Mini Carrot Cake recipe comes together quickly in one bowl, and is ultra moist, fluffy, and full of cozy spices, fresh carrot, and chopped nuts. This traditional Carrot Cake is a 9-inch square cake that even the most beginner baker can easily make. Spread that silky Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting over your moist, spiced carrot cake and enjoy a slice (or two) with a cold glass of milk.
This recipe was originally published in April 2022. I just updated the recipe to make a more moist & tender cake. I reduced the amount of flour and changed the mixing method to produce a plush & moist carrot cake with delicious flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Mini Carrot Cake Recipe:
I know there are plenty of carrot cake lovers out there, but for those of you who may need a bit more convincing, let me tell you about this mini carrot cake recipe!
- Tender Spiced Cake – This carrot cake is fluffy and moist, with lots of flavor from the carrots, and all the cozy spices.
- Rich and Creamy Frosting – Delicious carrot cake with homemade Brown Butter Cream Cheese frosting on top?! Swoon!
- One-Bowl Recipe – The wet and dry ingredients come together in just one bowl. Yay for fewer dirty dishes!
- Just the Right Size – Most sheet cakes are a large 9 x 13-inch rectangle. That can be a lot of cake to eat! This recipe makes a square 9-inch cake, which is perfect for a smaller gathering.
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full small batch carrot cake recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Eggs – Large eggs that are at room temperature are best for baking. Fridge-cold eggs don’t mix as smoothly into the batter.
- Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar – Using both white cane sugar and dark brown sugar gives the cake a deep, almost caramelized sweetness.
- Vegetable oil – This lighter oil doesn’t have much of a taste. It’s perfect for making a moist cake without a heavy flavor.
- Sour Cream – The richness of full-fat sour cream is what makes this carrot cake super moist. I recommend letting the sour cream come to room temperature before baking.
- Vanilla Extract – Real vanilla extract makes sweet baked goods taste amazing!
- All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
- Baking powder & soda – This combination is what gives the cake just the right tender texture.
- Cozy Spices – I include a classic carrot cake blend of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Milk – You can use 2% or whole milk (I’m using 2% here). Like the eggs and sour cream it’s best to have the milk come to room temp first.
- Carrots – Grate the fresh carrots as finely as possible by using either a box grater or food processor. See recipe tips below!
- Pecans – Use chopped pecans (or walnuts!) for a nice bit of crunch.
- Butter – I always use salted buter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
- Cream cheese – Use full fat blocks of cream cheese.
Recipe Substitutions:
- Gluten-free – I have not tested a gluten-free version of this cake.
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite dairy-free milk to make the cake dairy-free. Use your favorite trusted brand of dairy-free cream cheese and butter to make the frosting dairy-free.
- Nuts – Feel free to use walnuts instead of pecans, or omit the nuts entirely if desired.
How to Make the Best Mini Carrot Cake Recipe:
Step 1: Brown the Butter. Brown your butter ahead of time so it can chill in the fridge. In a nonstick pot or pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the butter – stirring constantly. The butter will get foamy, then turn golden, then start to turn brown and develop a nutty/caramely aroma. Once it reaches a deep golden color, remove from the heat and pour into a heat-safe container. Let it chill in the fridge so that it can come back to the consistency of room temperature softened butter.
Step 2: Make the Batter. Add the eggs to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Add sugars and beat on medium high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, 1 minute. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and begin folding in with a silicone spatula until the flour mixture is halfway incorporated, then pour in the milk, grated carrots, and chopped nuts. Continue gently folding together just until the last streaks of flour disappear into the batter. This will be a thin batter.
Here’s what the finished batter will look like before being baked!
Step 3: Bake the Carrot Cake. Transfer the batter to the prepared 9-inch baking pan.
Bake your cake just as directed in the recipe below. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the frosting. And let’s talk about that frosting!
Step 4: Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. This frosting is the BEST tasting frosting I’ve ever had. Combining the flavor of brown butter and the creaminess of cream cheese makes the most insane frosting.
