This Carrot Bundt Cake recipe is a new favorite of mine. I found a new way to use all of the same ingredients, including the ease of a cake mix, yet give the cake a lighter texture that is similar to the Nothing Bundt Cake’s Carrot Cake texture.
Carrot Bundt Cake
Our homemade versions of the Nothing Bundt Cake cakes are easy to make and so delicious! They are always a hit at birthday parties and special events. If you’ve never tried a Nothing Bundt Cake, you have to try one! They are the best bundt cakes you can find anywhere, and the cream cheese frosting is unbelievably good.
Many of our readers have tried our cakes and loved them too. We’ve had a few comments that our cakes are more dense than the actual Nothing Bundt Cakes. I like the dense, moist texture of our cakes, but I thought I would experiment a little with the recipe to see if I could come up with a lighter texture that is a closer resemblance to the original. I think I’ve come pretty close — you’ll have to give it a try and see for yourself. This Carrot Bundt Cake is more light and airy, but still has a moist, melt-in-your mouth taste and feel to it.
What’s the difference?
There are two things I tried with this Carrot Bundt Cake that made all the difference. The first thing I did was sift the cake mix. Once you try it, you’ll see what a difference it really does make. It gives the cake mix a fine, smooth texture. The batter is smoother and the cake comes out lighter. The second thing I did was to separate the eggs and whip the egg whites. I mixed the egg yolks in with the other ingredients. Then I beat the egg whites until they were white and fluffy, almost to the stage of a meringue. After all of the ingredients were well blended, I mixed in the egg whites. The batter at this point is very smooth and light, and the cake was amazing! I can’t wait to try this method on our other bundt cake recipes.
Other Carrot Cake Recipes:
If you love Carrot Cake be sure to try our traditional Carrot Cake and Carrot Cake Cookies!
Other Bundt Cake Recipes:
We have some more copycat Nothing Bundt Cake recipes that are as just as delicious as this one:
Chocolate Chocolate Chip
White Chocolate Raspberry
Lemon
How to make Nothing Bundt Cake’s Carrot Cake Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 carrot cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix dry
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs separated into 4 egg yolks and 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup water or pineapple juice if using crushed pineapple
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple *optional
Frosting
- 2 8- oz packages of cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, pudding, sour cream, egg yolks, oil, and water for 2 minutes. Stir in carrots and pineapple.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until white and frothy. Fold or mix egg whites into the cake batter until well blended.
- Pour cake batter into a greased Bundt cake pan (nonstick cooking spray works best).
- Bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the bundt pan and place it on a serving plate or cake stand. See post above for details on how to easily do this.
- Wrap the cake well with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours before frosting and serving.
- Frosting
- In a medium bowl or mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Start with 2 cups and then keep adding until the frosting is nice and thick.
- You can completely cover the bundt cake with the frosting or you can frost it as pictured. Spoon all of the frosting into a gallon size plastic bag. Squeeze the air out and seal it. Cut a corner off of one end of the bottom of the bag. Squeeze the frosting out in long strips as pictured starting at the outside of the cake and ending in the center. Fill the center of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Keep refrigerated.
Equipment
- Bundt Pan
- Hand Mixer
Margaret says
I’ve made this cake 3 times. All with great success. However I am unable to find a carrot cake mix. Can I use a spice cake mix and add an extra cup of carrots? Will the spices in the mix still work?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can definitely use a spice cake mix instead! I wouldn’t add the extra carrots because it will make the mixture too moist.
Lora Wills says
I just made the carrot cake and really very disappointing because it didn’t rise I just wonder if you could tell me what the problem was I followed the directions completely.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I am so sorry that this recipe didn’t work for you! Besides expired ingredients, the only thing I can think of is if the batter was over-stirred or if the batter was left too long before baking. Both of these things can decrease the effectiveness of the baking soda in the cake mix.
Yvonne says
This was the first carrot cake i made. It was easy and it was delicious. I have already been asked to make it again.
