Mini Carrot Cake
Calling all the carrot cake lovers!
Craving a carrot cake but don’t feel like making a huge cake that requires a lot of ingredients and is left on the counter. Try my small batch 6” carrot cake recipe from scratch that requires a lesser amount of ingredients. This cake will surely fulfill your carrot cake cravings.
This cake is perfectly moist and not too oily It’s paired with delectable small-batch cream cheese frosting that’s super simple to make and it’s just enough to frost a single-layered 6” cake. This homemade frosting is super rich and thick and only takes four ingredients to make.
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 30 grams butter
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 113 grams cream cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. (176C). Grease a 6’ inch round cake tin with oil. Line it with parchment paper and keep it aside.
- Step 2:
In a bowl add sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, and salt. Whisk these together and keep them aside.
- Step 3:
In a separate bowl combine the canola oil, caster sugar, and brown sugar. Beat using an electric mixer for a minute. Then add eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract. Continue to beat it for 30 seconds or until fully combined.
- Step 4:
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl using a spatula. Then add the dry ingredients in two parts and mix gently until the batter is homogenous. Stir in the carrots and walnuts (if you are using them) at this point.
- Step 5:
Pour the prepared batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before frosting it.
- Step 1:
In a bowl, beat softened butter at medium speed until creamy. Add icing sugar and beat again until fluffy and very smooth. Then add vanilla and softened cream cheese and beat this mixture just until smooth and thick. DO NOT OVERBEAT IT!
*Keep the frosting in the fridge, if you aren't going to use the cream cheese frosting right immediately. *If frosting is runny, refrigerate it for 5 to 10 minutes. It will firm up a bit as the butter cools. *You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar according to your liking. *If the frosting is too thick, adjust the consistency with just a splash of milk. - Step 2:
Remove the cake from the pan and set it upside down on a serving plate (to create a smooth surface on top). Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate it with toasted walnuts and star anise. Refrigerate the cake before serving!
Ingredient notes:
- Sour cream: This is an additional ingredient. Sour cream moistens your cake without thinning the cake batter and making it too oily.
- Sugar: Most of the recipes call for using white granulated sugar but I prefer using a combination of both white and brown sugar. Brown sugar is naturally moist, and it helps the cake to be additionally soft and moist.
- Carrots: This recipe requires only half a cup (45 g) of freshly shredded carrot. Half a cup is almost equal to 1 medium carrot. I highly suggest measuring carrots using gram measurement because you don’t want to add too much carrot.
- Oil: This is an oil-based cake. You can use any neutral-flavored oil such as sunflower oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
Substitutes:
- DIY sour cream: In a clean jar mix ¼ cup of warm (110F) dairy cream with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Cover jar with a cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Sour cream can also be substituted with plain yogurt or Greek yogurt.
- Substitute for nuts: This recipe calls for walnuts and they can be substituted with pecans or nuts of your choice. Nuts can be omitted completely to make a nut-free cake if preferred.