Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake Recipe Be the first to rate & review! Carrot cake gets a fall makeover with our Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake recipe. Top a showstopping crown of Mascarpone Frosting with swirls of Apple Cider Caramel Sauce and a scattering of pecans. Caramel sauce, rather than frosting, sandwiches together the moist cake layers. By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on January 6, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Hector Sanchez Hands On Time: 30 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Yield: 10 servings Ingredients 2 1/3 cups finely chopped lightly toasted pecans, divided 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons apple pie spice 1/2 teaspoon table salt 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups peeled and grated Granny Smith apples 1 1/2 cups grated carrots 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Caramel Sauce Mascarpone Frosting Directions Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle 1 1/3 cups toasted pecans into 2 well-buttered shiny 9-inch round cake pans; shake to coat bottom and sides of pans. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Stir together eggs and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Add flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Fold in apples, carrots, and remaining 1 cup pecans. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Place 1 cake layer, pecan side down, on a serving plate. Spread top of cake layer with 2/3 cup Apple Cider Caramel Sauce; top with remaining cake layer, pecan side down. Spread Mascarpone Frosting over top of cake. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Caramel Sauce over frosting, and swirl sauce into frosting. Serve immediately. Rate it Print