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This Carrot Cake Pie is a fun but easy fusion of pie and cake in one delicious bite of dessert delight. A simple pie crust houses a moist carrot cake filling and is topped with a smooth and velvety cream cheese frosting.
It may sound a bit wonky, but trust us, this dessert goes way beyond your average pie or cake. Together, as a joint force, Carrot Cake Pie takes the flavors of a classic cream cheese-frosted carrot cake and houses it in a buttery and flaky pie crust.
Here, a store-bought pie crust is a hundred percent A-okay, as it’s reliable and cuts down on the prep time. When you plan on making the pie, make sure to defrost the crust completely beforehand.
After the pie crust is nice and settled into the pie pan, go ahead and tackle the filling. This recipe is a reduced-sized version of a moist carrot cake. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg add warm aromas to the cake while the oil and eggs add moisture and structure to make an easy-to-slice and serve dessert.
Pour the batter into the prepared pie crust and bake until the center is cooked and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist, but not wet crumbs. The filling will continue to bake out of the oven, so don’t worry.
Once the pie cools, apply the cream cheese frosting on top.
With a few garnishes of cute carrot decorations, and this Carrot Cake Pie is ready for business!
The flakiness of the pie crust is a nice contrast against the moist cake and creamy frosting.
This pie’s cake filling is so flavorful, that it doesn’t need the classic carrot cake mix-ins like walnuts, raisins, or pineapple, it can hold up on its own.
The cream cheese frosting is smooth and really gives the pie that carrot cake feeling. However you slice it, this pie is one show-stopper of a dessert.
Carrot Cake Pie
Yield(s): Serves 6 to 8
20m prep time
50m cook time
1h 30m inactive
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the Carrot Cake Pie:
- 1 store-bought pie crust, defrosted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, about 2 to 3 medium-sized carrots
For the Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, room temperature
- Orange and green food gel
To Make The Carrot Cake Pie:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9-inch pie crust with the pie dough, crimping the edges. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl whisk oil and sugar together until fully incorporated. Add egg and vanilla, whisking to combine.
- Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until completely combined and there are no visible streaks of flour. Fold in shredded carrots.
- Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the carrot is set and the crust has a golden hue. Let pie cool completely.
To Make The Frosting:
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and lump free, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape bowl often to fully incorporate.
- Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of cream. If the frosting is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of cream.
- Reserve some frosting, tinting one half orange and the other half green.
- Frost the top of the pie with the remaining frosting. Decorate with orange and green frosting, creating carrot designs. Slice up, serve, and enjoy.
Recipe adapted from Vic's Tricks To.