Are you looking for a great variation of the classic carrot cake? Let me suggest adding in pomelos. If you have ever tried citrus in a carrot cake, you know how good it can be! You are not going to regret making this Exceptional Pomelo Carrot Cake Bundt Cake.
If carrot cake is your thing, what about another fun variation in carrot cake cookies? I even have a recipe for carrot cake pancakes! Maybe I am obsessed with carrot cake, I even have a recipe for carrot cake oatmeal.
What Makes This Cake So Good?
The flavors. This is a killer classic carrot cake, and the added pomelo flavor really makes all the difference. This cake has the best flavor!
Even though classic carrot cake is one of my top 5 favorite cakes, sometimes it is good to mix it up too! This is a great recipe to try if you are wanting to change things up a bit.
This is a healthier cake. I added in wheat flour along with the usual white flour, but I promise no one will ever notice! You get the added extra
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Whole Wheat Pastry- I love to use a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flours in my baking. Whole wheat pastry flour is a favorite for my cakes as it is a lower protein flour that produces a much more tender cake. If you haven’t used it before, I recommend it.
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg- I love this combo in my carrot cake!
- Carrots
- Pomelo zest and juice
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Oil- I love using canola oil in my baked goods for a really tender product.
- Vanilla
- Cream cheese and butter- for the icing.
- Powdered sugar
How To Make
There are a series of steps to get you started on this recipe. Mix your flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl and set aside.
Zest your pomelo, remember you need the zest for the cake and the icing. Juice the pomelo, again for the cake and the icing.
Last up is grating the carrots. You can do this as I did with a box grater, or even grind them up in a food processor.
Now you can start the cake. Add the oil and sugar to a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Next, add the eggs, zest, juice, carrots, and vanilla, and again mix well.
Last are the dry ingredients. When you add these, make sure not to overmix. Otherwise, you will have a dense cake.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes. The cake should be just SLIGHTLY underbaked. I will explain more on this below.
Let it cool for about 5-7 minutes in the pan, then carefully invert onto your cooling rack. If the pan has been prepared well, it will slide right out.
While it is cooling, make the cream cheese icing. You can pour this on while it is still slightly warm, or wait until it is cooled.
That is it! The cake is done. Be prepared to be wowed!
Notes
There are a few things to note on this cake that will help you get perfect results the first time. First, make sure your pan is prepped well. This is so important with bundt cakes!
I used a Nordicware pan and the way I prepare it is this- started by brushing the whole inside with melted butter. Then add in about ⅓ cup of flour. Tap the pan and swirl, moving the flour around until the inside is covered in the flour.
Turn the pan over and tap out any excess. I usually have a little leftover in the bottom of the pan. Don't leave that there, you only want a thin coating in the pan.
A few tricks for working with whole wheat flour. Make sure not to overmix. This will result in a tough, dense cake, and that is not what we are looking for. You want it to be light and tender.
The next thing is, do not overbake. Underbake your cake just slightly. I know, this might sound like a bad idea but hear me out. Any baked good will experience "carry-over cooking" when they are removed from the heat source.
What this means is the residual heat in the baked good will continue to cook the loaf even after it is pulled from the oven. This is really important to remember with whole wheat as it absorbs more moisture.
47 minutes was the perfect amount of time for my cake to bake. You might be just a little longer or shorter.
You do not have to use cream cheese icing, this cake stands well on its own. But it is also really good with it!
FAQ
Yes, there is.
"Bundt" is a word invented by Dave Dalquist who is the pan's designer.
Bundt pans are a form of tube pan.
Pomelo infused carrot bundt cake with whole grain
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour I prefer a whole wheat pastry flour for this. If you are not into wheat, just use all white
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 ½ tablespoons pomelo zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed pomelo juice
- 1 ¾ cup sugar You can certainly get away with less sugar in this recipe. I would't go less that 1 cup though.
- 1 cup neutral flavored oil I used canola oil, but you could use any oil of choice.
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Cream Cheese Pomelo Icing
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon pomelo zest
- 2 tablespoons pomelo juice, fresh squeezed
- milk no measurement here, this will depend on the consistency you are looking for. I used about 1 tablespoon. You may want a little more or a little less.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Prep bundt pan, if using by greasing and flouring. Melt a tablespoon of butter. Brush the entire inside of bundt pan carefully with a pastry brush. Next add a few tablespoons of flour to the bundt pan and roll the pan around until all the inner surfaces are covered with the butter and flour. This step is important as you want to make sure the bundt doesn't stick to the pan. Set aside.Next combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.Peel and grate carrots and set aside.Give your pomelo a good wash. I always do this when I am using the zest of citrus. Zest, cut in half and get the juice.Next add oil and sugar to a larger bowl. Mix. Add eggs, pomelo zest, juice and vanilla. Mix well. Add carrots and mix well. Last is the dry ingredients, mix only until combined. Pour into bundt pan. Place in oven and bake about 45-55 minutes. Whenever you are baking with whole wheat, always pull it a little early. It NEEDS to be slightly underbaked so it won't dry out with carry over cooking. What is that? All foods will continue cooking after removed from the heat source. The thicker or more dense the food, the more carry over cooking will happen. A bundt cake is pretty dense, so will still have a sunstantial amount of carry over cooking happen after it is pulled from the oven.I like to prep my icing while the cake is baking. I love to put it on while the cake is still warm. See instructions below.You can use the toothpick method, but make sure it doesn't come out completely dry. Pull from oven and allow to cool for several minutes before removing from pan. As the cake cools, it will start to shrink a touch and pull away from the side of the pan. Place a cooling rack over your bundt cake pan. Flip pan over and now the top of your bundt will be the bottom. I give it just a minute to let it drop out. Hopefully if you have buttered and floured well, it will come out no problem. I like to ice right away that way it softens and melts down the side of the cake.This cake can be served right away or allowed to cool. Who am I kidding, it is great anyway you are going to serve it- hot, warm or even chilled the following day. Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Icing
- And all ingredients to bowl. Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Beat until it is light and fluffy. Add in milk to bring it to the consistency you are looking for. Once cake is removed from pan, spread with icing.
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