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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.
What would cause the middle of the cake to sink? I baked in 2 round pans for 35 min. It still looks and smells delicious
Hey Jen,
So sorry, was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I made this over the holidays and it was delicious! I loved the coconut in it. My whole family couldn’t stop snacking on it!
Hey Kate,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I made this as a Thanksgiving dessert and it was amazing! Sooo delicious and the leftovers were great even days later. Highly recommend this HBH recipe!
Thank you so much Katelyn! xTieghan
Gorgeous cake! And I love the cake stand! Where did you get it??
Hey Veronica,
So sorry put this cake stand is vintage, I would recommend checking Etsy for something similar! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I only have two 8” cake pans. Will the recipe work as is, or should I reduce it? Thank you!
Hi Aly,
You are doing to want to either reduce the recipe or bake the two cakes and then bake the remaining batter after. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
How much butter is 1 stick of butter? All the sticks I’ve found are different sizes ??
Hi Raman! It is 8 tablespoons! I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So so so good. Made this without a hand or stand mixer and still turned out stellar. I almost omitted pistachios and so glad I didn’t. This cake Wow’ my husband, who loves carrot cake. I’d make this again for sure
Thank you so much Alyssa! xTieghan
just made this and it was amazing!! thank you so much
Thank you Rameen! xTieghan
This is probably the best cake I have EVER tasted. I’m a huge fan of carrot cake in general, but the coconut and strawberry buttercream just took it over the top! I made it about a month ago (just for fun!) and my picky fiance could not believe how delicious this was! I saved the leftovers in the freezer and it thawed to perfection when we were craving a piece! I’m back here because it’s my sister’s birthday and I MUST make this again!! 🙂
That is so amazing to hear!! Thank you for trying this one Jade!! xTieghan
Hi this looks amazing 🙂 (as does all you have on your blog, congratulations for the amazing work!)
I want to make this over the weekend but I only have 1 round cake pan, do you think it is possible to make it all together just once and then cut it in 3? What advice would you give to make it work (like cooking time, how to cut it, etc)
Thanks so much in advance 🙂
Hey Raquel, I would recommend baking the layers as directed, but just do so one layer at a time. If you try to fit all the batter into the 1 cake pan, it will overflow. Instead, just divide the batter into thirds, and bake 1 layer at a time as directed. This way you will have all 3 caKE layers! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’m baking this this weekend for my boyfriend’s birthday (he loves carrot cake). I can’t wait! I discovered your blog during quarantine and have made a handful of amazing recipes. I also noticed that you replied back to every single comment below. Thank you for truly loving food and the community!
Hi Jen! Aw that is so sweet of you to make this for him! I hope you all love it! Also, Happy Birthday to him! xTieghan
This recipe looks awesome! I’m going to make it for my husband’s birthday this weekend. Do you think I could substitute a portion of the flour with coconut flour for a extra coconut flavour (he LOVES coconut).
PS I have your recipe book and it’s amazing!
Hi Meagan,
So sorry, but I haven’t had the best results using coconut flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this for my family this weekend and we all loved it! I served the cake at room temperature, which I would recommend.
Love that! Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
Made this for Mother’s Day this year, & it was beyond beautiful and SUCH a huge hit for everyone including my picky MIL and husband!! My MIL texted me the following morning about how great the cake was and she was enjoying another piece of it along with some coffee for breakfast. Great flavors & texture.
Wow love that!! Thank you for trying this one, Christina! xTieghan
Lovely! If I want to prepare the cake the night before how do I store them? In the fridge or at room temperature? Would love to make it for my husbands birthday ! X
Hi Natasha,
I would store in an airtight container at room temperature. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan