Mini Carrot Cakes: Easy and Delicious
Soft and moist mini carrot cakes made with oat flour, applesauce, and warm spices, then layered with a lighter cream cheese frosting. These easy individual carrot cakes are perfect for spring baking, Easter desserts, or make-ahead treats.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls - I love using glass ones to keep it non-toxic
- Measuring Cups + spoons - I use stainless steel for non-toxic
- Parchment Paper optional
- Whisk/Spatula
- Food Processor or High Speed Blender
- 11x15 inch baking pan
- 2" Round cutter or glass
- hand or stand mixer
- Piping bags or offset spatula to add icing could also cut the tip of a freezer bag to pipe icing on
- Wilton 1A piping tip (if using piping bag) optional
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 3 cups oat flour or oats blended into a fine flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 Medjool dates pitted (about ¾ cup packed)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups finely shredded carrots packed lightly
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese softened. Sub with plant-based for vegan.
- ¼ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. Sub with plant-based for vegan.
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup or date paste I used date paste
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven & prep pan
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lining a 11x15-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan to ensure easy removal.
Shred Carrots
- Shred your carrots finely, then gently press out excess moisture using a paper towel. This helps keep the cake soft without becoming too wet.
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.
Mix wet ingredients
- If your dates are firm, soak them in warm water for about 5 minutes, then drain. Add them to a food processor or high-speed blender along with the eggs, applesauce, almond milk, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until mostly smooth. Small bits of dates are ok.
Add wet ingredients to dry
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cake soft.
Fold
- Fold in the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts.
Bake
- Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting.
Make the Frosting
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add the Greek yogurt, maple syrup or date paste, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat until creamy and well combined.
Cut out cake circles
- Use a round cutter (about 2 inches) to cut circles from the cooled cake. You should get about 24 rounds.
Don't throw out the cake scraps. Mix them up in a bowl with some frosting and then dip in melted chocolate make carrot cake truffles with them, or sprinkle some of the crumbs on top of the mini carrot cakes in place of the dried florals for a bakery look.
Assemble the mini carrot cakes
- Pipe or Spread frosting onto one round, then place another round on top to create a sandwich. Add a swirl of frosting on top, and add dried florals, if desired. I used a Wilton 1A piping tip to pipe mine.
Video
Notes
- Shred fresh carrots to add natural sweetness and keep your mini cakes soft. Avoid pre-shredded carrots which can often be too dry, affecting your cake’s texture.
- Use fresh medjool dates to naturally sweeten your cake. If they are firm, soak them in warm water for 5–10 minutes before blending.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. Oat flour can make cakes dense if overworked. Gently fold in dry ingredients and carrots just until combined to ensure a light, fluffy mini carrot cake texture.
- Mini cakes bake faster than a full sheet cake. Check after 18 minutes with a toothpick. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Overbaking will dry out your mini carrot cakes.
- Cool your mini carrot cake completely before frosting to avoid your frosting melting and ruining your presentation.
- For extra moisture, brush rounds lightly with almond milk or a simple syrup before frosting.