweet coconut cake or maybe even just a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you like to add chopped walnuts or pecans into your carrot cake, you can add these to the dry ingredients as well. I didn’t include them for my recipe, but some people love the nutty flavor and texture.
Let’s start with the coconut carrot cake.
The batter is simple. As mentioned, you need the usuals plus shredded carrots and shredded coconut. I like to use coconut oil for even more coconut flavor and a touch of cinnamon to warm the cake up. The cinnamon is classic for carrot cake, but I also find it especially delicious when paired with the coconut.
It’s not even that you notice the cinnamon so much as it really just helps to highlight the flavors and make them that much better. These cake layers are soft and fluffy and have just the right amounts of carrots and coconut swirled throughout.
The carrot cake layers themselves are truly delicious. Soft carrot cake layers with melt in your mouth frosting coming up!
But every cake needs a good buttercream.
Fun fact? I always go back and forth about whether to use the word buttercream versus frosting. I finally took the time to google what the difference really is…and it’s pretty simple. Frosting doesn’t use butter but instead uses shortening or cream cheese. And buttercream, well it always uses butter! Just in case you were all wondering.
Ok, moving along…
This buttercream is extra special. For one, it’s made with the addition of both butter and cream cheese. Classic carrot cakes always use a cream cheese frosting, so I wanted to incorporate a bit of that flavor into my buttercream. And two, this is an extra “whipped” buttercream with heavy hints of vanilla.
The other thing I wanted was a berry-filled buttercream. Since not all of us have easy access to berries right now, I decided to use jam, which honestly worked out better than using fresh berries. You can use whatever jam you like, but I used half raspberry and half strawberry.
Twas’ delicious.
Now, decorating.
I used the last of our fresh raspberries and strawberries plus a light sprinkle of very finely chopped pistachios. You can really decorate however you’d like. But I loved the simplicity of this, and the added salty, nuttiness from the pistachios are a nice touch. Sweet recipes are the best!
If you’re looking to go the edible flower route, I love using chamomile or thyme blossoms. Sadly, there’s no chamomile around here right now.
And that’s it, a simple cake that’s fun to make and beyond delicious. Perfect for our days at home this spring. So what do we all think? Tuesday cake baking? I know many of us have the time, so why not? Sounds like the perfect stay at home baking day to me. Have fun and enjoy some sweet carrot cake! We hope this recipe gets you star reviews at home or at your next gathering!
Looking for some other Easter cake ideas? Try these:
Lemon Coconut Naked Cake with Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
Strawberry Coconut Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
Lastly, if you make this coconut carrot cake with jam swirled buttercream, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Coconut Carrot Cake with Jammy Swirled Buttercream
Servings: 20
Calories Per Serving: 466 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups melted coconut oil or canola oil
- 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Berry Frosting
- 3 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup high-quality fruit jam
- 1/3 cup salted pistachios, finely chopped
- fresh berries, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer), beat together the oil, milk, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the carrots and coconut. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined and there are no clumps of flour. 3. Pour the batter among the cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.4. To make the buttercream. Add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. Gently swirl in the jam, leaving streaks of jam throughout for a "swirled" look. 5. To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread the buttercream over the cake. Add the 2nd cake layer and spread with buttercream. Add the final cake layer and spread buttercream. Lightly frost the outside of the cake, it shouldn't look "perfect". Chill 30 minutes or store in the fridge for up to 3 days. 6. Before serving, decorate the cake, as desired with berries and pistachios.
This post was originally published on April 7, 2020
Would I be able to make this in a muffin pan? Make lots of mini ones? I don’t have a cake pan. Thank you
Hi!
Yes making muffins would work well! I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I love making cakes; they always are able to make subpar days feel important. As I was making this cake though, I couldn’t help but think about how awesome it would be to have a video of you doing it! The frosting wasn’t right for my cake (a little soupy) and trying to ice it was a mess. I was wondering if you had any techniques for me to try?
Thanks!
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. If you ever need to make a frosting thicker, just slowly add more powdered sugar. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this, this weekend! Is it possible to use coconut sugar instead of white sugar in this? We try to swap processed sugar out as much as possible. Was curious if you think it would work?
Hi Megan,
I have not tested with this recipe, but I think that would be okay to do. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, pantry supplies low, only have unsweetened coconut, should i try honey or brown sugar, and, if so, how much do you think i need to add? Thanks, can’t wait!
Hi Jonette! Unsweetened coconut should work great! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Made this as a birthday treat for my mom. We both loved the recipe! I ended up halving the recipe and making cupcakes. To get the swirled jammy frosting I just painted the inside of my frosting bag with some jam and frosted away. If I where to do it again I would add more jam. I was afraid of going overboard my first time so I sparingly applied the jam. I would also add some nutmeg, maybe even ginger to the cake so it would be a little more spiced. But really no complaints it was overall a wonderful recipe!
Thank you Andréa! So happy that this recipe turned out well for you and I hope you love it even more the next time! xTieghan
I made this today for my moms birthday and we had a “socially distanced” get together with her. It was lovely and the cake was delicious!
Thank you so much Jessica! That is so sweet you were all still able to be there for her on her birthday! xTieghan
Love all the cake recipes we’ve tried here! I used unsweetened coconut flakes (just what I had). And for the frosting I did 8 oz cream cheese with 2 sticks of butter. My kids really like cream cheese! Turned out fabulous!
Thank you so much Shawna! I am really glad you have been loving my cake recipes! xTieghan
I made this for my daughter’s birthday. It was amazing! The lovely subtle flavor added with the cream cheese and jam swirl was great. Thank you.
Thank you so much Laurel! I am really glad this one turned out so well for her birthday! Also, wishing a very happy birthday to her! xTieghan
Hello!
These look beautiful and delicious!
I was hoping to make these as cupcakes so I can give them as care packages to my parents and in laws during this quarantine. Should I alter the recipe in anyway?
Thank you!!
Hi Nirali! That is so sweet of you! These can definitely be made into cupcakes, just bake 20-25 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi there!
Love following along. Your receipts and food are amazing! Plus, how cool is your place! Just wondering for this recipe can I use honey or maple syrup instead of white sugar? Really trying to stay away from refined sugar with all the cancer causing studies it has proven to fuel ?
Hi Jill,
Thanks so much for your kind message! I haven’t tested this recipe without the sugar but you could give it a try. It might have an affect on the consistency of the batter and it could possibly be too liquidy. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My sister and I made this together on FaceTime today and it turned out great! Love the coconut and the jam in the buttercream.
Thank you so much Jorden! xTieghan
Yum this was so good ?
The buttercream is delicious without too much buttery taste, perfectly sweet and the sponge is not over rich like some other carrot cakes.
So nice with tea or coffee ?
Thanks a bunch for the recipe!
Thank you so much Chanel! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi! I will make this recipe for the Greek Orthodox Easter on Sunday, but I was wondering if I can use Spelt flour (maybe mix in some whole wheat flour)… I am trying to give it a healthy twist. Would it work?
Also, should I squeeze the carrots? Thank you so much for your recipes, they are delicious!
Hi Daniela,
So sorry but I have not used spelt flour with this recipe and honestly don’t think it would workout so well. I would recommend a combo of all purpose flour and gf flour. Yes you can squeeze the carrots if they have extra liquid. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this for Easter and served to neighbors and then made my friend a cake for her birthday today! Best cake I have ever had!!
Thank you so much Mary! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
Please could you help as to what 3 sticks of butter would be in grams or ounces..the cake looks incredible
Hi Elle! It is about 339 grams! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan