This incredibly easy Small Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting is a perfect replica of my mom’s potluck favorite.
I’ve mentioned on the blog before that we weren’t huge bakers in my house growing up, BUT, my mom did have a few really good go-to recipes in her arsenal that she brought out for special occasions.
One of those recipes was (and still is) her carrot cake. If she gets asked to bring a dessert to a potluck, I guarantee you, that’s what she’s going to bring. And when she does, at least five people will tell her it’s the best carrot cake they’ve ever eaten.
And they’re not wrong. Her carrot cake is a pretty magnificent thing. You bake it in a 9×13-inch pan, so it’s huge and basically perfect. It’s soft and fluffy, with just the right level of spice, and the entire thing is just smothered in a killer cream cheese frosting. (Update: so many people have emailed me asking for her recipe, I put it on the blog. You can find her easy carrot cake here.)
With spring nearly here and Easter just around the corner, I thought today would be a good day to share my mini version on the blog, so here we go.
This is a direct replica of my mom’s cake, so it’s everything described above, plus, it’s a small carrot cake, so you don’t need the excuse of a party to whip it up. And look how cute and tiny it is!!
This cake will serve four very generously or make six smaller servings. Make it over the weekend for you and someone special, or if you have a couple of good lunch buddies at work, I totally recommend baking it and surprising everyone at lunch. If you bake it in a pyrex dish, you can even just snap on a lid and go.
Ingredient Notes
- Loosely packed grated peeled carrots: To grate your carrots, use the large holes of a box grater and then loosely pile them into your measuring cup for measuring.
- Allspice: This recipe uses allspice, but not all carrot cake recipes do, and some people don’t enjoy the flavor. You can omit the allspice if you don’t have/like it or cut the amount in half.
- Softened cream cheese: My go-to cream cheese brand for baking and frosting is Philadelphia cream cheese. Make sure to allow enough time for your cream cheese to soften at room temperature. Cream cheese that’s too cold will leave cream cheese lumps in your frosting.
- Walnuts for topping: Nuts are optional. I’m not a fan of nuts anywhere near my carrot cake so these went straight into the garbage post photo shoot. If you like nuts, great, cover your cake in them and enjoy that crunch. If you don’t, skip them! 😉
How to Make a Small Carrot Cake
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a small bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, vegetable oil, and egg until well combined. Stir in flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold in grated carrots. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place cake (in pan) on a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting, about 45 minutes.
FAQ
I don’t have a 7×5-inch baking dish. What else can I use?
You can also bake this in a 6-inch round or square cake pan.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. If you’d like to double the recipe, you can make a 2-layer 6-inch cake or bake it in an 8×8-inch pan, and extend the baking time as needed. To double the recipe ingredients, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
If you’d like to make an extra-large version, go make my Mom’s Carrot Cake, which is this recipe but baked in a 9×13-inch pan.
Does carrot cake need to be stored in the refrigerator?
Yes. Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake should be stored in the refrigerator. Unfrosted carrot cake, however, can be stored at room temperature.
More Small Cake Recipes
- Small Chocolate Cake
- Small Red Velvet Cake
- Small Banana Cake
- Small Lemon Pound Cake
- Small Pumpkin Cake
Recipe Notes
- This recipe has been updated to switch the baking soda out with baking powder, which creates a more stable cake and eliminates the slightly metallic flavor that some people sensitive to the taste of baking soda were experiencing. If you loved the old version, no problem! Simply continue to use the same amount of baking soda where the recipe now calls for baking powder.
Small Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Carrot Cake
- ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup loosely packed grated peeled carrots
Frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons (2oz) unsalted butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (80g) powdered sugar sifted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease your baking dish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, vegetable oil, and egg until well combined. Stir in flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold in grated carrots. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place cake (in pan) on a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting, about 45 minutes.
Frosting
- Whisk together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar and salt and whisk until well-combined and fluffy. Spread frosting over the cake. Chilling before serving is optional but recommended.
- Serve cake in the baking dish and enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Mel says
What…no pineapple?
Tracy says
Only on pizza, never in my carrot cake. 😉
Katie says
Made this and it was incredible!!! I was also wondering if you’d be willing to share the recipe for the full-size 9×13? Thanks!
Tracy says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. And I’m happy to share the larger version. I don’t have it on the site yet, but feel free to email me tracy@bakingmischief.com about it and I’ll email it to you. 🙂
Lala91 says
I made the mistake of adding baking powder thinking it was missing from the recipe and that I had to add it. Next time I will make it without baking powder. Despite this it tasted AMAZING! Thank you so much!
Tracy says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Natalie says
How many cupcakes does this make?
Tracy says
Hi, Natalie, I’m not sure. I’ve never made this into cupcakes. I would think 3 to 4 when filled 2/3 of the way full, but that’s just a guess. Please let me know if you give it a try!
Rhonda says
Could you make cupcakes with this recipe??