Add the brown butter and cream cheese to a medium bowl and cream on medium to medium high speed with an electric mixer until well combined, about a minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix until creamy. If it’s not coming together, add 1-2 tsp of milk. Taste, and add a pinch of salt and or cinnamon to taste (don’t skip these flavor makers!).
Step 5: Frost the Cake. Spread the frosting onto your cooled cake. Here’s my method – start by piling the frosting in the center of the cake. Then, use an offset spatula to push it out towards the edges of the cake. But, don’t break through the edges of the frosting – keeping those intact will create that beautiful, pillowy look.
Once the frosting is spread out as far as you want, use the tip of the offset spatula to create swoops and swirls in the frosting. Sprinkle crushed pecans or walnuts on top for decoration, or use some festive Easter-colored sprinkles.
You can frost the sides of the carrot cake as well, if you like! But you will want to make 1 & 1/2 times the brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe to create an even coating all the way around the cake.
Serving + Storing This Carrot Cake:
Serve this small-batch carrot cake up at a smaller Easter gathering, or bring it to any holiday meal where there will be multiple dessert options! Since it’s not a towering three layer cake, you can completely justify having a few other dessert options alongside it. Hehe.
This perfect size cake is also a delicious and less traditional birthday cake. It’s especially great for spring birthdays!
Serve with cold milk or hot coffee – whichever you prefer, they’re both wonderful with this tender, spiced carrot cake.
Store the cake in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Set it on the counter and bring to room temperature before serving.
Expert Success Tips:
- Grating the Carrots – Be sure to grate your own carrots, rather than using the pre-grated you find in a bag at the store. They are drier and can create a drier cake. Be sure to use the really fine holes on the box grater too – you don’t want big chunks of carrot in your cake.
- Food Processor – Use the blade on your food processor to grate the carrots. This method is quicker and easier than using a box grater.
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
- Make Ahead – Browning the butter can be done up to 2 weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it soften back to room temp before using, as you normally would with butter, if it has completely hardened.
- Prepare the Cake Pan – To keep your cake from sticking in the pan, grease it with shortening. Use a paper towel to rub the shortening into the corners of the pan really well. Then, dust the whole thing with flour, tapping out any excess. This method never fails – your cake will pop out perfectly every time!
- Not-Too-Sweet Frosting – My-not-so-secret trick to mellow the sweetness of frosting is to use cream cheese. Which is perfect for this mini carrot cake! Taste the prepared frosting and mix in tiny pinches of salt until the sweetness is to your liking.
FAQs:
Grate fresh carrots very fine for the best taste and cake texture. Large pieces will create a lumpy batter… And even the biggest fans of this small batch carrot cake don’t want to actually bite into a big chunk of carrot!
Sure! You’ll get about 18-22 cupcakes from this recipe.
Divide the batter evenly into two muffin pans lined with cupcake liners. Adjust the baking time to 18-19 minutes, and bake the pans one at a time or side by side.. Cool the baked cupcakes in the pan for a few minutes before popping out and placing on a wire rack to cool.
Yes, you can! Divide the batter evenly into a prepared mini muffin tin. This recipe will make about 36-44 mini carrot cupcakes.
Bake muffin pans side by side or one at a time in the oven for 8-9 minutes. Once done, quickly remove them from the pan and cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Recipe Variations:
- Cupcakes – See FAQ above for notes on making this recipe into cupcakes!
- Nuts – As mentioned earlier, you can use pecans, walnuts, or omit the nuts entirely.
- Raisins – I know some people love raisins in their carrot cake – feel free to add 1/2 cup raisins, or 3/4 cup if omitting the nuts. Fold this in with the grated carrot.
Special Tools:
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- Box Grater – Use a box grater to grate the carrots into super fine shreds. Or you can use a…
- Food Processor – Use the grater attachment that comes with your food processor to grate the carrots in no time!
