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Ummm, can I go out and say, best carrot cake ever?!
Because I really, really want to! I hate when I’m always saying things are the best, but you guy, I really do not know how else to describe this cake. Three coconutty, carrot cake layers, frosted generously with the most delicious whipped mascarpone buttercream, and topped with fresh spring strawberries. Yup, see…best ever. Or at least it’s the best carrot cake I’ve ever had, which granted, I really haven’t had many carrot cakes, but I think you get what I’m trying to say here…
Plus, not only is this cake delicious, it’s super pretty too! Which you guys know is something I’m all about. If something can be pretty AND taste good, well that is just a major bonus for me!
This cake is the perfect way to be kicking off the weekend, right?! YES. Which by the way, hey, hi! Happy Friday! I feel like I just jumped right on into things here with some serious cake details, but as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I am a little exited about this recipe! OkOK, and the fact that it’s Friday just adds to the excitement! Anyone else totally ready for an awesome weekend?
It was a long but great week over here. I love that my weeks are jam-packed and feel really productive. All the more reason to end with cake and celebrate just a little! <–smart reasoning, trust me.
Here’s the deal, with Easter right around the corner, I am definitely in the baking mood. When I think about Easter eats, I think of ham, lamb, asparagus, pineapple, carrot cake, milk chocolate bunnies and strawberry filled desserts. Reading that sentence out loud, it sounds like a complete random mix of foods, but I dunno, those are just traditional Easter eats to me. What do you think of when thinking about your Easter menu?
Anyway, carrot cake is a classic. Thing is, you guys know that I’m typically all about chocolate cakes. I mean, the more chocolate the better! DUH.
I only recently started getting into baking fruity desserts, and while I will not deny that I don’t love them same way as say, something like this chocolate cake, I’m still loving having fun with them, and this cake is no exception. Hello, the whipped mascarpone buttercream alone is reason enough to bake this one up.
The idea of carrot cake has always sounded a off to me, but then last year I finally made a carrot cake cheesecake and my view on carrot cake changed forever. Not only do the carrots add major moistness to the cake, but the sweet flavor they give off is very good.
This year, I decided to step things up a notch and go all out…after all, I do love a good over the top cake. Muahahaha 🙂
The base layers for this cake are made of vanilla cake, flavored with cinnamon, carrots and tons of sweet shredded coconut. The coconut is probably my favorite part. It lends a really nice sweet, almost tropical flavor, to the cake that pairs really well with the strawberries in the frosting…which oh my gosh, this buttercream (or frosting, I never really know whether to call it frosting or buttercream, but I like buttercream), my mom says you could top off just about anything with this buttercream and turn it into something so delish.
It’s pretty traditional for carrot cake to have a cream cheese frosting, but I loved the sound of strawberries and mascarpone together, so I went for it…such a good idea. Especially paired with the super moist and coconutty carrot cake layers. It’s kind of like Italian cake meets carrot cake. Promise, it’s all things awesome and perfect.
While the cake looks all fancy, it’s actually pretty easy to make. Simply bake the cake layers, make the buttercream, frost the cake and DONE. Nothing complicated about it, which is great for any kind of holiday dessert.
OH, and while the chamomile flowers are optional, I love the pretty spring touch they add, and yes, they are edible!
This cake would be perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day, but also makes for a great weekend treat. I don’t know about you guys, but this week has left me feeling the need to celebrate its end with cake. Long work days and dealing with some online haters means cake is for sure a good idea…but then, cake is always a good idea!
I mean, ALWAYS.
Strawberry Coconut Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
Servings: 24 servings
Calories Per Serving: 384 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 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pound carrots, grated
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Strawberry Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 ounces mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries, ground until a fine powder
- 1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the canola oil, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the carrots and coconut. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin. 4. Pour the batter among the 3 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 and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.5. To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat another 2-4 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in the strawberry powder. 6. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a little frosting. Top with half the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers. Be careful not to over fill your layers with fruit. Frost the cake sides.
Notes
Cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
That cake slice right there, it is to die for!
This post was originally published on March 31, 2017
I made this cake for a baby shower and everyone raved! I don’t even like fruit-based desserts that much and this is definitely one of my favorite cake recipes. Thanks!
Thank you Shannon! xTieghan
Love all of your recipes that we have tried! Planning to make this cake for Mother’s Day. Question: If using 2 9” pans instead of 3 8” rounds, do I still need to cut the recipe by 1/3??
Hi Cheryl! Yes, I would still cut the recipe by 1/3. That should be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this cake for Easter, and it was a HUGE hit! The cake was super moist and the strawberry frostings with fresh strawberries complimented the cake perfectly. I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Thank you!!
Thank you Svonne! xTieghan
Hi there! How much would 2 sticks of butter be in grams? We don’t have sticks of butter in South Africa, only tubs. Thank you!
Hi Bianca! It is 8 ouces or 226 grams of butter! Thank you! xTieghan
Delicious! I made it for my son’s 1st Birthday party. I think it’s the first time I had no leftovers (I would have loved some too). Though your version is beautiful, I opted to leave out the strawberries as they weren’t in season and it was still one of the best cakes I’ve ever made.
Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Katie!
I made his cake for our Swedish Midsummer party and everyone went crazy over it. My favorite carrot cake recipe so far. One suggestion: I used Mascarpone for the icing, but the recipe doesn’t call for salt. I added a teaspoon or so of salt to give it that cream cheese frosting taste. Not sure if you make it this way or not? But it was so good!
Hi Tina! I am so glad you loved this recipe!! Thank you!
Amazing cake! This was my first time baking a cake and I made it in our motorhome and it still came out fabulous! Was a hit for Easter brunch. Thanks HBH! Will definitely make this again. So moist and flavorful. The frosting was to die for.
Thank you so much Jessica!
This is a great recipe! I had never used freeze dried strawberries in buttercream before and was very pleased with both the color and texture of this frosting. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much Heather! I am so glad this turned out amazing for you!
I made this recipe into cupcakes (we had a spring potluck at work and didn’t want to bring a whole cake) and they turned out great! The frosting has a lot more butter than the strawberry cream cheese frosting I usually make, but that meant it was fluffy & piped beautifully. I couldn’t find freeze dried strawberries, so I used about a cup of chopped & mashed strawberries, along with a couple spoonfuls of strawberry jam, to make the frosting.
That is such a great idea! I am so glad this turned out amazing for you, Lauren! Thank you!
Can this be premade? Maybe just the layers and stored in an airtight container a day or two before and then frosted the day of serving it? Does the layers need to be refrigerated? Any tips would be great! I want to make this for Easter But need to make it a day or two before.
HI! You can make and assemble the cake up to a day ahead. Just keep stored in the fridge and then bring to room temp before serving. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
I made this cake last night for a party at work and I can honestly say I’m amazed! Followed the recipe and it worked out well. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed this!
I really love strawberry coconut carrot cake. And you have made it with buttercream, it’s really going to be awesome in taste.You have really done a nice job. As you have shared the best things for me. Even this recipes can be made in busy time also. It’s really special for me. thanks for sharing it here on this site.
Thank you so much!
Wow incridable , i will try make it this friday , but i have a question when you sift the flour before measure or after mix with dried ingrediance ?
Thank you for the reciepe
Hi! I sift after mixing all the dry ingredients together. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s 🙂
I love epic balloon backdrops, but sometimes you just want something quick and easy with the same payoff.
Thank you!
I was recommended to check out your website by a friend, I really like the “authentic feel” in your pictures. Best of luck to you! Oh and yes, I can;t wait to try out this cake. My nephews will love it!!
Thank you! I am so glad you are liking my blog!