Carrot Cake with Caramel “Rabbit”
Beautiful, cheerful, and funny - perfect for a festive table! Carrot cake with caramel is an original and very delicious holiday dessert. It will decorate any celebration - New Year, Easter, or even a child’s birthday. It will definitely not leave anyone indifferent!
Updated : 21 August, 2025
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Sponge cake
160 grams
Wheat flour
2
Eggs
100 grams
Sugar
250 grams
Carrot
70 grams
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon
Orange zest
1 teaspoon
Dry spices
0.5 teaspoon
Baking powder
0.5 teaspoon
Baking soda
Caramel
200 grams
Sugar
50 milliliters
Water
150 grams
Heavy cream
45 grams
Butter
Cream
450 grams
Curd cheese
80 grams
Heavy cream
80 grams
Powdered sugar
For leveling
290 grams
Curd cheese
90 grams
Butter
50 grams
Powdered sugar
3 grams
Food coloring
Decorating
50 grams
Cookies
100 grams
Fondant
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Start preparing 2 days before the celebration. First, bake the sponge cake. Prepare the ingredients. For a good rise, all ingredients should be warm, so remove the eggs from the fridge in advance.
Step 2
Wash the orange well with baking soda. Grate only the top layer of the peel (zest) on a fine grater, avoiding the bitter white part. You’ll need zest from half an orange.
Step 3
Wash, peel, and grate the carrot on a medium grater. The listed weight refers to grated carrot, so weigh it after grating.
Step 4
In a separate bowl, sift flour and other dry ingredients - baking powder, baking soda, spices. Mix them. Sifting is important to add oxygen, which makes the cake airy and helps it rise.
Step 5
Crack eggs into another bowl. Always wash eggs before use - even clean shells may carry bacteria. It’s best to use food-safe detergents and a brush. Start whisking with a mixer, gradually adding sugar.
Step 6
Beat eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, then, without stopping, pour in neutral vegetable oil. Mix until smooth.
Step 7
Add flour to the egg mixture in two portions, folding well with a spatula after each addition.
Step 8
Add grated carrot and orange zest to the batter.
Step 9
Mix until combined.
Step 10
Take a 6-inch (16 cm) baking ring. Line the bottom with foil and place on a baking sheet. Pour in the batter.
Step 11
Bake the sponge in a preheated oven at 355 °F (180 °C) for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out dry. The exact time depends on your oven.
Step 12
Remove the sponge from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, release from the mold. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight - this will even out moisture and make it denser and less crumbly.
Step 13
Next, make the caramel. Prepare the ingredients. Use heavy cream (at least 33% fat) and high-quality butter (82.5% fat).
Step 14
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add sugar. Heat over high heat. At the same time, heat the cream until hot (but not boiling). Warm sugar for a couple of minutes, then add water. Do not stir - just gently shake the pan, otherwise the caramel may crystallize. Cook until amber-colored.
Step 15
Once amber, pour in the hot cream in two additions while stirring constantly with a spatula. Be careful, it will bubble up. Simmer for a couple more minutes on low heat. Then add butter and stir until melted. Cook for 5-7 minutes until thick (it will thicken more as it cools).
Step 16
Pour the caramel into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap “in contact,” cool slightly, then refrigerate until fully set.
Step 17
The day before assembling, mold fondant figures - carrots and a rabbit. Leave them at room temperature to dry.
Step 18
The next day, prepare the filling cream. Use cream cheese and heavy cream (33% fat). Take the cheese out early to soften, but chill the cream well.
Step 19
Place all cream ingredients in a bowl. Use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar — it dissolves during whipping.
Step 20
Whip with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Transfer half to a piping bag and the caramel to another piping bag.
Step 21
Take the sponge from the fridge and cut into 3 layers, each about 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) thick. Begin assembling. Use the rounded top layer as the bottom, fixing it with cream on a cake board.
Step 22
Spread cream from the bowl over the layer, pipe a cream border, then fill the center with caramel. Cover with the second layer and repeat (cream, border, caramel).
Step 23
Place the third layer (the original bottom, which is flat) on top. Cover the top and sides with the remaining cream, sealing in crumbs.
Step 24
Wrap the cake in plastic, secure with the ring, and refrigerate overnight again.
Step 25
For the finishing cream, use cream cheese and butter (82.5% fat). Soften the butter at room temperature. Again, use powdered sugar. You’ll also need green gel food coloring.
Step 26
Whip softened butter with powdered sugar until fluffy.
Step 27
Add cream cheese and mix briefly until smooth (don’t overmix to avoid bubbles).
Step 28
Add green coloring and mix to desired shade.
Step 29
Remove the cake from the fridge, release from the ring and wrap. Spread the green cream over the sides and top. Smooth with a spatula but leave the upper edge uneven. Refrigerate until serving.
Step 30
Crush cookies into crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Place the fondant figures on the cake and serve immediately. Fondant decorations may melt when touching cream, so monitor closely. Happy holidays!