Mini carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting | Low sugar & moist
This 6-inch small carrot cake recipe with brown butter cream cheese frosting is less sweet, nutty with subtle spice flavours. The cake is made using the one-bowl method, has a rich crumb with a noticeable flavour & sweetness coming from the carrots. It is paired with a tangy, fluffy, and rich brown butter cream cheese frosting that is gives a refreshing hint to the cozy flavours of the carrot cake.
AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes
BAKING TIME: 50 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 10 minutes
*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.
What does this mini carrot cake taste like?
- This classic carrot cake gets its sweet flavour naturally from the carrots with a subtle hint of spice from the ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground pepper.
- On the other hand, the texture of the carrot cake is incredibly light and moist but not too dense.
- It is topped with a tangy & nutty brown butter cream cheese frosting. Although the frosting is made with 50% less sugar, it is stable which makes this cake easy to decorate.
Why is the best moist mini carrot cake recipe?
You might enjoy the traditional carrot cake that is sweet and dense but making a cake that is made with less sugar and has more flavour is, truth be told, even more enjoyable to consume.
For this reason, while creating this recipe, I aimed to prepare a delightful cake mindfully for you to enjoy without any worry.
Let’s talk about this cake, shall we?
The texture of the cake is moist and fluffy while the cream cheese frosting is creamy and gooey which makes it a well-balanced cake to consume. Although the cake is moist, it is light as air.
Imagine a cosy, warm and fluffy blanket of delicious sweetness. The best part about this mini carrot cake is that it can be served either at room temperature or cold without sacrificing its flavours or texture. But here are the reasons why this is the best carrot cake ever!
Flavour
This cake not only gets its flavours naturally from the carrots but also the spices, brown sugar, cream cheese, brown butter, lemon zest and freshly grated ginger. The best part is that as time passes, the flavours of the carrot cake develop.
Ease
This cake is beginner baker friendly because it’s made using the simple technique where the wet ingredients are combined well, followed by the sugars, dry ingredients, spices, and carrots, all in one-bowl. The frosting too requires very few ingredients and can be prepared from start to finish in just 30 minutes.
Moist, Light & Fluffy
Commonly prepared carrot cakes lack a light and fluffy texture because of the high quantity of moist ingredients like oil, brown sugar and more. However, you will find that this cake is moist but also light and fluffy. And even if you refrigerate the cake, it does not dry out, so you can enjoy eating this cake for a longer period.
Less sweet
This moist carrot cake recipe is made with less sugar as it gets the majority of its sweetness from the carrots. I highly recommend following the recipe and not reducing the sugar further because it only uses the required amount of sugar that provides a lovely tenderness to the cake. Without it, it will be a dry cake.
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Key ingredients in this mini carrot cake recipe
Grated carrots
Many carrot cake recipes are prepared with less quantity of grated carrots. But while I was creating this recipe, I hoped to make the flavours of the carrots shine. So, this recipe has a generous quantity of freshly grated carrots that provide a mind-blowing flavour and texture to the cake.
Oil and Greek yoghurt
One major drawback of a moist carrot cake, is that because of the high moisture content, the cake can lack structure and crumble very easily, making it not only impossible for you to layer but also a bit frustrating while eating. To solve this, I made this recipe with a mix of oil and Greek yoghurt instead of using only oil.
The Greek yogurt helps moisten the cake but also provides structure and a tangy flavour that complements the cream cheese frosting, whereas the oil only provides moisture with no structure because of its high-fat content.
Brown sugar and castor sugar
I used a mix of castor sugar and brown sugar to tenderize this carrot cake. The castor sugar makes the cake soft, sweet and gives it structure, while the brown sugar provides moisture and caramel-like flavours.
Spices, lemon zest and freshly grated ginger
The carrot cake is flavoured with a blend of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground pepper. Although optional, it also has a dash of lemon zest and grated ginger that brings out the carrot flavours and provides a lovely warmth to the cake.
