• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Baking Course
  • About Me
  • Newsletter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Baking Course
  • About Me
  • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Baking Course
    • About Me
    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Carrot Pistachio Bundt Cake

    Published: Apr 1, 2023 · Modified: Sep 8, 2024 by Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Pistachios are really having a moment on the global food scene and carrot cake is a classic all-time favorite. I had the idea of marrying the two to create a pistachio twist on my favorite carrot cake recipe. The result is truly AMAZING. My husband went back for seconds on this one and he doesn’t even like carrot cake!

    carrot pistachio bundt cake

    A bundt pan is a great option for this recipe because it doesn’t use up as much time as creating a multilayered carrot cake. It creates easy-to-cut slices and holds its shape very well. The little bits of orange carrots and green pistachios peeking through the cake also just scream SPRING which I am so excited about!

    This post may contain affiliate links for products or services I use and love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only endorse products that I personally love and use.

    carrot pistachio bundt cake with sclice

    How to make carrot bundt cake

    The base of this cake comes from my favorite carrot cupcake recipe with the addition of nuts and buttermilk to give the cake a dense structure without feeling too heavy. This incredibly moist cake is made with oil instead of butter, making the cake itself still feel light.

    1. Sift all the dry ingredients together.
    2. In a mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment or using a hand-held mixer, cream together the eggs and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and caramel-like in color, about 3 minutes.
    3. On low speed and with the mixer running, add oil slowly and beat until combined. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla extract until combined, then turn off mixer.
    4. Add the flour mixture in thirds until combined, then fold in the carrots and ½ cup of pistachios by hand.
    5. Pour batter into a buttered bundt pan. Bake in the center rack of your oven at 350F/175C for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    6. Cool on a rack while in the pan for 20 minutes, then flip the cake over, tap on the bundt pan, and allow it to fall out of the pan and onto the cooling rack. Cool at least 2 hours before frosting the cake.

    Note: If you want to add a ½ cup of dried fruit to the batter, do so when folding in the carrots and nuts.

    slice of carrot pistachio bundt cake

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this recipe link to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Top the cake with cream cheese frosting and pistachios

    This carrot pistachio bundt cake is made extra delicious by a generous coating of spiced cream cheese frosting. Decorate the top with “sprinkles” by chopping pistachios and sprinkling them over the top of the cream cheese. To frost the bundt cake, I piped cream cheese into the crevices created by the bundt pan. I then took my rubber spatula and did a rough spread vertically around the cake. Frosting the cake this way gives it a rustic look that helps catch the bits of pistachio and hold them in place.

    carrot pistachio bundt cake slice

    Tips for making carrot pistachio bundt cake

    • Butter your pan before placing the cake batter in the pan. This will ensure the cake pops out of the pan easily.
    • Use block style full-fat cream cheese for the frosting to retain a good consistency and structure. Set this out right away before baking your cake to allow it to come to room temperature. This will make for a smooth and easy-to-use frosting.
    • For added flavor, fold in a half cup of dried fruit when folding in the pistachios. Think pineapple, currants, raisins, or golden raisins!
    • Rinse your pistachios before adding to the cake mix. They are often coated in salt and quite crunchy and dry. Leaving them unwashed will result in too much salt and can potentially dry out your cake.
    carrot pistachio bundt cake

    More of my favorite bundt cake recipes

    • Lemon Bundt Cake: Moist and tender lemon bundt cake with sticky lemon glaze.
    • Orange Almond Cake: Airy & fluffy orange cake with a delicate almond flavor that stays moist for days. *Gluten-free
    • Rum Bundt Cake: Moist and buttery cake with a bold rum flavor.
    • Chocolate Bundt Cake: Simple, moist, rich, and decadent chocolate cake made with sour cream, topped with ganache glaze.

    This post may contain affiliate links for products or services I use and love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only endorse products that I personally love and use.

    carrot pistachio bundt cake with sclice
    5 from 1 vote
    Print

    Carrot Pistachio Bundt Cake

    Dense and moist carrot cake with pistachios and spiced cream cheese frosting!

    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
    YIELD 16 slices

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
    • 4 large eggs
    • 2 cup (400g) light or dark brown sugar
    • 1 cup (240 ml) canola oil (or vegetable, safflower)
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup buttermilk (optional, adds moisture)
    • 4 cups (about 5 large or 6 medium carrots, or 420g) grated carrots
    • 1 cup chopped pistachios
    • Cream Cheese Frosting
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional, add to frosting)

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Coat bundt pan with butter.

    2. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.

    3. In a mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, or using a hand-held mixer, beat together eggs and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. On low speed and with the mixer running, add oil slowly and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla extract and buttermilk until combined. Add flour mixture in thirds until just combined and turn off mixer. Fold in carrots and ½ cup of pistachios by hand until combined.

    4. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes on center rack until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow bundt cake to cool 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Then flip over the pan, tap gently in the top and sides to release the cake. Remove pan and let the cake cool completely on the wire rack.

    5. Frost the top and sides of the cake once it has cooled, about 2 hours. Decorate with the remaining ½ cup of pistachios.

    6. Frosted bundt cake can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

    More Dessert

    • 11 Cookies and cream oreo desserts with 6 different desserts showcased.
      11 Oreo Cookie Desserts You’ll Love
    • Moist lemon poppy seed scone broken in half to show its texture, topped with icing and styled with fresh citrus.
      Lemon Poppy Seed Cream Scones
    • Orange Cream cheese frosting swirled in a bowl with an orange slice and frosted cupcakes on the side.
      Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Citrusy orange cupcakes with a swirl of orange cream cheese frosting surrounded by fresh oranges.
      Orange Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Haylee Brown says

      April 02, 2023 at 8:50 pm

      I’m not typically a huge fan of carrot cake either and this absolutely blew me away! Holy smokes!! 😍 Yum!

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says

        April 05, 2023 at 5:25 pm

        Thank you, Haylee!

        Reply
    2. Dianna says

      April 18, 2023 at 1:13 pm

      Hi, Stephanie, can this recipe be converted to gluten free – subbing out flour for GF flour, perhaps a bit of almond flour used, too? Looks like a delish recipe also using the pistachios! Thanks, Dianna

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says

        April 27, 2023 at 3:03 pm

        Hi Dianna! For an easy gluten-free version, I would recommend using a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for this recipe: either Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour brands. I’ve had pretty good luck with those as swaps for regular flour in my recipes. Sometimes the gluten-free flour can absorb a little more moisture than regular, so add gradually and then stop when you feel the batter has the perfect consistency.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Stephanie! Join me in my kitchen, where we’ll be making simple and classic desserts and learning the science of baking along the way.

    More about me →

    Find A Recipe

    Recent Popular Recipes

    • Orange Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
      Orange Chocolate Rolls
    • Cookies and cream cupcake split in half, topped with black cocoa cream cheese frosting and an oreo garnish.
      Cookies and Cream Cupcakes with Oreos
    • Gorgeous blue spirulina cream cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and sanding sugar.
      Blue Spirulina Cupcakes (artificial dye-free)
    • Mini Key Lime Pies with Blackberry
    Shop King Arthur Baking for all your baking needs!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Website Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Testimonial Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Pretty. Simple. Sweet.