Nicole says
I cant find carrot cake mix… can you use spice instead?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Airon says
I have made several recipes from this website with good success, but this one was a bit of a flop. We live in Germany, and I was so hoping it would be similar to a Nothing Bundt Cake, but it wasn’t at all. We buy our ingredients from a military base commissary, so we used all the U.S. ingredients listed here, and I even used an oven thermometer to make sure our oven was the right temperature. I followed all of the steps exactly. The cake turned out with a strange consistency — more like a bread pudding than a cake. I even cooked it for 8 extra minutes beyond the max timing. I’m so bummed it didn’t work out. It was my birthday cake, and I probably won’t even have a second slice, which is super disappointing, but at least it’s better for my waistline. Next time, I’ll stick to my Grandma’s tried and true traditional carrot cake recipe. Bottom line — I don’t recommend making it — at least overseas.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I am so sorry that this recipe didn’t work out for you. I have made this recipe multiple times and I’ve never had it come out like that. What kind of cake pan did you use?
Airon says
Hi, thank you for your note. I used a bundt pan — the very same one I use back home in the U.S. It was for a birthday cake, and so when it didn’t work out, I just reverted to my tried and true carrot cake recipe and poured my own carrot cake recipe in a sheet pan. That recipe turned out just fine. The only thing I can think of is that with this recipe (and perhaps all bundt recipes here), is that it may be an “oven” thing — our ovens here are very small and they also have a combination of conventional and convection settings. I used the conventional setting for your recipe, but it may be that with bundt pans in these ovens, they need one of the convection settings? I have noticed that my recipes turn out better here when the cakes are “thinner.”
Susan says
My cake totally fell when it was cooling for 20 minutes in the pan.
Any tips?
Favorite Family Recipes says
There are a few things that can cause cakes to sink. One of the most common is over-beating the batter. Try beating the batter only until the ingredients are just barely combined. Also make sure to check the expiration date on your baking soda and/or baking powder.
Melissa says
What if I can’t find carrot cake cake mix?
Echo Blickenstaff says
Carrot cake mix is available in most grocery stores. Many brands carry it. It can also be found on Amazon if you can’t find it locally. Thank you for asking!
diane J richardson says
This is a simple way to boost a cake mix and make it taste homemade. Love it. Have made it several times.
Michelle .R. says
My favorite cake. What kind of blender is used in the video??
Favorite Family Recipes says
The first handheld blender is a Hamilton Beach brand and the stand mixer is a Bosch brand!
Tammy M Scott says
I made this cake it was amazing. I baked it in 2 9inch pans and will try it in cupcakes for Thanksgiving.
Dasia says
I’ve made this recipe 2 times and the cake came out pretty good but it for sure needed to be cooked over 50 minutes because it was still a little under cooked both times. Also I can’t get the frosting part to come out like it did in the video, it’s not thickening for some reason and I even added an extra cup of powdered sugar, is there any advice you could give me that would possibly help with how I can make the frosting thicker and not come out too watery when I pipe it onto the cake. Even though both times it’s came out not looking to great it still tasted amazing.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Cook times can vary due to altitude and some variation in oven temperatures. As far as the frosting, I’ve never had a problem with it being too thin. If your kitchen is warm, it might be making it soft. Have you tried refrigerating it for a bit before using? Also make sure the butter and cream cheese are softened but not melted. I hope this helps!
Sonia says
You say 13.4oz pudding mix…..is that right? Most packets are 3.4oz. I’m presuming it’s a typo!!!! Want to check before I try it.
Thanks.
Favorite Family Recipes says
There’s a space in between the 1 and 3. It’s (1) 3.4 oz pudding mix.
Priya says
First of all was looking for a Nothing Bundt Cake carrot cake recipe and this was the only one I found! So thank you thank you ! I did not have an electric mixer so I hand beat everything pretty much. My frosting was not stiff at all and did not stay the way it does in yours. Oh well.
Erica Walker says
They easiest solution for a stiffer frosting is just to add more powdered sugar until you reach the consistency you are looking for. It is VERY hard to beat by hand and get the right consistency. Hopefully you can try again and get the consistency you are looking for. Hope this helps!
Connie Hughes says
I got the Betty crocker cake mix that says pudding in the mix. Does this matter or do I still also add the instant pudding?
Erica says
Yes, you will still want to add the pudding. 🙂 The box mixes don’t really add a whole lot of pudding in it. You are fine adding more. Hope this helps!
