Name: Pistachio Carrot Cake with Chai Buttercream
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1 cup canola oil; 2 large eggs (room temp); 8 ounces crushed pineapples in juice; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups freshly grated carrots (about 2 to 3 large carrots); 1 cup shelled lightly salted pistachios (finely chopped); 8 ounces unsalted butter (softened); 8 ounces cream cheese (softened); 3 cups powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 2 teapoons cardamom; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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This Pistachio Carrot Cake with Chai Buttercream is an elevated version of the much-beloved classic dessert. The cake is moist and light with plenty of shredded carrots and pineapple. Studded with bits of pistachio that adds both a nutty flavor and a textural surprise. Then, the whole cake is coated in a chai spiced cream cheese buttercream frosting.

Carrot cake slices on two plates with the whole cake in the background with forks to the side.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The carrot cake is moist and spongey with a hint of cinnamon
Chopped pistachios throughout the cake adds flavor and texture
Chai spiced buttercream frosting is not overly sweet so the chai flavors can really come through

How To Make Pistachio Carrot Cake with Chai Buttercream

Note: Full list of ingredients, their amounts, and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Four part grid showing the wet ingredients, adding the dry ingredients, adding the carrots and pistachios, and mixing it all together.

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with butter or spray. Line the bottoms of each pan with a round piece of parchment and grease the parchment.

Step 2:

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Step 3:

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, and crushed pineapple until well combined.

Step 4:

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just they’re combined.

Step 5:

Mix in the shredded carrots and chopped pistachios.

Step 6:

Evenly divide the batter between the 3 pans and bake until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans, usually 1 to 2 hours.

Step 7:

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Then, add the powdered sugar, chai spices, and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Chai spiced buttercream in a bowl with a rubber spatula.

Step 8:

Spread the frosting on top of the first cake layer, then top with the second cake, another layer of buttercream, and finally the top cake.

Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to create a crumb coat. The cake should still be visible. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Three layer carrot cake with a crumb coating on a cake stand.

Step 9:

Apply the rest of the buttercream to the cake. If you want, add some chopped pistachios around the base of the cake for decoration.

Tips & Tricks

Freshly grate your carrots. The shredded carrots that come in a bag at the store are too thick and also tend to be dry. It’s worth it to grate your own. I like to use a box grater for this.
Chop the pistachios to whatever size you prefer
While it isn’t required to do the crumb coating, it does make the final cake look nicer. I also find it’s easier to frost the cake when it has the crumb coating and has been chilled.

A slice of pistachio carrot cake standing up in front with another slice in the back with the full cake of a stand.

Storage

The leftover cake can be kept out of the fridge in an airtight container or on a cake stand under the dome for a day or so but should be refrigerated if kept longer.

You can also freeze slices of the cake individually wrapped in plastic for up to 3 months.