Whole eggs
Whole eggs provide structure to the cake.
All-Purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda
The cake is made with all-purpose flour for structure and a blend of baking powder and baking soda to leaven it and give a nice airy crumb.
Brown butter and cream cheese
The frosting is prepared with brown butter giving additional caramel-like flavours that pair well with the cake. The cream cheese also provides a fresh tangy flavour and helps retain the overall moistness of the cake.
05 Tips to make the best mini carrot cake recipe with brown butter cream cheese frosting
Make it a day in advance
My #1 trick when making carrot cake is to make it a day in advance so it gets time to rest. As this cake has so many flavourful ingredients, the resting periods help the flavours to develop and infuse together, making it an absolute delight to consume. The brown butter cream cheese frosting also gets enough time to rest, making it much easier to layer.
Use freshly grated carrots
I highly recommend using freshly grated carrots as they have a higher moisture content and taste delicious, while store-bought carrots become dry over time and lack flavour.
Avoid over-mixing the cake batter
As this cake is made with oil and Greek yogurt which are liquid ingredients, it is essential to not over-mix the batter as this will result in a dense cake or a cake that has sunk in the middle. For this reason, you can whisk the ingredients till just combined and bake the cakes immediately for the best results.
Avoid over-creaming the brown butter
When butter is browned, it releases way more moisture than regular butter. So, while making the frosting, cream the chilled brown butter (firm to the touch) till just soft. Cream the brown butter and icing sugar till it becomes light and pale because if you try adding more air to the frosting, the brown butter will begin releasing moisture quickly, especially if the temperature of your kitchen is warm.
Let the cakes and frosting chill before layering
The fastest and easiest way to frost a cake like a pro is to chill the cake layers and the frosting overnight so that the cakes and frosting remain firm. It also ensures that there is no damage to the cake making it easier for you to layer. I recommend chilling the cake overnight for best results or a minimum of 1 hour.
How to layer and decorate a cake?
- Let the cake layers chill completely and the frosting chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before layering (or till the cakes have cooled completely).
- Place a square of parchment paper by securing it with a little of the frosting.
- In the same manner, add a bit of frosting on top of the parchment in the middle and then place your very first cake layer on top.
- Pipe and spread the frosting on the cake layer till all the cakes have been used. If you feel the cake isn’t sturdy or the frosting has become a bit soft, chill the cake for some time.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake. This is known as the crumb coat. Chill for about an hour in the fridge.
- Once the cake has chilled, you can apply a thick layer of frosting as evenly as possible.
- You can pipe frosting on top to decorate it as you wish. I used caramelized grated carrots and roughly chopped walnuts.
- Chill the cake if you desire, or slice and consume immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my carrot cake sink in the middle?
There are three causes of a cake sinking in the middle:
- The oven temperature was inaccurate – when the oven temperature is inaccurate, the cake can either sink if it’s underbaked or burn if overbaked. To help you understand your oven and how to use it correctly you can read this blog post here.
- The cakes weren’t baked completely – rather than using the traditional method of using a toothpick to check if the cakes have baked, I recommend touching the cake in the middle, and if it bounces back without leaving an indent, then it’s ready to come out of the oven. If the cakes have got tiny cracks, then that also indicates that it’s baked completely.
Can I make this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?
Yes! This cake tastes great with either brown butter cream cheese frosting or plain cream cheese frosting. I have a recipe for cream cheese frosting that uses less sugar right here.
Why is my carrot cake crumbly?
The carrot cake becomes crumbly if you have over-mixed the cake batter. But that does not mean that it can’t be layered beautifully. I recommend chilling the cake before layering and consuming it to minimize the crumbly effect.