Lawrence J Haviland says
The video shows using water and pineapple. The directions say to skip the water if using pineapple which is correct the video or directions.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sorry that was confusing. If you drain the pineapple from the can, then add the water, but if you use the liquid in the can of pineapple then you can eliminate the water. Hope this helps!
Grandma Janet says
Yikes! I am reading this after having made my cake last night… frosting today. I drained the pineapple and skipped the water because , as you say, the directions were not clear on this. I do not post this to be critical, just to help improve the recipe going forward. My bad for not having read reviews.
I have made all of the other copycat “Nothing Bundt Cakes” posted here and have had raved reviews! Thank you!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for pointing that out! We have rewritten that part a few times trying to make it more clear, and I just edited it again. Thank you for trying our recipes!
Pam says
Hope mine comes out because I only added the quarter cup of pineapple juice. I’ll let you know
Julie says
If I make the small bundt cakes like those that are made at Nothing Bundt Cakes, what temperature and cooking time should I use for the copy cat carrot cakes? My pan makes 6 of the 4” cakes. Thanks.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried cooking them smaller, so I’m not sure. I would guess that you would have to lower the temperature a bit and cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Carol royall says
Can you add nuts raisins?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Absolutely! That would be delicious!
Jeanne McKeon says
I loved that electric mixer…..pls., tell me the brand! WOW!
Favorite Family Recipes says
It is a Bosch mixer and we love it! You can find it HERE
B says
Made this today… I have a wonderful recipe I have made for years from scratch but this was just as good and easy!! Thank u for sharing this recipe!
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for the comment 😀
Lupita González de Estrada says
Cuál es tú receta? Gracias
Laurine says
It’s you! You need to reread #2????!!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I don’t think I know what you mean…
Kate says
What brand of carrot cake mix do you use?what brand of carrot cake mix do you recommend?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can use any kind of cake brand, I think we just used Betty Crocker for this particular recipe. Hope this helps!
Baker says
Can you use carrot cake mix with pudding in mix and also add pudding ?
Erica says
Yes, that should totally be fine. Hope this helps!
Andrea says
On the chocolate bundt cake can you leave the choc chips out
Erica says
Sure! It will just make it less chocolatey and you won’t get those little melty chocolate pieces throughout. Hope this helps!
Sandy Baird says
The cake smelled amazing while baking however even after cooking a good 20 + minutes longer than it called for; it still came out undercooked in the middle.
I made it twice with the same results. Made it exactly by the recipe.
The icing is amazing!
I will not be making the cake again but will definitely make the icing.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oh, that is so weird! I am sorry! What size of bundt pan were you using?
Laura says
Is it just me or is there no mention of the shredded carrots going into this cake?? They are listed in the ingredients but not in the instructions.
Echo says
Thank you for letting me know! I just fixed this on the post. 🙂
Stephanie says
Hi I made this recipe last night for my husbands Birthday, and I inserted a tooth pick in cake to make sure it was done after 45min and it came out clean so this afternoon after frosting cake we cut a piece and the cake wasn’t bready inside but it wasn’t mushy inside either but it looked like it still needed to be baked longer, like maybe 5-10 more min. Instill cut a piece lol and ate it. It was good. Anyways I was a little disappointed.
Charlene says
Directions say stir in pineapple and carrots. I also added cranberries. Haven’t tasted yet.
Nancye Healy says
I can not wait to make your bundt cakes I hope you send me more receipts on my email. I love baking
MB says
This recipe is amazing! Hands down one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted!! I ended up with twice as much frosting as I needed however the cake really doesn’t even need it. Yum!
Erica Walker says
So glad you liked this recipe! We always love having extra frosting on hand, it tastes great spread on crackers or cookies 😉 Thanks for the 5-stars!
Aditi says
I love Nothing Bundt Cakes and I can’t wait to try all your recipes. I just want to know if there is a substitute for instant pudding mix? I understand that the pudding mix plays an integral part in keeping the cake moist. I am travelling to India and would love to bake this cake for my family. But I seriously doubt the availability of pudding mix in most parts of the country.
Echo Blickenstaff says
That’s a good question! You could throw some instant pudding mix in your suitcase, or you could try a do-it-yourself pudding mix. There are several online such as this one: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/diy-homemade-instant-vanilla-pudding-mix/
Julie says
Is there something besides sour cream that I could use? Thanks
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes you can use plain greek yogurt!