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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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
That cake slice right there, it is to die for!
Looks delish! Do you think I could freeze all the layers then defrost and assemble a few days later?
Hey Lawrie,
Sure, that will work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can you substitute the coconut flakes? If so, what would you use?
Hi Alison,
You can omit the coconut. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can you use this recipe for cupcakes?
How would that work?
Hi Gloria,
Sure, that would work well for you, I would just reduce the baking time and start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
What do you think about trying the frosting with a dried orange or orange zest instead of freeze dried strawberries?
Ooooh sounds delish! I say go for it! 🙂 xTieghan
This is one of the tastiest cakes I’ve ever had. I was surprised at how much strawberry flavor the freeze-dried strawberries gave the icing, and it just brought it to whole new level. The fresh strawberries in between the layers are also an absolute must, and wow I just can’t get over the flavors. This is for sure my new go to cake recipe.
Hi! If I use 6 inch cake pans would the cook time be different?
Hey Maria,
Yes, you will likely need to increase your baking time, I would just keep an eye on them, once a knife comes out clean they are done! I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I made the cake and wound up using 9 inch cake pans. They were perfectly baked at 30 minutes for me. This was the best cake I have ever made and it was a huge hit! People were coming back for seconds. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hey Maria,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
hi! i saw on one of your other carrot cake recipes that you swirled in jam into the buttercream. as i already have an opened jar of strawberry jam, can i do the same thing here, or would it not work with this frosting (the other recipe: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/coconut-carrot-cake/)? thank you!
Hey Nicole,
I think that would work just fine here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! I love your cakes and I was wondering if I could substitute granulated sugar/brown sugar for honey? I was wanted to use a natural sweetener for my son’s 1st birthday.
Hey Abigail,
So sorry, I have not tested this with honey in place of the sugar, honestly I wouldn’t recommend it since it’s such a large amount of sugar that you would be omitting. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi, I would like to try the strawberry coconut carrot cake with mascarpone buttercream but I cannot find the freeze dried strawberries. Can these be substituted with frozen strawberries.
Thanks
Hey Patricia,
Hmm, the freeze dried strawberries work really in the frosting because they don’t add extra moisture. Is is possible to order them online? Here are some on Amazon, does this work? Sorry if this is trouble for you!
Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake!
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-All-Foods-Freeze-Dried-Strawberries/dp/B015DTY832/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1491105493&sr=8-5&keywords=freeze+dried+strawberries
So excited to make this recipe for Easter! Any chance you’d be willing to share the modified cooking time please if I make this cake into cupcakes?
Hey Hannah,
I would start checking for doneness at 25-30 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Has anyone had any luck making this with a bit less sugar and/or oil (or subbing some of the oil with applesauce or Greek yogurt)?
Hey Nicole,
Sorry I have not tested this, I would recommend following the recipe as is for best results:) Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Husband baked this for me and OMG, best cake ever!!!! think Ima request again for Mothers day this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Annika,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend☀️ xTieghan
Can this be baked in a springform pan and sliced into 3 layers? If so, what would be the bake time? Thanks.
Hey Jennifer,
Sorry, I have never tried that, I am not sure it would be the best option. I would recommend using the cake pans:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hello! Just wondering if you think this cake could work as a torte – by cutting the three layers in half to make it a 6 layer cake?
Thanks!
Jordan
Hey Jordan,
I have never tried this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this today. Amazing beautiful cake. I had trouble with the marscapone and butter separating so I just kept going and it worked out great. Very impressive looking cake.
Hey Misha,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Friday! xTieghan
This is an excellent recipe! The frosting is incredible!
Thank you so much Meagan! xTieghan