Tracy says
Hi, Rhonda, you absolutely can, but they’re not very pretty cupcakes. This is a really rustic cake, so the cupcake tops come out pretty flat and sometimes craggy. But they taste great though. 😉
Sara says
Wow, just, wow. So far I’ve made the carrot cake and the angel food cupcakes this week. (Didn’t have to buy a thing; had all the ingredients in the house.) The two recipes were so easy and quick, I couldn’t believe it. Not just the flavor, but the texture in both desserts was amazing. Now I don’t have to figure out where in the freezer to put 10 big pieces of leftover cake or else have to eat the same dessert all week. I can’t get over that I’ve found small-batch dessert recipes that are fantastic and easy. Good job! – Sara
Tracy says
Thanks, Sara! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes, and this comment just made my day!
Emily says
Hey lovely recipe! Would you need to squeeze any excess water put of the carrots before putting them into the mixture?
Tracy says
Thanks, Emily! And nope, just shred and bake. 🙂
giulia says
can you double it?
Tracy says
Yes. You can double it and bake it in an 8×8-inch pan.
Heather says
Does the baking time increase if we double the recipe? Thanks!
Tracy says
Yes. You’ll definitely have to extend the baking time if you double it.
Theresa says
I tried making this cake twicw already because I love carrot cake. Both times just didnt work out. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I followed all the directions and measurements to a T. The baking soda taste was overpowering, it sunk both timea and the edges of the cake were burned but the center was still raw. So bummed cause I bought a pyrex baking diah specially for this recipe.
Tracy says
Hi, Theresa, I’m so sorry to hear that, especially since you bought a baking dish for the recipe! If you are interested in troubleshooting, I would try two things: First, try with a new batch of baking soda. I’ve never experienced a very strong baking soda taste with this cake, so it might have gone off. And two, check your oven calibration with an oven thermometer. It could be running hot or cold, causing the cake to cook unevenly and sink.
Janet selinka says
I read the recipe as using baking powder not baking soda?
Tracy says
Hi Janet, that’s correct. A previous version used baking soda, and that note was for people who had made the cake in the past and liked that old version. You can just ignore it. 🙂
Dianne Whittaker says
Tracy, First time to find you on the computer. So excited. Been cooking for a family now just two of us. My cake is in the oven, now. Can’t wait. Theresa mentions baking soda. I used the baking powder shown in the recipe for Small Carrot Cake. I hope it needed the baking powder. Fingers crossed that I used the correct ingredient. Thank you. Dianne
Tracy says
Hi Dianne, an older version of this recipe used baking soda, but the updated one uses powder, so you’re good. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Sharon says
Wow! Followed the recipe exactly and it is delicious. So simple and quick to whip up. Hubby is always complaining that I don’t make dessert for just us. This is perfect for 2 nights for the two of us. Love it!
Effie White says
Can’t wait to try!!! Im going to add raisins. Thanks for posting!
Tracy says
Hope you enjoy it, Effie!!
Isabelle says
OMG this cake is so good and I’m impressed as this is my first time baking carrot cake. I’ll admit at first I was nervous about the 1/2 cup flour and wasn’t sure if this cake was going to turn out right but boy was I wrong. I ate it warm out of the oven with caramel and pralines icecream as i didn’t use any nuts in the recipe. It tasted better than most desserts I’ve had from restaurants. Thank you for sharing your sweet secret recipe with us! Forever grateful 🙂
Tracy says
Isabelle!! This comment made me so happy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, and I love the idea of eating it with ice cream. I’ve never tried that before, but I think I need to now!
Kirstin says
My cake tested done but sank a lot as it cooled. I might try the recipe in a 6″ round pan instead.
Tracy says
Hi Kirstin, sorry your cake sunk! Hope it still tasted great!
Amber says
Hi Tracy! Just curious… I don’t have a 7×5 baking dish. Do you think I could use 6in springform pan instead? Maybe just increase the baking time slightly?
Tracy says
Hi, Amber! Yup, that should work with the slightly longer baking time. This is a pretty rustic cake, so I’m not sure how *pretty* the cake will look when you release the pan, but it should taste just fine. 😉
teri says
can I make it in muffin pan??
Tracy says
You can! They’ll have a pretty flat top, but they still taste great. Just reduce the baking time–I’d start checking on them at around 16 minute, but they’ll probably take 17-22ish minutes (I haven’t timed them as cupcakes/muffins before). Please let me know how they turn out!
Tracey says
My boyfriend says this cake “was to die for”. It turned out so moist…just awesome. I’m happy I found your site and will be looking for more recipes to make.
Tracy says
Yay! So glad you guys enjoyed it!!
INDIRA says
I luuuvv your recipes and always look forward to trying new ones ……They are easy to make and there aren’t any leftovers to store..Small batch….Perfect!!
Tracy says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes!
Lydia says
Wow, I made this last night – absolutely YUM!!!
Tracy says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lydia!!
Samantha says
Tracey
Would this work in 2 six inch round pans?
Thanks
Samantha Aydt
Tracy says
It will work in one 6-inch round pan. If you want two layers, double the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Premie says
Thank u a must try recipie
Dianne says
The cake turned out good the frosting was not necessary and walnuts would help optional based on individual.