a mini layered carrot cake recipe

Happy (almost) Easter!  We aren’t exactly celebrating with family this year (that whole social distancing thing, ya know), but I still wanted to be festive.  So, I made these super easy mini layered carrot cakes!  Sure, they’re delicious and fun to make for Easter.  But they are really good any time of year!

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 cup full-fat plain Greek Yogurt (OR sour cream)
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Grated Carrot
• Cream Cheese Frosting (store-bought or homemade)

I took my carrot cake squares recipe, and halved the recipe.  I also substituted the applesauce in the original recipe for full-fat, plain Greek yogurt in this one.  We have a ton of Greek yogurt on hand right now, so it just made sense to use that instead of buying more applesauce.

By making only half of the original recipe, the batter fits perfectly onto a quarter-sized rimmed baking pan.  (A quarter-sized baking sheet is 13″ x 9″.  It is rimmed, which means the sides of it come up about one inch.)

The cake bakes in a thinner layer, so it’s easy to cut out small “cakes”.  The cakes you see here are made with a 1 1/2″ biscuit cutter.

Best Carrot Cake Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is (in my opinion) the only frosting that belongs on carrot cake. You are more than welcome to use your favorite store-bought brand, which is what I usually do.

However, making your own frosting is probably the best way to go here. I use a really delicious cream cheese frosting recipe with the carrot cake squares recipe if you’re in the mood to make homemade frosting!  Here is a list of ingredients for the best cream cheese frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
• 2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp. Fine Sea Salt or 1/2 tsp. Diamond Kosher Salt
• 4 cups Powdered Sugar

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer to cream them together until totally blended (a couple of minutes). Beat in the vanilla and salt until combined.
2. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat it in on “low” until combined.

This carrot cake batter is so easy to make, and takes almost no time to come together.  The longest part of this recipe is the baking time; it bakes for about 25-30 minutes total.  Start with baking it for 25 minutes, then check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the very center.  If it is clean when you pull it out, your cake is ready.  If it comes out with any batter on it, continue to bake the cake in two minute increments until it is all the way done.

Then the cake has to cool in the rimmed baking pan for about 10 minutes, then continue to cool on a wire rack for another 20 minutes (while you make the frosting).  You don’t want the frosting to melt when it’s applied, so that’s why these extra steps are in place.

Carrot Cake Toppings

I topped each mini layered carrot cake with freshly grated cinnamon, but I also recommend chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, or pastel sprinkles.  Whatever makes you happy, you should use. 🙂

I hope you’re having a wonderful spring, despite the current social situation!  If you get the chance to make these mini layered carrot cakes, please tag me on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creation!

xx Sara