Moist Mini Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
This easy & moist mini carrot cake 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.
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