Spice up your next baking project with these 12 delicious carrot cake toppings. From crunchy nuts to smooth frosting, explore your options for serving the perfect slice. What makes carrot cake so special? It’s a combination of moist cake, sweet frosting and perfect toppings.
If you are new to making carrot cake, you may have many questions. Like how long does carrot cake last and what is the best icing for carrot cake?
You want the best toppings for carrot cake, along with any other decorations for added pizzazz.
Sure, it’s easy to use standard cream cheese frosting for carrot cake, but you can play outside the cake box and get really creative. This is what takes your cake from something ordinary to something simply fabulous!
Popular carrot cake toppings
A variety of toppings can be used on carrot cake, but some of the most popular include:
- Cream Cheese Frosting: It’s the classic topping for carrot cake, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. Use dairy-free ingredients to make a vegan cream cheese frosting alternative.
- Chopped Nuts: Walnuts, pecans and almonds are popular choices for carrot cake toppings.
- Candied Carrots: They are made by boiling carrots in sugar syrup until soft and sweet. Then bake them in a single layer over low heat (about 325°F/163°C) until crispy.
- Ginger makes: Crush some gingersnaps and press the crumbles into the frosting. These cookies add some spice and crunch to your cake.
- Chocolate: Drizzled with melted dark or white chocolate is a delicious and decadent topping for carrot cake.
- Icing Carrots: You can buy edible carrot cake decorations or make your own by piping orange and green royal icing into carrot shapes on waxed paper. Once they are dry, you can add them as decorations to your cake. They add bright color and sweet flavor to selected bites.
Cream cheese frosting substitute
Looking for something out of the ordinary that you can top your cake with? Want to add something besides frosting to your cake? Here are some great ideas:
- lemon: Believe it or not, lemon icing is a great alternative to carrot cake as the flavors of lemon and carrot blend together beautifully.
- Vanilla: A plain vanilla frosting is a great alternative, especially for those who don’t like the tang of cream cheese.
- Shredded Coconut: Sprinkle your cake with shredded coconut. It adds a touch of sweetness and texture to the cake. Bonus: You can toast the shredded coconut in a baking dish at 325°F/163°C for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
- Whipped Cream: The fluffy whipped cream frosting adds a bit of sweetness and light texture.
- Fresh Fruits: Berries, pineapple chunks and mango are all delicious toppings for carrot cake.
- powdered sugar: A dusting of powdered sugar is a great topping for any cake!
Additional tips
Here are some additional tips for choosing and using carrot cake toppings:
- Sweet Pies: If your cake is too sweet, choose toppings that are not sweet, such as almonds or shredded coconut.
- Not so sweet cake: If your cake is not too sweet, choose toppings that are sweet, such as cream cheese frosting or chocolate chips.
- moderation: Add your toppings with a light hand. Any topping can enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Be creative: Experiment with different toppings to find your favorite. The possibilities are endless, so have fun and be creative!
Frequently Asked Questions
What icing goes with carrot cake?
The most common carrot cake topping is cream cheese frosting. However, you can experiment with your favourites, such as lemon icing, vanilla icing and more.
Does carrot cake with frosting need to be refrigerated?
You should refrigerate your frozen carrot cake because the cake and frosting have a high moisture content. Refrigerating your cake will help preserve it so you can enjoy it longer.
Conclusion
Complete your carrot cake masterpiece with these creative and delicious topping ideas! You can spice up your dessert with simple ingredients that add a big flavor. Now that you know your options, choose your favorites to discover the perfect addition to your cake.