This Mini Carrot Cake is a simple yet incredibly delicious cake that will impress your guests and satisfy your sweet tooth. The fluffy and super moist carrot cake layers are surrounded by the most delicious cream cheese frosting, creating a perfect combination of flavors. This cake is perfect spring cake.
The Mini Carrot Cake is super soft and absolutely amazing, making it hard not to eat the whole cake at once! It a mini size, making it perfect size to serve 6-8 people. It's a must-try for any carrot and cream cheese lover. This is the best mini carrot cake recipe as the carrot cake is so moist and soft. This recipes doesn’t not have any nuts or raisins in it but can be added if preferred.
This beautiful cake is perfect spring recipe for gatherings and parties, such a birthday celebration or Easter.
For more layer cake recipes, try Strawberry Lemon Cake, Strawberry and Blueberry Layer Cake and Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- The best carrot cake: This carrot cake is so soft and incredibly delicious. It is full of lots of grated carrots and warm spices.
- Cream cheese frosting: This cream cheese frosting is so light and fluffy and with a perfect tangy flavor.
- Mini size: This cake is a made in 2 x 15 cm (6 in) baking pans for a perfect small cake. It can also be made in a 20x20 square baking pan (8x8 in) pan for a single layer cake.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Carrots: The carrots are grated and folded into the batter.
- Spices: All of the spice can be switched out for 1 ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice.
- Brown sugar: The brown sugar gives a deeper flavor and lots of moister to this cake.
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil such as canola.
- Eggs: Take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Butter: Take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before making the frosting. Cut the butter into cubes.
- Cream cheese: Take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before making the frosting.
- Orange and green gel food color: Make sure to use gel food colors, instead of water based food color, for the best result.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CARROT CAKE
Here is how to make and bake these Mini Carrot Cake. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. You will also need 2x 15 cm baking pan with parchment paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven. Prepare 2x 15 cm baking pan with parchment paper.
STEP 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Turn the speed down to medium speed and pour the vegetable oil into the eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
STEP 2: Continue by adding the flour mixture and shredded carrots. Start by adding ½ of the flour mixture, then the carrots, then the other ½ of the flour. Mix in each addition until just combined.
STEP 3: Fill the prepared pans, and bake them for 25-28 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - BUTTERCREAM
STEP 1: In your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 5 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla bean paste and cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 minute.
STEP 2: On low speed, mix the sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix for 2 minutes.
STEP 3: If you want to decorate it with little carrots, set aside 2 big tablespoons in two different bowls. Add orange gel color paste in one and green gel color paste to the other. Mix in the color in each bowl and add each colored buttercream to seperate piping bags with two small piping tip e.g. Wilton 10, for the carrot and 2, for the green leaves.
STEP 4: Place the first cake layer on your serving dish or cake board on your turntable.Add 2 big scoops of buttercream and with an offset spatula, even it out. Then add the other cake layer and cover the cake in a thin layer of buttercream, also known as the crumb coat. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes, for the buttercream to set.
STEP 5: Add the remaining buttercream, and even it out over the cake. With the orange buttercream, draw the carrots and with the green buttercream make small green leaves.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, you can definitely add nuts and raisins if you like. I suggest adding 50 g of each of the walnuts and raisins.
Yes, this cake can be made and assembled the day before. Store the cake in the fridge. 30-60 minutes before serving, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
I recommend using a cake tester. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
STORAGE
Store the mini carrot cake in the fridge in an airtight container. When wanting to eat it, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. It's best enjoyed within a 4 days.
Other Layer Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR RATING if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Mini Carrot Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
CARROT CAKE
- 120 g grated carrots
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 75 g brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 90 g vegetable oil like canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 200 g butter
- 100 g full-fat cream cheese
- 360 g powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Orange and green gel color
Instructions
CARROT CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC/340ºC. Prepare 2x 15 cm baking pan with parchment paper.
- Grate the carrots. Sift together all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.175 g all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 120 g grated carrots, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar together for 1-2 minutes on high speed, so it becomes light and fluffy.75 g granulated sugar, 75 g brown sugar, 2 eggs
- Turn the speed down to medium speed and in a slow and steady stream pour the oil into the eggs and sugar to emulsify. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.90 g vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Continue by alternating between adding the flour mixture and grated carrots. Start by adding ½ of the flour, then the carrots, then the other ½ of the flour. Mix in each addition until just combined.
- Fill the prepared pans, and bake them for 25-28 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cakes from the cake tins and let the cakes cool down completely.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- TIP: If you live in Europe, place your cream cheese between a few pieces of paper towels to remove any excess water.
- Take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 10 minutes before starting. Cut the butter into cubes. Sift the powdered sugar.200 g butter, 360 g powdered sugar
- In your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 5 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 minutes.100 g full-fat cream cheese
- Add the vanilla bean paste and cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 minute.½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, mix the sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts, letting the powdered sugar mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix for 2 minutes.
- Take the bowl off the stand mixer and with a spatula or wooden spoon, beat it well by hand to make sure to remove the air bubbles in the buttercream.
- If you want to decorate it with little carrots, set aside 2 big tablespoons in two different bowls. Add orange gel color paste in one and green gel color paste to the other. Mix in the color in each bowl and add each colored buttercream to seperate piping bags with two small piping tip e.g. Wilton 10, for the carrot and 2, for the green leaves.Orange and green gel color
ASSEMBLING
- If needed, start by cutting the top of the cake layers, so they have a flat top.
- Place the first cake layer on your serving dish or cake board on your turntable. If you don’t have a turntable, don’t worry, you can easily decorate the cake without it.
- Add 2 big scoops of buttercream and with an offset spatula, even it out. Then add the other cake layer and cover the cake in a thin layer of buttercream, also known as the crumb coat. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes, for the buttercream to set.
- Add the remaining buttercream, and even it out over the cake. With the orange buttercream, draw the carrots and with the green buttercream make small green leaves. It ready to be served.
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