Mini Carrot Cake Recipe
Incredibly moist mini carrot cake made with silky cream cheese frosting and crunchy caramelised walnuts. This small 6-inch cake is ideal for small parties or gatherings and can be made ahead of time.
Equipment
- 3 6-inch cake pans
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- ½ cup light brown sugar (120 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream* (100 grams)
- ½ cup vegetable oil* (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or orange extract, optional
- 1 zest whole lemon or orange
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (7 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (5 grams)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, optional
- ⅓ cup milk, lukewarm
- 2 cups grated carrots (200 grams or 7 ounces)
- 1 medium apple, grated
Caramelised walnuts, optional
- 1 ½ cups shelled walnut halves (150 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ¼ cup water (50 grams)
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup white chocolate chips* (150 grams)
- 5 ounces butter, cold (150 grams)
- 1 cup cream cheese, cold (225 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1-2 drops purple food colouring*
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F (170°C) with fan and line 3 x 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl add the light brown sugar, salt and eggs. Using a hand mixer combine the ingredients until fluffy.
- Pour in the vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla and orange extracts and orange zest. Mix again until combined.
- Separately in a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and all the spices. Whisk everything well to combine, then add them into the wet mixture. Add the milk and using a spatula fold the batter until just combined.
- Wash, peel and finely grate the carrots and apple. Add them into the cake batter, then use a spatula to fold into the batter, without over-mixing.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, then tap the pans on the work surface to even out the surface. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- After baking, let the cakes cool down in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, then place on a wire rack to cool down completely. Cover in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Caramelised walnuts, optional
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water. Cook over medium-low heat without mixing until the mixture turns amber in colour. This is the caramel base.
- Remove caramel from the heat, then add in the walnut halves. Carefully mix with a spatula to coat the walnuts in caramel.
- Moving quickly, spread the walnuts on the lined baking paper. Try to get them in a thin layer, without any big clumps.
- Let them cool down completely, then break down into smaller pieces. Using a rolling pin or food processor, crush into smaller pieces. Save some larger pieces for decoration.
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short 20-30 seconds intervals. Mix chocolate in between each interval for 30-40 seconds to prevent burning. Repeat until the chocolate is fully melted, then let it cool down to room temperature before using it. It should still be runny, but not warm to the touch.
- In a separate mixing bowl, with an electric mixer beat the cold butter until softened and pliable.
- Add the cooled melted chocolate, cream cheese and vanilla extract into the butter. Mix until fully combined and fluffy. If needed, add 1 drop of purple food colouring to make it less yellow.
- Use immediately for the cake layers and coating. Save ½ cup of frosting for decoration and place ir in a piping bag fitted with decorative nozzle.
Assembling the Mini Carrot Cake
- If needed, level the top of each cake layer by cutting off any excess.
- Place the bottom layer on a cake board, using a small dollop of frosting to secure it to the board.
- Add cream cheese frosting, then level it with a spatula. Sprinkle some of the crushed caramelised walnuts on top.
- Sandwich with another layer of cake, then repeat the process with frosting and caramelised walnuts.
- Add the third cake layer on top, pressing down gently. Coat the top and sides in a thin layer of frosting, then use a cake spatula to even it out. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to harden the frosting.
- Coat with a thicker layer of white chocolate cream cheese frosting, then level it out with a cake spatula.
- Decorate as desired with frosting, carrot curls, sprinkles or caramelised walnuts.
Notes
- I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams for more accuracy. The cups used for the conversion are standard US customary cups (1 cup flour = 136g). There are many different types of cups across the globe, which is why I strongly recommend using grams instead.
- Nutritional information is indicative only and is calculated per slice (this mini cake yields 8 small slices).
- Sour cream can be replaced with buttermilk, Greek yogurt or heavy cream.
- Vegetable oil - use either sunflower or canola oil.
- White chocolate bars can also be used, just chop them finely to the same size of chocolate chips.
- Purple food colouring is added to neutralise the yellow colour of the butter, making the frosting appear whiter.
Nutrition
Calories: 760kcal
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