This mini carrot cake is moist, full of warm spices and covered in a luscious cream cheese frosting. This 6 inch carrot cake recipe is perfect for Easter and smaller celebrations.
Although this mini carrot cake is on the small size, it's packed with delicious flavor. It's soft and tender with lots of shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts. Of course, no carrot cake is complete without a velvety cream cheese frosting.
This cake is simple to make, not overly sweet and is the perfect size when you are craving something sweet and don't want a ton of leftovers.
If you are looking for desserts to celebrate on a smaller scale, make sure to try my 6 Inch Chocolate Cake Recipe and Peach Cobbler Egg Rolls.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Small 6" cake- This cake is perfect for small celebrations or when you are craving something sweet but don't want a ton of leftover cake.
- Not overly sweet- This carrot cake has the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. The frosting is creamy and tangy and won't make you feel like you're going to get a cavity after having a slice.
- Easy to make- You won't need a mixer for this cake. It can be all mixed together by hand.
- Year round recipe- Carrot cake is a cake you can make anytime of the year. Carrots are always in season and most of the ingredients are ones you already have inside your pantry.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil- You can use canola or vegetable oil. You want to use a neutral oil without any flavor.
- Carrots- Make sure to grate the carrots by hand or inside a food processor. Do not use pre-shredded carrots. They do not contain the moisture or the same amount of flavor as using fresh ones.
- Spices- Use ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove.
- Eggs- Pull the eggs from the refrigerator a couple hours before mixing to bring them to room temperature.
- Crushed pineapple- Drain the excess liquid inside a paper towel. Then, proceed with measuring.
- Nuts- Chop your walnuts into small pieces. You can also use pecans or macadamia nuts or completely omit the nuts altogether.
- Butter- Use unsalted butter. Make sure to leave the butter at room temperature for a couple of hours to soften.
- Cream cheese- Use full fat cream cheese. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours before mixing.
- Powdered sugar- Always sift the sugar to get out any clumps. This helps make your frosting extra smooth.
Step By Step Ingredients
STEP 1: Prepare the cake pans. Spray two 6 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the sides and bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
STEP 2: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
STEP 3: Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, oil and eggs.
STEP 4: Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk until combined.
STEP 5: Mix the remaining ingredients. Add the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts to the batter. Mix just until combined.
STEP 6: Fill the cake pans. Divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.
STEP 7: Bake the cake. Bake the cake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.
STEP 8: Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the softened butter and cream cheese inside a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Then, add in the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
Continue to whip the frosting until thick and creamy.
Assembling The Cake
- Level the tops of the cake. You can use a sharp serrated knife or a cake leveler.
- Pipe a small amount of cream cheese frosting onto your cake board or plate. This will help keep the cake in place.
- Spread ½ cup of cream cheese frosting onto the first layer. Use a small offset spatula.
- Take the second of cake layer and flip upside down so the bottom of the cake is on top. This will give you a flat base to spread your frosting over.
- Frost the cake with a thin crumb layer using a flat spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze the cake for 15 minutes.
- Spread a thicker layer of frosting over the cake until completely covered.
- Place the remaining frosting inside a piping bag, fitted with a start tip and pipe small rosettes on top of the cake.
- Decorate the sides and top of the cake with chopped walnuts (optional).
Expert Baking Tips
Measure the flour properly. I mention this a lot in my baking blogs because it is the number one reason recipes fail. Never scoop the flour directly from the flour sack. Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup, and then level it off with the back of a knife.
Don't over-mix the batter. Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. Over-mixing the flour will make the cake tough and ruin the soft and tender texture.
Use room temperature ingredients. This will allow the ingredients to incorporate into the batter and frosting more easily and smoothly.
Do not use pre-shredded carrots for this recipe. Use a box grater or food processor. Freshly grating the carrots adds moisture, taste and texture to this cake.
FAQ
You can bake this cake in a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan or one 8 inch cake pan.
Yes, you can make and assemble this cake the day before. Store the cake inside the refrigerator. Remove the cake 1-2 hours before serving and let it come to room temperature.
One of the main reasons is too much flour. Make sure to use the scoop and level method to measure your flour correctly. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Then, level off the top with the back of a knife.
Storing and Freezing
Store this mini carrot cake inside an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezing
You can freeze the fully assembled cake inside the freezer. Double wrap the cake with plastic wrap. Then place the cake inside a Ziplock freezer bag or airtight container.
You can also freeze the cake and cream cheese frosting separately. Thaw inside the refrigerator overnight and assemble as directed.
Other Dessert Recipes To Try
If you decide to try this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR RATING on the recipe card and leave a comment below. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Let's stay connected on social media. Tag me on Instagram @theepicureanmouse. Make sure to follow me on Pinterest for more delicious family recipes.
📖 Recipe
Mini Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 ¼ cups All purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground clove
- ½ cup Canola oil
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- ¼ cup White granulated sugar
- 2 Large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Carrots peeled and grated
- ⅓ cup Crushed pineapple drained and squeezed with paper towel
- ½ cup Walnuts chopped small, plus more for decorating
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz Cream cheese softened
- 6 oz Unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Spray two 6 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the sides and bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, oil and eggs.
- Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk until combined.
- Add the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts to the batter. Mix just until combined.
- Divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the softened butter and cream cheese inside a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Then, add in the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Continue to whip the frosting until thick and creamy.
Assembling The Cake
- Level the tops of the cake. You can use a sharp serrated knife or a cake leveler.
- Pipe a small amount of cream cheese frosting onto your cake board or plate. This will help keep the cake in place.
- Spread ½ cup of cream cheese frosting onto the first layer. Use a small offset spatula.
- Flip the top cake layer upside down so the bottom of the cake is on top. This will give you a flat base to spread your frosting over.
- Frost the cake with a thin crumb layer using a flat spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze the cake for 15 minutes.
- Then, spread a thicker layer of frosting over the cake until completely covered.
- Place the remaining frosting inside a piping bag, fitted with a start tip and pipe small rosettes on top of the cake.
- Decorate the sides and top of the cake with chopped walnuts (optional).
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