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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. 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 to enjoy anytime time of the year!
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. 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.
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. The perfect springtime cake.
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 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 ore maybe even just a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
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 layers themselves are truly delicious.
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.
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!
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 was my first ever cake from scratch. It turned out much better than expected. My family LOVED this cake and the buttercream!
Thank you so much Kristen! That is so great! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan, First I want to say that I love your recipes-I have made many and they are always a hit. I made this cake for Mother’s Day. It was delicious but my cake did not have the texture that yours seemed to have in the picture. It also did not look as orange. You also mentioned a vanilla flavor in the frosting-but there is no mention of vanilla in the frosting recipe. Just wanted to know if I missed something. I may make this again. Thank you
Monica
Hey Monica! Glad you enjoyed the cake! Was there anything you did differently? It’s hard to know what might be happening for you without having any details. As for the color, where your carrots very orange? Not sure why the cake wouldn’t have been orange unless you used dulled carrots by chance? Any details would be helpful to problem solve for you!’
Thank you!! xTieghan
Made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit! So good!
Thank you Brittany! xTieghan
Made this yesterday and everyone loved it! I did use 2×9″ deep cake pans instead, as that’s all I had. Almost double the batter would have fit, I’m surprised it was supposed to make 3 layers! It was delicious though!
Thank you so much Katie! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve already made it once with just two layers and my family loved it. I am going to make it again for Mother’s Day. Can I use 3 6inch cake pans that are 2in deep?
Thanks for your time.
Hi Judith,
That should work, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Love this recipe and want to make it for Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, I do not have cream cheese, can I use ricotta or whipped cream instead for frosting??
Hi Salta,
Sure you can use another form of frosting for this recipe! Hope its delish! xTieghan
Can I use butter instead of oil?
Hi Ruth! Yes you can use butter instead of oil! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
I was firmly anti-carrot cake before making this recipe. It is my dad’s favorite so for his birthday I put my chocolate preferences aside and was not disappointed! Easy to follow instructions and the buttercream will change your life. I used strawberry jam and added a layer of fresh strawberries in the middle. The family was impressed and pleased!
Wow I am so glad this changed your mind! Thank you so much for trying this one, Kati! xTieghan
This was so yummy! It was sweet, moist, a little chewy/nuttty with the coconut. I prefer my carrot cake without all the spice and raisins, so this recipe is perfect for me!!
Amazing! Thank you so much for trying this one, Tasha! xTieghan
Thank you so much for sharing!! I am not a baker by any means, but your recipe was so pleasant to follow, and the cake turned out amazing! I will be back to your page again and again and can’t wait to try more of your recipes, thank you for sharing your talent!! ?
Thank you Brianne! I am so glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
I only used the frosting from this recipe, and it was very good! I used strawberry jam in the buttercream to fill and frost some buttermilk-lemon cupcakes. The lemon & strawberry combination was delish! Also, I didn’t have cream cheese on hand… but I did have some creamy-style baby swiss wedges that I used instead. Topped with your candied lemon (Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars), the result was “yum!” with a teensy bit of savory! I hope to make your original cake/frosting recipe sometime soon!
Hi Rachel! I am so glad this frosting turned out so wonderful for you!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Hi! Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? If so, will the measurements be the same? Thanks!
Hi Madi,
Yes you can use cake flour and keep the same measurements. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This cake was AMAZING! My mom is gluten free, so I substituted the AP flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and the cake turned out perfectly with no other substitutions. I even added some coconut to the frosting because my family loves coconut. Thanks for the recipe !!
Thank you Rachel!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi! This looks delicious ? Do you swirl the jam in the bowl of buttercream or once you dress the cake? How long do you allow the cake to cool? I always have a tough time with that when it feels cool but starts melting the buttercream once cake is stacked. Also, do you have recipe for carrot cake as well? Thank you so much! I am baking this today for my husbands birthday!
Hi Avishan,
You are going to follow step 4 for the buttercream, so you will swirl the jam into the buttercream. To let the cakes cool, they will no longer be warm to the touch, they need to completely cool before adding the buttercream. For plain carrot cake you can use this recipe and simply leave the coconut out. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Tieghan! I would like to ask. Your ingrediens list says 2cups of shredded carrots but people in comments ask how much cups is a 1 pound of carrots. So should I use 2cups of shredded carrots or 1pound? I made your strawberry coconut carrot cake with mascarpone buttercream for my husbands b-day last year which was delicious. Wonder if it is the same cake recipes with a little less shredded coconut and coconut oil instead of canola and little less of baking soda. I would like to try to make this one for him as well. Thank you!
Hi Lea,
You should use 2 cups of shredded carrots for the recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!