The BEST Pastel De Zanahoria you’ll ever have! Fluffy & moist with real grated carrots and a Mascarpone frosting. This cake is always a hit!

a slice of Pastel De Zanahoria and the whole cake in the background

Pastel De Zanahoria is a classic favorite in Mexico just as our beloved Arroz Con Leche is. This recipe is made the classic way with fresh carrots as they are the key for a moist cake. The walnuts are a must too!

We’re using Mascarpone frosting which is not the standard one (aka cream cheese) but this one is a life changer! Try it and you’ll love it as much as we do.

I’ve been making this cake for years and it’s still one of my most requested cakes for gatherings. It’s so good, perfectly sweet, fluffy and moist. I have no doubt this will be your favorite carrot cake ever too!

Pastel De Zanahoria with a slice cut off

**This post was originally published on July 2013. It has been updated to be more helpful.

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Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make Pastel De Zanahoria:

  • White sugar or a combination of white and brown sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Eggs: make sure they’re at room temperature
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Baking soda
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh carrots
  • Raisins or cranberries – I prefer cranberries but raisins are the classic add in.
  • Chopped walnuts
Ingredients on a white table: whole carrots, flour, sugar, eggs, oil, walnuts, cinnamon and vanilla

How To Make Pastel De Zanahorias

This is a visual overview of the steps to make this recipe. See the detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.

Two cake pans buttered and floured
  1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 F degrees (176C). Then grease 2 (9 x 2-inch) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the flour the pans.
Sifting flour, baking soda, salt and cinammon
  1. In medium bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Mixing batter with a hand mixer
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
  2. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
Mixing shredded carrots with pecans, and 1 tablespoon of flour
  1. In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, and the 1 tablespoon of flour.
Mixing shredded carrots in the cake batter
  1. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Two cake pans with batter inside
  1. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
Two cakes baking in the oven
  1. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 to 35 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Two freshly baked cakes on a cooling rack

Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out onto baking rack, and cool completely. Now they’re ready to be frost with the delicious Mascarpone frosting and top with walnuts if you would like.

Make The Mascarpone Frosting

This Mascarpone frosting is light and creamy with a hint of cream cheese flavor. Once you have this one, you’ll never want to go back to using the classic cream cheese frosting. So good!

  • 12 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
  • 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla together for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Be careful not to over beat since it can make the frosting curdle.

Pastel De Zanahoria cut into slices


Tips and Notes

  • Use real fresh carrots, not the ones that come pre-shredded. Using fresh carrots is the secret to a super moist Pastel De Zanahorias.
  • Add raisins: I didn’t use them on this recipe but you can add raisins, shredded coconut or minced pineapple chunks if you’d like.  This batter can hold about 1/2-1 cup of add-ins.
  • If the frosting turns out runny (may be due to how you’re measuring the sugar), you can add more confectioner’s sugar until you reach desired consistency. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frosting the cake. This will ensure it stays on the cake when applying it.
  • Store cake in refrigerator and bring to room temperature (if you like) before serving it.

FAQ’s

If I use two 8″ round cake pan instead of 9″, then do I need to adjust the temperature and baking time?

No need to adjust the baking temperature. However, you may need to add a few minutes to your bake time. To check a cake to see if its done. Insert a toothpick or skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean it’s ready!

How many carrots equal a cup?

About 2 large carrots. I’ve found that it took about 2.75 medium carrots to obtain 1 cup of grated carrots. When sliced or chopped, only 2 carrots were needed to reach the 1 cup mark.

Can you substitute the all purpose flour with Almond or coconut flour?

Assuming you want to make it gluten free, my preferred GF brand is Bob’s gluten-free 1 to 1 baking blend. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!  https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-1-to-1-baking-flour.html

A cake on top of a cake stand.

I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact  me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana

Print Recipe:

a slice of carrot cake and the whole cake in the background

Carrot Cake

Servings 12 slices
Ana Frias
5 from 15 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
The BEST Pastel De Zanahoria you'll ever have! Fluffy & moist with real grated carrots and a Mascarpone frosting. This cake is always a hit!

Equipment

  • Mixer
12 slices

Ingredients  

For the Cake
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams) plus 1 tablespoon
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine kosher salt
  • 2 cups sugar (400 grams)
  • 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pound carrots peeled and grated
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries optional
The Mascarpone Frosting
  • 12 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
  • 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions 

Make the cake

  • Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176C).
  • Grease 2 (9 x 2-inch) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the flour the pans. Set aside.
  • In medium bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or handheld mixer), beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
  • With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, and the 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.
  • Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
  • Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the middle of the cake layers are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out onto baking rack, and cool completely.
  • Place one cake on a flat serving plate, rounded side down, spread half the frosting on the top (not the sides). Place the second cake on top of the first cake, rounded side up. Frost just the top of the second cake.

To make the frosting

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cream, and vanilla together for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Be careful not to over beat since it can make the frosting curdle.

Add Your Own Private Notes

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 598kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 57g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

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Recipe Rating




21 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love this delicious recipe with all the classic carrot cake ingredients. Perfect for Easter and springtime!

  2. 5 stars
    I made this for guests last weekend and everyone loved it. So glad to add another carrot cake to my recipe box!

  3. 5 stars
    Wow! This carrot cake looks incredible! I am intrigued by the mascarpone frosting. I can’t wait to try this deliciousness.

  4. 5 stars
    Definitely the best recipe for the season. Fresh carrots and Mascarpone cheese. Yummy. Looks moist and tempting too.

  5. 5 stars
    Can I make this a day or so ahead of time and store in the fridge for a surprise birthday party? I am just going to have to so much to do in addition to the cake …. but would love to make one versus buy…and this looks amazing and a must try!! 🙂

    1. Hi Tina! Yes you can!!! Make the cake and the frosting the day before. Store the frosting in the fridge and assemble the cake the day of (since it has mascarpone & cream cheese and you don’t want those to spoil if left outside overnight). Or you can place the entire cake with the frosting in the fridge…if you have room of course!

      It is truly the best and I’m sure you’ll love it! Thanks so much for stopping by and please let me know if any other questions come up.

      Enjoy!
      Ana

  6. 5 stars
    Ms Ana
    Can you please give me the variations for this recipe if I should add:
    a can of crushed pineapples w/ juice. thank you

  7. 5 stars
    That looks gorgeous! I’m so glad to see carrot cake back in popularity, mainly because it means there are tons of recipes to test out. I’m curious to see how well this would take to experimentation, because I’m almost always for adding lemon zest.

    1. Hi Jessica! I’m so glad too! It’s one of those classic cakes that should be with us always!!! I have no doubt you’ll love it! xo, ana

  8. 5 stars
    This cake looks awesome! I have been craving carrot cake too. I totally agree that anything goes at a wedding. It’s all about what the bride and groom want, not about what other people think they should have.

    1. Hi Laura! I think everybody loves carrot cake huh? I love non-traditional weddings where the bride and groom make it all about them (well, and good food for their guests lol). Thanks for the visit!

    1. That’s awesome Cindy! I had cupcakes too but not carrot ones. I should’ve done that! Thanks for stopping by 🙂