Carrot cake is one of my traditional bakes around Easter. As much as I love chocolate, I always like to serve a dessert (both at brunch and dinner) that doesn’t have chocolate in it to offer an alternative to, or a break from, the richness of Easter basket candy. These cakes and bakes all contain carrot and are wonderful desserts any time of the year, but seem to taste especially good during spring holidays.
- Easter celebrations always start with brunch for me and this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel is a great way to start the day. This breakfast cake is not too sweet, but is topped with a buttery, sugary streusel that is loaded with plenty of warm spice. Cream cheese frosting is good, but this cake proves its not the only way to finish carrot cake.
- While most carrot cakes have a hint of orange, this Rainbow Carrot Cake is made with a wide variety of carrot colors that include purple and yellow! I love roasting heirloom carrots because they create a dish dish that is both tasty and beautiful, and those same carrots give a lot of personality to this easy cake recipe.
- This Carrot Cake Roulade with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling offers a twist – or should I say a roll – on the traditional layered look of carrot cake. Baked in a thin layer in a jelly roll pan, this cake comes together quickly and easily. It makes for a very dramatic presentation, too!
- You can’t go wrong with a simple batch of Carrot Cake Cupcakes when you’re entertaining. Cupcakes are faster and easier to make than a layer cake and they can be eaten without forks and plates. In my house, this means that you can snack on them while you hunt for (or decorate) Easter eggs out in the yard. Set aside a bit of the frosting an tint it with orange and green food coloring, then pipe little carrots on each cupcake before serving.
- I always like a good bundt cake and this Carrot Bundt Cake is a great one. The moist cake has a generous dose of orange juice and zest to compliment the carrot cake spices and it is studded with plump raisins. Mine is drizzled with an orange glaze, however a thin cream cheese frosting woud give it a classic carrot cake finish.
- I know that I said I didn’t like to bring chocolate to a party that already has plenty of chocolate, but for you die-hard chocoholicas, these Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting are a must. The cupcakes still have the spices that you find in carrot cake, along with plenty of carrots, but they’re also loaded with lots of chocolate and topped with a rich frosting.
What do you think?