- Glass Mixing Bowls – There’s nothing as valuable as a set of stackable glass mixing bowls in the kitchen!
- 9-inch Pan – Use a 9-inch metal pan for this small batch carrot cake recipe!
- Offset Spatula – Use an offset spatula to easily frost this cake.
- Wire Rack – The carrot cake needs to cool completely before frosting. Cooling it on a wire rack lets air get to it from all sides, so the cake cools faster and more evenly.
More Carrot Cake Recipes:
More Easter Desserts:
- Classic Cheesecake with Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Easter Egg Blondies
- Easter Egg Seven Layer Bars
- Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
I hope you love this cake as much as we do! Have a happy and joyful Easter, and happy baking!
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag @bluebowlrecipes with your photo – I’d love to see what you make! And, be sure to leave a comment + rating below if you make this recipe.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed 190 grams
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar 75 grams
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil 112 mL
- 3 tbsp full fat sour cream, at room temperature 40 grams
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out 183 grams
- 1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2/3 cup milk, at room temperature I use 2%. 160 mL
- 1 and 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, see note About 3 large carrots -150 grams (weigh this out for the best accuracy!)
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped Can sub walnuts or omit entirely. 50 grams
For the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tbsp salted butter, cubed See note
- 6 ounces cream cheese, cold
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Brown the Butter: Brown your butter ahead of time so it can chill in the fridge. In a nonstick pot or pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the butter – stirring constantly. The butter will get foamy, then turn golden, then start to turn brown and develop a nutty/caramely aroma. Once it reaches a deep golden color, remove from the heat and pour into a heat-safe container. Let it chill in the fridge so that it can come back to the consistency of room temperature softened butter. Make-Ahead Tip: This can be done up to 2 weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it soften back to room temp before using, as you normally would with butter, if it has completely hardened.
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease a 9×9 inch cake pan with shortening (use a paper towel and make sure to get into all the corners well). Then, dust the pan with flour, tapping it around so the shortening is coated entirely. This will ensure your cake pops out perfectly after baking! Note: If you don't have shortening, spray the pan with nonstick spray then line it with parchment paper so all the sides and bottom are completely covered.
- Make the Cake Batter: Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium high speed. Add sugars and beat on medium high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, 1 minute. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and begin folding in with a silicone spatula until halfway incorporated, then pour in the milk, grated carrots, and chopped nuts. Continue gently folding together just until the last streaks of flour disappear into the batter. If there are a few lumps, that's fine.
- Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 38 to 43 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a plate, then onto a cooling rack (so it's right-side-up). Let the cake cool completely before frosting it.
- Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting: Add the brown butter and cream cheese to a medium mixing bowl and cream on high speed with an electric mixer until well combined, about a minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix until creamy. If it's not coming together, add 1-2 tsp of milk. Taste, and add a pinch of salt and or cinnamon to taste (don't skip these flavor makers!). Frost the cooled cake with a butter knife or offset spatula and create swoops and swirls with the back of a spoon for a pretty look.
- Serve + Store: Sprinkle the top of the cake with chopped nuts, sprinkles, or serve it as is. Serve the cake immediately, and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Debbie says
This cake is wonderful! Moist and flavorful and just perfect!!!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thank you so much, Debbie!
Dom says
Milk is missing from the ingredients list
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Dom – I’m able to see it – it says 2/3 cup milk. Try clearing your cache or refresh the page. Let me know if you try the recipe!
Laura says
In step 3 you say to mix in “milk” but there is no milk listed in the ingredients.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks for catching that! It should say 2/3 cup of milk. I’ve updated that just now. Let me know how you like the cake!
Taylah says
Was so simple to make! Super moist and flavourful. The brown butter cream cheese frosting was an absolute game changer!!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks for the rave review, Taylah! 🙂
Kerry says
This was so simple to make and is the best carrot cake I have ever had 🙂
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much, Kerry! 🙂