This Mini Carrot Cake Recipe is the perfect Spring dessert. The cake is filled with a delicious cinnamon spice flavor which pairs flawlessly with the smooth, vanilla cream cheese frosting on top.

Sliced Mini Carrot Cake with carrot decorations.

The cake of Spring.

Each bite of cake is filled with delicious cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of ginger. The spices pair perfectly with the vanilla cream cheese frosting on top.

A Mini Carrot Cake is the perfect size to bring to a small gathering or to enjoy at home.

Most importantly, it is incredibly easy to make.

Main Ingredients

Ingredients measured out in bowls to make mini carrot cake recipe.

Why You Will LOVE This Recipe

The texture. The cake is moist and incredibly soft in every bite. It isn’t too crumbly and stays together on a fork when eating it.

Incredible flavor. Every slice is filled with a beautiful cinnamon, nutmeg and a slight ginger flavor. Then topped with the vanilla cream cheese frosting to create the perfect bite!

Simple. This recipe is incredibly easy to make. The hardest part is grating the carrots, however, the rest comes together quickly.

How to Make This Mini Carrot Cake Recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, greasing the sides as needed that aren’t covered. Set aside
  3. To a large mixing bowl, add the oil, both sugars, eggs and vanilla extract
  4. Whisk until combined
  5. Add in the finely grated carrots and whisk into the wet ingredients
  6. Fold in all the dry ingredients until just combined 
  7. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread in an even layer
  8. Bake for 37-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean
  9. Once ready, remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 15-20 minutes
  10. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack
  11. While the cake cools, make the frosting
  12. Once the cake is completely cooled, it’s time to frost and decorate
  13. Add cream cheese frosting
  14. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add the oil, eggs and vanilla to a bowl
Wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Along with both sugars
Wet ingredients in a mixing bowl whisked together.
Whisk until combined
Wet ingredients in a mixing bowl whisked together with carrots.
Add the shredded carrots
Wet ingredients and carrots in a bowl.
Whisk until combined
Adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients
Adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl.
Gently fold into the batter
Carrot Cake batter in a bowl.
Once combined, transfer to the pan
Baked Mini Carrot Cake in the pan.
Bake
Adding frosting to cake.
Let cool completely before frosting
Icing the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
(Optional) Add piping on edges
Adding frosting carrot decorations on top of the frosting.
And frosted carrot decorations
Slice and enjoy!
Slice and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this cake be made gluten-free friendly?

Yes! Substitute the all purpose flour for a Gluten Free All Purpose Flour at a 1:1 ratio.

How do I know the cake is done baking?

The cake should rise fully with golden edges. The true test is when a toothpick comes out of the center clean, it’s done!

Can I use store bought frosting?

You can! However, I find homemade to be much more delicious and very easy to make.

How do I make the cute carrot decorations?

I purchased green frosting and used orange food coloring to mix with store-bought frosting.
1) Mix the food coloring with the white frosting until it reaches your desired color
2) Transfer the two frosting colors to two separate piping bags
3) Cut tiny tips at the end
4) To make the orange carrot, do small zig zag lines close together. Start small then make the lines longer before small again at the top.
5) For the green top, do little green lines for the carrot tops/greens

What is the best way to store leftover cake slices?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days.

Can I freeze the cake?

Yes! You can freeze the cake in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. First, When you’re ready to eat, transfer the cake slices to the fridge for 1-2 hours before letting it sit at room temperate for a bit prior to serving.

Sliced Carrot Cake with two slices on their side.
Sliced Mini Carrot Cake with carrot decorations.

Mini Carrot Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 16 slices
This Mini Carrot Cake Recipe is the perfect Spring dessert. The cake is filled with a delicious cinnamon spice flavor which pairs flawlessly with the smooth, vanilla cream cheese frosting on top.
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Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 cup Avocado Oil, or Canola Oil or a Light Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 cup Carrots, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Ginger

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz Plain Cream Cheese, softened to room temp
  • 4 tbsp Salted Butter, softened to room temp
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  • Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, greasing the sides with nonstick spray as needed that aren't covered. Set aside
  • To a large mixing bowl, add the oil, both sugars, eggs and vanilla extract
  • Whisk until combined
  • Add in the finely grated carrots and whisk into the wet ingredients
  • Fold in all the dry ingredients until just combined
  • Transfer the batter to the pan and spread in an even layer
  • Bake for 37-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean
  • Once ready, remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 15-20 minutes
  • Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack
  • While the cake cools, make the frosting
  • To a mixing bowl, add the salted butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract
  • Use an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy
  • Add 1 cup of powdered sugar
  • Mix until combined 
  • Add the remainder of the powdered sugar
  • Mix again until combined
  • Once the cake is completely cooled, it's time to frost and decorate
  • Add a smooth, even layer of the cream cheese frosting
  • (Optional) Use a piping bag and tip to make decorated edges
  • (Optional) Add the frosted carrot decorations, see FAQ section for how I did it
  • Slice, serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 274kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 34mg, Sodium: 135mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 32g, Vitamin A: 2174IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Jessica Selensky
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keywords: carrot cake, Carrot Cake Recipes, Easy Desserts, Frosted Carrot Cake, Mini Cake, Mini Carrot Cake, moist cake recipe, Spring Baking, spring dessert, Spring Recipe, Square Cake, Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

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