Slow Cooker Carrot Cake
10 Comments Jun 10, 2023
Updated Apr 19, 2025
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This semi-from-scratch Slow Cooker Carrot Cake is made with a box of spice cake mix, shredded carrots, and chopped walnuts. You’ll also use just a few ingredients to make your own homemade cream cheese frosting. You’re just a dump and whip away from making the best homemade carrot cake.
Once you make this carrot cake recipe, I just know you’ll want to try more! Add my Slow Cooker Cherry Chip Cake and Key Lime Cake to your recipe book too.
Why this carrot cake recipe works
Homemade carrot cake often calls for a lot of ingredients. With this crock pot recipe, you can skip the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cake pans, the food processor, and all of the other ingredients and gadgets you’d normally need to make the perfect carrot cakes.
Instead, all you’ll need is a box of spice cake mix, eggs, oil, water, shredded carrots, walnuts, and vanilla extract. In addition, you will make your own homemade cream cheese frosting using just four ingredients. If you need a delicious cake for your husband’s birthday, a kid’s birthday, or any special occasion – this is the best carrot cake to try! I promise you won’t be disappointed (and neither will the others who get to eat it too).
Recipe Ingredients
- Spice Cake: I personally like to use Duncan Hines signature and perfectly moist spice cake. It has all the ingredients in it to make the perfect cake.
- Cake Mix Ingredients: Eggs, oil, water, shredded carrots, walnuts, and vanilla extract are combined with the spice cake mix.
- Homemade Icing: This will be made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar (or confectioners sugar), vanilla, and milk.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – In a large bowl add the spice cake mix, eggs, oil, water, shredded carrots, walnuts, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, but don’t overmix. If you have lumps, that’s okay when using a cake mix.
Step Two – Pour the batter into a slow cooker sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
Step Three – Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours (or until set in the middle). When the cooking time is done, remove the ceramic insert from the heating element onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool (uncovered) for at least 2 hours before frosting.
Step Four – (While the cake cools or towards the end of it cooling down) Start making the frosting by blending together the cream cheese and butter until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Blend until smooth, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Blend again.
Step Five – Spread the frosting evenly in one layer with a rubber spatula onto the cooled cake.
Step Six – Sprinkle with reserved nuts or royal icing carrots. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Variations
- If you want to change up the icing, you can go for ricotta icing.
- In addition to the pecans and carrot candies toppings, you can also add raisins, extra shaved carrots, a dash of ground cinnamon, or chopped nuts of your choice.
- Serve this cake alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a squirt of whipped cream.
Recipe FAQs
You can use a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer.
Yes. That will not change the taste of the cake by much if at all.
Sure. I’ve seen some variations also add crushed pineapple.
Yes, Parchement paper works well for cakes in the crockpot.
Place any remaining cake in an airtight container and keep it on the countertop or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For an easy way to decorate, I use Royal Icing Carrots from Amazon!
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Slow Cooker Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz. spice cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots, (this is about 2 carrots)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 Tbsp. milk
For topping
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the spice cake mix, eggs, oil, water, shredded carrots, walnuts and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, don't overmix, some lumps are fine when using a cake mix. You can use a hand held mixer or a spatula.
- Spray the slow cooker with non stick spray. Pour in the batter, spread it out evenly. Cook on high for 2 hours or until set in the middle.
- When the cooking time is done, remove the ceramic insert from the heating element onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool (uncovered) for at least 2 hours before frosting.
- When the cake is cooled, start making the frosting. You can use a stand mixer, or a handheld electric mixer. Blend together the cream cheese and butter until combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Blend until smooth, scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Sprinkle with reserved nuts (and or royal icing carrots – from amazon). Slice and serve.
Sarah’s Notes
- Place any remaining cake in an airtight container and keep it on the countertop or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- I bought the royal icing carrots from amazon, they are optional. You can sprinke the cake with nuts instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
For the frosting, the instructions mention milk, but the ingredients don’t list it. How much milk is in the frosting?
It’s one tablespoon, thank you!
I love this recipe, but I wondered about using a 9 X 13 inch pan and if so, for how long ?
Yes, just follow the box instructions for timing.
We enjoyed it. I use plastic liner so it is easy to turn out.
How much milk for the frosting? It isn’t listed in the ingredients.
Can I add rasins & pineapple to the cake & how much can I use & when? Look forward to hearing from you
Thank you
Greg
I would add a 1/4 cup of raisins, and a half cup of very well drained crushed pineapple to the batter.
My largest slow cooker is a 5 quart oval, do you think that would work if a cooked it a little longer?
It should do just fine!