Here’s a delicious Carrot Cake Roll recipe (with cream cheese filling) — plus tips to make it perfect:
Carrot Cake Roll Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (Spaceships and Laser Beams)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (Spaceships and Laser Beams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (Frau Virtin)
- ½ teaspoon salt (Frau Virtin)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional) (Frau Virtin)
- 3 large eggs (McCormick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (or cane sugar) (Gimme Some Oven)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (figgindelicious.com)
- 2 cups finely shredded carrots (McCormick)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger (optional) (Spaceships and Laser Beams)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves (optional) (The Washington Post)
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz (≈ 225g) cream cheese, softened (The Washington Post)
- 4–6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (Gimme Some Oven)
- 1 to 2 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar, sifted (Masters of Kitchen)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (McCormick)
Optional for Garnish:
- Powdered sugar for dusting after rolling (gourmetmartha.com)
Instructions
- Preheat & prepare pan
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) (or as per your recipe). (lifeloveliz.com)
- Line a jelly-roll pan (about 10×15 inch) with parchment paper. (Gimme Some Oven)
- Make the cake batter
- In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg / ginger / cloves (if using). (Spaceships and Laser Beams)
- In another bowl, beat the eggs + sugar + vanilla until thick / pale. (Frau Virtin)
- Add the vegetable oil and mix. (Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)
- Fold in the shredded carrots. (lifeloveliz.com)
- Gently combine the dry mix with the wet mix (don’t overmix). (Masters of Kitchen)
- Bake
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared jelly-roll pan. (figgindelicious.com)
- Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean / cake springs back. (figgindelicious.com)
- Roll the cake (first time)
- While still warm, turn the cake out onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. (Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)
- Peel off the parchment paper carefully. (figgindelicious.com)
- Starting from one of the short ends, roll the cake along with the towel into a log shape. This “trains” the cake to roll without cracking. (Gimme Some Oven)
- Let the rolled cake cool completely in this rolled-up towel. (Frau Virtin)
- Make the filling
- In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and softened butter until smooth and creamy. (Restaurant Observer)
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until the filling is light, fluffy, and well combined. (figgindelicious.com)
- Fill and re-roll
- Carefully unroll the cooled cake. (Frau Virtin)
- Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the surface, leaving a small margin at the edges so the filling doesn’t squeeze out. (The Washington Post)
- Re-roll the cake (without the towel this time), gently but firmly. (gourmetmartha.com)
- Wrap the roll in plastic wrap (or cling film), seam side down, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or more) to let it set. (figgindelicious.com)
- Serve
- Before slicing, you can dust the top of the roll with powdered sugar. (McCormick)
- Use a hot, sharp knife (dip in hot water and dry) to make clean, neat slices. (figgindelicious.com)
- Serve chilled or at a cool room temperature. (The Washington Post)
Tips for Success
- Rolling while warm helps prevent cracking. (Frau Virtin)
- Dusting the towel with powdered sugar gives the cake surface grip and prevents sticking. (Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)
- Chill well: Refrigerating the filled roll helps it firm up, making slicing much cleaner. (Restaurant Observer)
- Use a hot knife for slicing — dip it in hot water, wipe dry, then cut. This helps make neater slices. (figgindelicious.com)
If you like, I can give you a video tutorial (with a reliable YouTube recipe) — do you want me to pull one?
