Description
This Easy Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Icing is a delightful, moist carrot cake baked in a jelly roll pan, rolled with a luscious cream cheese and vanilla frosting blend. It’s a perfect dessert for gatherings and special occasions, featuring a tender cake wrapped around a smooth, creamy filling and topped with extra frosting for added indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 1 box carrot cake mix
- Water, adjusted as per box directions, reduced by ¼ cup
- Oil and eggs as per box directions
For the Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 12 oz container vanilla frosting (prepared)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for rolling towel)
Instructions
- Prepare the Batter: Prepare the cake batter according to the box instructions, but reduce the amount of water called for by ¼ cup while keeping the oil and eggs the same.
- Prepare the Pan: Line a 10½ by 15½ inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray to prevent sticking.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10–12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Roll the Cake: While the cake is baking, spread a clean kitchen towel on the counter and generously sprinkle with powdered sugar. Once the cake is done, immediately invert it onto the sugared towel, carefully peel off the parchment, and roll the cake up with the towel starting from the short end. Let the rolled cake cool completely for a few hours.
- Make the Frosting: In a mixer, blend the room temperature cream cheese with the prepared vanilla frosting until smooth and well combined.
- Fill and Re-roll: Carefully unroll the cooled cake, spread half of the cream cheese frosting mixture evenly over the surface, then roll the cake back up gently without squeezing out the filling.
- Finish and Chill: Place the rolled cake seam-side down on a serving dish and spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top. Chill the cake until ready to serve.
- Serve: When ready, slice the cake into rounds starting from the short ends and serve chilled.
Notes
- Reducing the water by ¼ cup helps prevent the cake from becoming too moist and difficult to roll.
- Sprinkling powdered sugar on the towel prevents the cake from sticking when rolling.
- Chilling the cake after assembling helps the frosting set and makes slicing cleaner.
- Ensure cream cheese is at room temperature for smooth frosting incorporation.
- Use a gentle hand when rolling to avoid cracking the cake.
