Carrot Cake Earthquake Cake is a fun twist on the classic carrot cake, starting with cake mix. The cream cheese frosting is baked right into the cake!
This recipe is in partnership with Imperial Sugar. CLICK HERE for the full recipe!
Carrot Cake Earthquake Cake
I am so excited about this Carrot Cake Earthquake Cake recipe. I already have some great earthquake cake recipes here on my site: my chocolate earthquake cake and my pumpkin earthquake cake. They’re all so easy to make since they start with a cake mix, and they’re so incredibly delicious. What I love about earthquake cakes is that you can eat them warm since the icing is baked right inside. warm cake? Yes, please!
This cake recipe is also a great alternative to the classic carrot cake. Not only is it easier, you don’t have to worry about making it pretty with icing because it’s baked inside. I like to bring this to friends or to holiday dinners because it’s great for travel…no worries about the cake falling over or transporting it because you’re serving it right out of your 9×13 baking pan that it’s baking in!
What is earthquake cake?
An earthquake cake is a cake recipe that pops open after baking, revealing rich crevices of sweet cream cheese. Traditionally, it’s made with cake mix, shredded coconut, pecans, and a buttery, crunchy layer of cream cheese. The great thing about earthquake cakes is that they’re really adaptable and you can get pretty creative, which brings us to today’s Carrot Cake Earthquake Cake recipe!
What you need/ingredients for this earthquake cake:
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE with ingredient measurements and directions.
- Shredded Sweetened Coconut
- Box of carrot cake mix. Do not prepare the cake according to package directions. Just use the dry cake mix as another ingredient and follow my recipe as directed.
- milk
- vegetable oil
- Big Eggs
- Crushed pineapple, drained
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts
- cream cheese
- butter
- powdered sugar
How to Make Carrot Cake Earthquake Cake / Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle coconut on bottom of pan. Put aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the dry cake mix, milk, oil, eggs and drained pineapple on low for 30 seconds. Increase mixer speed to medium and blend for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Alternatively, you can do this in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer.
- Pour the cake batter onto the coconut layer evenly in the pan, then sprinkle the white chocolate chips and walnuts on top. Put aside.
- Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, melt the mixture together until smooth. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the powdered sugar until combined and creamy.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter. Using a knife, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes. The edges will be set and the middle will be slightly loose. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover the pan lightly with foil.
- Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes and then slice and serve for a gooey cake. You can also let the cake cool completely before serving.
Tips for success:
This is a pretty hard recipe to screw up with very minimal prep time. But of course there are a few tips I can share that are good to keep in mind:
- Don’t gratinate! Isn’t that really the case with every dessert? The thing about earthquake cake is that it’s a little fluffy in the center when it’s done. The edges will be firm and golden, but there will still be a little wobble. The swirled gooey cream cheese will form as it cools. Think of it like cheesecake, the center shouldn’t be quite set when it’s time to take it out of the oven. You can insert a toothpick about 2 inches from the edge and it should come out clean.
- Depending on how your oven bakes, you may want to rotate the pan halfway through baking. And if you notice the top getting too brown before it’s done, simply place a piece of aluminum foil over the pan to prevent the top from browning any more.
- No matter what flavor you have for your earthquake cake: chocolate, vanilla, carrot cake, pumpkin… you can use the exact same method!
Add-ins & Variations:
The add-ins in this carrot cake version of Earthquake Cake work really well, but here are some ways to change them up:
- Not in nuts? let her go!
- Do you only have pecans? Swap these in for walnuts in the recipe!
- Don’t love white chocolate? No problem, just omit the addition of white chocolate chips.
- Can’t find a box of carrot cake mix? You could use spice cake instead!
- toppings: Top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Maybe even a dash of caramel or a pinch of cinnamon!
How to store earthquake cake:
Cover the pan airtight with a lid or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store this in the fridge for up to 5 days if you’re concerned about the cream cheese.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE!
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