Carrot Cake Waffles + Cream Cheese Drizzle?
What’s better you ask? How about Carrot Cake Waffles with Cream Cheese Drizzle and toasted pecans for an extra crunch?
Yesssss.
If you’re looking for the perfect Easter Brunch recipe, this one is it!
Believe me when I tell you it is simple and can be whipped up in 15 minutes from the first grated carrot to sitting down to enjoy your waffles!
The Carrot Cake waffle story…
Last year, we welcomed David into our family a few weeks before Easter Sunday. We knew we wouldn’t be able to go to church as we usually do because he was still so tiny.
So we decided to make at home Easter just as special. :)
I searched for a fun brunch menu and we watched church online.
The day was beautifully breezy and we were able to have brunch outdoors which was so nice for a change!
I made us some Bacon and Cheddar biscuit breakfast sandwiches, these Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Drizzle waffles and the most popular coffee of 2020- whipped coffee!
It was delicious and we loved every bite of it all!
A tip on using buttermilk for baking…
Buttermilk really makes baked goods so moist, fluffy and delicious. It also adds a flavor that can’t be matched with any other ingredient.
That being said, I know very few of us actually always have a carton of buttermilk on hand.
Because really, there is nothing worse than using it for a recipe and then throwing away 3/4 of the carton afterwards.
I just don’t use it often enough!
But I recently discovered a little trick and it’s worked perfectly!
Once you use the first bit of buttermilk, take the rest and freeze it in ice cubes or silicone molds.
I prefer the silicone molds because I know I’m freezing each one in 1/4 cup increments and that makes it super easy for the next time I need buttermilk.
Once they’re frozen, I pop them all into a Ziploc and label it and keep it in the freezer.
Then, whenever I need buttermilk, I just take out the amount I need and let it come to room temperature and use.
Mix it up pretty well once it’s room temperature because it does tend to separate a bit.
Otherwise, it’s good as new!
If you absolutely can’t get buttermilk, try one of these options:
–1 cup of milk plus one tablespoon of vinegar OR lemon juice. Mix well and then use 1/4 cup for this recipe.
— replace equally with yogurt
–1/4 cup milk + 3/4 cup sour cream. Mix and then use 1/4 cup for this recipe.
–1 cup water + 4 tbsp. powdered buttermilk. Mix and then use 1/4 cup for this recipe.
–1/4 cup milk +3/4 cup yogurt. Mix and then use 1/4 cup for this recipe.
–1 cup milk + 1 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar. Mix and then use 1/4 cup for this recipe.
None of these will yield the exact same taste or results as classic buttermilk, but they’re all great substitutions if you don’t have any on hand!
A word on spices for Carrot Cake…
Everyone likes their carrot cake spiced differently. There’s no magic formula that makes one better than others.
That being said, this is my favorite (simple!) combination for this recipe: all spice and cinnamon.
Super easy and I always have both on hand.
If you wanted to experiment with others, consider omitting the all spice and adding 1/8 tsp ground clove, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon to the batter instead.
Maybe you’ll realize that’s too spiced for you. Or maybe not spiced enough. Add a pinch of ground ginger if you love ginger.
Adjust as needed as you develop your own version of the recipe you LOVE!
I tend to go heavy on the cinnamon. Sometimes I add 1/4 tsp plus sprinkle some on top. I love cinnamon and I can’t get enough! haha
Maybe you hate cinnamon. Or you hate cloves or nutmeg. Leave it out! Add what you like. Make this your own.
It’s so fun to experiment!
And when you figure out what you love, let me know! I’d love to try your combination!
To make these waffles:
This one is simple! It is loosely inspired by the one from the cookbook that comes with this waffle maker, but I adjusted the spices a bit to fit what we like most.
Grate the waffles as finely as you can. You don’t want a puree, so don’t put this in the food processor, just a fine grater should work! Set it aside.
Then mix your wet ingredients (egg, buttermilk, milk, and vanilla).
Add in the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
Whisk that until no clumps remain and then add the carrots, raisins and walnuts if using.
Give it a quick stir, being careful not to overmix. Now let it stand for 5 minutes as your waffle maker heats up.
Add 3-4 tablespoons into your waffle maker if you’re using a mini waffle maker (I love my DASH waffle maker).
Let it cook until lightly golden brown and then remove quickly to preserve the moisture of that classic carrot cake flavor.
Now let’s prep the cream cheese drizzle:
Add 2 oz of softened cream cheese to a bowl and add 1-2 tbsp of powdered sugar. Whip with a hand mixer.
Then slowly add milk and keep beating until it reaches your desired consistency. It should be runny enough to glaze easily with a spoon.
Top with a drizzle of honey as well and some extra walnuts if you’d like with a dash of cinnamon and enjoy!
This is really the perfect Easter brunch recipe. It is full of those classic Carrot Cake flavors we all love while eliminating so much work!
Plus, it’s acceptable to eat waffles for breakfast so no guilt for basically eating cake bright and early. ;)
Another variation is to make a Carrot Cake Waffle Sandwich.
It’s really super simple, and is exactly what it sounds like.
Make two waffles and sandwich them with cream cheese frosting, walnuts, raisins, and a drizzle of honey between them.
Enjoy- no utensils necessary!
That’s a win in my book. ;)
If you make this recipe, I would love to see! Tag me on Instagram or send me a photo via email. :)
Carrot Cake Waffles with Cream Cheese Drizzle
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. all spice
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 3 tbsp. raisins
- 3 tbsp. chopped walnuts
Instructions
For the glaze:
- Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and a splash of milk until it is your desired consistency. Set aside.
For the waffles:
- Grate the carrots. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and all spice. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and whisk again until no lumps remain.
- Add in the carrots, raisins and walnuts. Give it a quick mix to combine and then let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- When your waffle maker is preheated, grease it and add 3-4 tbsp of batter if using a mini waffle maker.
- Let it cook until golden brown (usually around 2-3 minutes). Remove from waffle maker and glaze!
- Enjoy!
If you liked this recipe, be sure to try these favorites:
Strawberry Cake and White Chocolate Glaze Donuts