Step-by-step instructions
Moist Mini Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 01 Weighing Scale
- Knife & chopping board
- 01 Sifter
- Box Grater & Zester
- Whisk
- Spatula
- 02 6-inch cake pans lined with parchment paper
- Palette-knife or off-set spatula
- Piping bags & piping tips
- Scissors
- Parchment Paper
- Rotating table or cake stand
Ingredients
For the moist carrot cake
- 141 grams All-Purpose Flour, sifted
- 05 grams Baking powder
- 02 grams Baking soda
- 03 grams Salt
- 03 grams Ground cinnamon
- 01 grams Ground ginger
- 01 grams Ground pepper
- 91 grams Light or dark brown sugar
- 60 grams Castor sugar
- 02 grams Lemon zest optional
- 02 grams Freshly grated ginger optional
- 134 ml Flavourless vegetable oil
- 119 grams Greek Yogurt partly skimmed or full-fat
- 119 ml Whole eggs
- 143 grams Freshly grated carrots*
For the brown butter cream cheese frosting
- 180 grams Browned Unsalted Butter*
- 340 grams Block-style cream cheese, softened
- 200 grams Icing sugar, sifted
- 56 grams Heavy cream (35%)
- 04 grams Salt
- 02-05 grams Pure Vanilla extract
Instructions
Preparing the ingredients
- For the brown butter cream cheese frosting:
- Brown the butter for the cream cheese frosting using the instructions found in this post. Brown 25 grams extra of unsalted butter than the quantity needed (205 grams for this recipe) as it reduces. Let it chill completely till solid in the refrigerator. I recommend doing this a day earlier.
- Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl and sift. Weigh the rest of the ingredients in separate bowls and set aside. If the weather is warm you can keep the cream cheese in the refrigerator after weighing and remove it 5-10 minutes before using.
- For the small carrot cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line 2 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Learn how by downloading my how to line your baking pans like a pro here.
- Wash and peal the carrots. Grate them using the small to medium-sized holes on a box grater. Set aside.
- Weigh the castor sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest and grated ginger (if using) in a bowl. Always zest a lemon directly into the sugar and then cover. Let it infuse.
- Weigh the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well with a spoon and then sift into another bowl.
- In a small bowl, weigh all the spices - ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground pepper.
- Weigh the oil, eggs and Greek yoghurt in a big bowl. Set aside.
Method
- For the small carrot cake:
- Whisk the oil, eggs and greek yoghurt till combined and smooth.
- Add the castor sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest into the wet ingredients and whisk till just combined.
- Fold in the dry ingredients and carrots (as well as the add-ins, if using) till just combined and no lumps of dry ingredients remain. Avoid over-mixing.
- The batter will be smooth and fluffy.
- Transfer evenly into the cake pans. Refer to the notes sections below to bake even cakes.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or till browned well and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan and then transfer them onto a cooling rack till cooled completely.
- Wrap each cake layer individually in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to overnight for best results.
For the brown butter cream cheese frosting
- While the cakes are baking, in a bowl attached to a stand mixer with a whisk/paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream the chopped brown butter and vanilla on medium speed till pale and soft about 1 minute. Avoid overmixing.
- Add the icing sugar and salt.
- Mix on a low speed for 30 seconds till just combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter and icing sugar will pale and fluffy for about a minute. Avoid overbeating. The frosting should be soft but should hold its shape.
- Add in the cream cheese and mix until just combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Once the cream cheese has blended well, add the heavy cream a little at a time.
- If it passes the texture test mentioned in the post, transfer the frosting to an air-tight container or zip lock and chill in the refrigerator till ready to use. Refer to the notes for more instructions.
- If you find the frosting to be stiff, then add in a little more heavy cream till it passes the texture test.
- Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. If you do chill it overnight, let it thaw till it reaches a spreadable consistency.
Layering the cake
- Chill the cake layers and frosting till firm. (about 1 hour to overnight)
- Fill a piping bag with the cream cheese frosting.
- Place a square of parchment paper by securing it with a little bit of frosting.
