Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

There are many reasons I'm excited about spring, but one of the main ones is Carrot Cake! I like carrot cake in all forms from my carrot cake to carrot cake with Frosting pineapple cream cheese to carrot cake, I just can't get enough - so I bring you this epic carrot cake filled with cream cheese!

So I really love you. I made this carrot cake 3 times this week (not including when I forgot flour - it's been a week), to make the perfect super moist carrot without oily, perfectly seasoned with a little orange, and with a surprise filling the sweet cream cheese.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 light cup of brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (I use my food processor)
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (regular or lowfat)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 orange extract teaspoons

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz full fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• 2 lemon juice teaspoons
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• Optional Decorative Garnishes
• roasted pecans, roughly chopped
• orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour a 10 "bundt pan cake (or use nonstick-spray with flour in it). Set aside. **

To make the Cream Cheese Filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in remaining Filling Ingredients until smooth. Set Aside.

In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together. In order to separate the bowl, gently whisk the eggs, the Wet Ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.

Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 1/2 cups grated carrots until evenly combined (I use my clean hands to stir in the carrots).

Spoon 3 batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over the batter and smooth, but don't touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes, cover with foil and reduce heat to 325 and an additional 25-30 minutes or until the toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the Orange Cream Cheese Glaze, using an electric mixer, the Glaze ingredients together with the EXCEPT powdered sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. 

Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Place the refrigerator in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

When cake has been cooled, the drizzle glaze over cake or individual servings, whisking in an additional orange juice if glaze has become too thick upon standing.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

RECIPE NOTES

* To easily shred carrots, use the grater on your food processor. If you don't have the blade blade, you can also finely chop in your food processor.

** When "flouring" my pan, I use cocoa powder instead of flour because the cake is brown.

*** Your cream cheese layer may not be as thick as the picture all the way around - I chose the thickest slice 🙂

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