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This copycat version of J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake is every bit as perfect as the original: full of carrots, pineapple and coconut, and soaked with a buttermilk syrup for a melt-in-your-mouth slice of cake.
I don’t throw out the word “best” in front of many of my recipe titles, but I almost did for this carrot cake.
I’ve been obsessed with the carrot cake from J. Alexander’s for no less than 10 years. In my opinion, it is carrot cake perfection.
I would get a piece to go almost every time I ate there and nibble on it every night for dessert throughout the week.
When we moved to Cleveland from Toledo, my love affair with J.’s kind of ended because the closest one is now almost an hour away. :(
Last Easter I decided to search for a copycat recipe for the cake and stumbled upon one from the Sun-Sentinel. You guys, it is pretty much an exact dupe.
I have no idea why I forgot to share the recipe with you last year, but I knew I couldn’t let another spring go by without introducing you to this carrot cake. It’s hearty, moist, perfectly sweet and the frosting – it’s seriously eat-it-with-a-spoon good.
If you’re looking for a last-minute dessert for your Easter dessert table or just one seriously delicious cake recipe, I promise you, this carrot cake will quickly become your new fave!
J. Alexander’s carrot cake recipe
Even as someone with a self-proclaimed baking addiction, it’s not all that often that I recommend a restaurant based solely on one dessert. But J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake is everything you could want.
The thing that I think makes J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake special and different from other carrot cake recipes is the cake syrup.
Most carrot cake recipes have a yummy cake base and a tangy cream cheese icing. But J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake is soaked in a sweet buttermilk syrup before it is frosted.
The result is a carrot cake that never dries out and almost melts in your mouth.
Carrot cake with pineapple and coconut
One of the other things I love about J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake recipe is the inclusion of pineapple, coconut and chopped pecans.
If you love Hummingbird Cupcakes, you’ll love pineapple in your carrot cake. The bright, almost tart pineapple and the sweet coconut are a great match for the carrots in this cake.
Make sure you grab the canned, crushed pineapple for this copycat J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake. There’s a time and a place for fresh pineapple, but for baking recipes like carrot cake, morning glory muffins or pineapple fluff, canned is the way to go.
Cream cheese frosting for carrot cake
Cream cheese frosting is traditional for classic carrot cake and carrot bundt cake, and J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake is no different.
There’s just something about tangy cream cheese frosting paired with the sweetness of the carrot cake. The texture of the frosting is also soft and pillowy and so perfect with a moist carrot cake.
The frosting for this copycat J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake is actually super simple: just butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. The cake is so flavorful, especially after soaking with the cake syrup, that the frosting doesn’t need to be anything fancy.
This year, enjoy your Easter brunch with plenty of ham, hash brown casserole and amish ham and pea salad, but make sure to leave lots of room for a big ol’ slice of this J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake. You’ll be glad you did.
J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup canola oil plus more for pan
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple drained
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 3 ounces shredded coconut about 1 cup
- 1 cup pecan pieces
For the Syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Make the Carrot Cake:
- Generously grease a 9×13-inch cake pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix remaining cake ingredients in a separate medium bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the flour mixture, mixing well.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake approximately 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cake should be 1 ½-inch thick.
- While the cake is still hot, poke holes all over the top with a large fork. Pour the Cake syrup over the top, allowing cake to soak up the syrup. Refrigerate cake until completely cool.
- Frost with Cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate cake to let frosting set.
Make the Syrup:
- Using a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.
Make the Frosting:
- Using the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed, combine ingredients, mixing until smooth and free of lumps.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you use a mixer?
You can, but don’t have to. :)
I’ve been making this cake for a few years, it is definitely the BEST cake I’ve ever had & my husband’s favorite. J Alexander’s hit the mark with this recipe.
It’s pretty much my very favorite dessert! So glad you enjoy it too!
A Must Try -Looks absolutely delicious
I hope you love it as much as we do!
-Jamie
I’ve made this cake three times now and it’s perfection! My family loves it. Its THE BEST carrot cake recipe ever. And it is not a difficult recipe. Thank you for sharing it ;)
I totally agree with you, Cindy! It’s the best. So happy to hear you enjoyed it with your family. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback.
-Jamie
This is the most delicious homemade carrot cake. It really does taste like the J Alexanders one. My family and relatives absolutely love it. I’m just wondering if anyone has tried to cut the sugar in the cake part and syrup and if it still came out good.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed, It’s honestly one of my favorite recipes of all time.
Hi! Can I use cake flour for this recipe? If so would I need to change some of the ingredients? Thanks!
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hello, really intriguing recipe! One question though… The syrup should be cold or hot? Thank you!!
Hello! The syrup can still be warm when you pour it over the cake, it doesn’t need to be completely cooled. Hope this helps.
Jamie
Thank you!! We really enjoyed it! It’s delicious!
I am so happy that I found this! My husband and I recently moved to Charlotte from Columbus, OH. When we lived in Ohio, we would go to J Alexanders semi-frequently, and ALWAYS got the carrot cake. How could you not? It’s divine! I was disappointed to see that there are no close J Alexanders near us now, so my next stop was looking for a copy cat recipe…and I found your page. I am so excited to try this out and fill our J Alexanders Carrot Cake Void. Thank you!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Ashley! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Im allergic to pineapple and i dont like coconut, can i omit these ingredients and will there be a different ratio/proportion on the measurement of other ingredients? Will the texture change if these 2 ingredients are omitted?
Thanks
Maria-
Unfortunately I have not attempted this cake with any changes, so I can’t quite tell you how it would go.
-Jamie
Absolutely love this carrot cake, it’s the best that we have ever eaten .
Thank you so very much for sharing it.
Linda Miller
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback.
-Jamie