- In the same manner, add a bit of frosting on top of the parchment in the middle and then place the very first cake layer on top.
- Pipe and spread the frosting on the cake layer till all the cakes have been used. If you feel the cake isn't sturdy or the frosting has become a bit soft, chill the cake for some time.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake. This is known as the crumb coat. Chill for about an hour in the fridge.
- Once the cake has chilled, you can apply a thick layer of frosting as evenly as possible.
- You can pipe frosting on top to decorate it as you wish.
- You can also use roughly chopped walnuts to garnish the cake.
- Chill the cake if you desire, or slice and consume immediately.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Spices - Although I highly recommend using the spices mentioned in the recipe, you can add spices of your choice such as all-spice. You can also skip any of the spices, but make sure you do add 8-10 grams of spices in the recipe for a flavourful cake.
- Grated Carrots - Use freshly grated carrots rather than store-bought pre-shredded carrots as they are dry. Fresh carrots provide better flavour and moisture.
- Browned butter - While weighing your butter before browning, make sure to brown 25 grams extra as it reduces. As the recipe above needs 180g browned butter, brown 205 grams of unsalted butter. I highly recommend browning the butter for the frosting a day in advance so it gets enough time to rest. In doing so, the frosting will retain its shape much easier rather than being too soft because of the extra release in moisture. However, you can make it an hour in advance so it gets time to solidify completely before use.
- Add-ins - you can add various nuts such as pecans, almonds or dried fruits like raisins, roasted coconut and more to customize the cake. But stick to the quantity of 50 grams to avoid compromising the texture of the cake.
- Storage Instructions
- Carrot cake with frosting can be stored in the refrigerator especially if the weather is warm for a week. Thaw at room temperature before consuming.
- The prepared cake can be kept at room temperature away from direct heat for about 2 hours. I recommend refrigerating after 2 hours to preserve the freshness.
- Make-ahead instructions -
- The brown butter can be made a day in advance so it chills completely.
- You can also prepare the cake and buttercream a day in advance.
- Chill the cake layers by wrapping them in plastic wrap after they are completely cooled.
- The frosting can be transferred into an air-tight container.
- Store them under refrigeration overnight if you are making it a day in advance.
- Thaw the frosting till it reaches a pipeable consistency before using.
- The cake layers should be decorated when still cold as it helps prevent damage.
- Freezing Instructions
- The unfrosted cake can be frozen for 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then at room temperature till soft.
- Frosting can be stored and frozen in an air-tight container or clean zip-lock bag for 2 months. Thaw before using.
- Bake even cakes - There are a few instructions that you can follow to make even cakes which will not only make the cake easier to layer but will also help it look like a cake made by a pro. Here are the steps:
- After the cake is prepared, weigh the cake batter in an empty bowl (don’t forget it zeroed out the weight of the bowl)
- Once you get the total weight of the cake batter, divide it by 2 (the number of cake layers needed).
- Weigh that amount in each cake pan and voila you have evenly baked cakes.
- Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here
- 3x6 inch cake layers or 2x8-inch cake layers -
Carrot Cake - Ingredients Carrot Cake - Ingredient Quantities All-Purpose Flour 212 Baking Powder 8 Baking Soda 3 Salt 3 Ground Cinnamon 5 Ground Ginger 1 Ground Pepper 1 Brown Sugar 136 Castor Sugar 90 Vegetable Oil 201 Skimmed or Full-fat Greek Yogurt 178 Whole Eggs 178 Grated Carrots 214 -
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting - Ingredients Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting - Ingredient Quantities Browned Unsalted Butter 240 Block-Style Cream Cheese, softened 454 Icing Sugar, sifted 266 Heavy cream (min 32% fat content) 70 Salt 05 Pure Vanilla Extract 05
Hi! I'm Khushali Patel, a cookie-loving professional pastry chef, recipe developer and content creator whose aim is to guide you to find more happiness in your baking journey every step of the way.
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