Honey-Agave Carrot Bundt Cake
A no-refined-sugar carrot Bundt sweetened with honey and agave, baked low and slow so it stays moist, and served with a dollop of tangy Greek yogurt cream cheese topping.
Creator Verified
- 25 min
- Prep
- 60–70 min
- Cook
- 19
- Ingredients
- one 10- to 12-cup Bundt
- Yield
Ingredients
Slices
Tap an ingredient to check it off
Cake
Greek yogurt & cream cheese topping
Steps
- Make the topping first so it can chill while you bake: in a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until creamy and free of lumps.
- Add the Greek yogurt, honey, dark agave, and salt. Beat on medium-high 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Cover and refrigerate the topping — it needs at least 30–60 minutes to firm up, and the cake will take longer than that.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) — the lower temperature keeps the honey and agave from over-browning. Thoroughly grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, toss the grated carrots and chopped pecans with 2 tablespoons of the measured flour until evenly coated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using), and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk or beat the eggs, honey, agave, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth and emulsified, about 1–2 minutes.
- Stir the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined — do not overmix. Gently fold in the floured carrots and pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 60–70 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely to room temperature.
- Serve: slice the cake, and add about a teaspoon of the cold topping to each piece as you plate it. Return the rest of the topping to the refrigerator.
Substitutions
- Pecans → walnuts, 1:1, or omit entirely
- Cake sweetener: all honey or all agave works if that's what you have — keep the total at ¾ cup
- Topping sweetener: light agave or all honey works; dark agave is what gives it the caramel note
Rachel's tips
- Tossing the carrots and pecans in a little of the flour is what keeps them suspended instead of sinking to the bottom.
- Room-temperature eggs emulsify with the honey and oil far more smoothly than cold ones.
- Grease and flour the Bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every groove — honey batters are stickier than sugar batters.
- Make the topping first. It has to chill anyway, so starting it before the cake means the chilling happens while the cake bakes and cools instead of adding an hour to the end.
- Don't frost the cake. A teaspoon dolloped onto each slice at serving keeps the crumb from going soggy — and the leftover cake keeps far better bare.
- The topping is tangy and only lightly sweet by design — 2 tablespoons of sweetener total, where a classic cream cheese frosting takes four cups of powdered sugar. The dark agave brings a little caramel depth the honey doesn't. Add another tablespoon if you want it sweeter.
- All the vanilla goes in the cake; the topping is better without it, letting the tang stand on its own.
- Store the two separately: the bare cake covered at room temperature, the topping in the refrigerator.
- Honey isn't recommended for babies under 12 months.
Equipment
10- to 12-cup Bundt pan, box grater or food processor, hand mixer, wire rack
Watch the video
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Recipe by Rachel · From TexMex Mashup on YouTube · Dietary: vegetarian, no refined sugar · Contains: gluten, egg, dairy, tree nuts (pecans)