Small Carrot Cake

 

I am here today with another small batch cake recipe. This one is for a Small Carrot Cake recipe which bakes into a lovely six inch single layer cake that is moist and fluffy and filled with loads of sweet and spicy flavors!  Not to mention crunch from the use of toasted walnuts.

I adapted the recipe from one which I found on the Australian blog, The Sweetest Menu.  It looked and sounded perfect for what I wanted.  As a single person household I just don't need full sized cakes these days. These smaller six inch cakes are the best fit for purpose. I can take them over to my sister's place and everyone  has a chance to enjoy a piece of cake for dessert and there is no leftovers laying around overly tempting people in the days afterwards!

My mother absolutely loved carrot cake. It was not something which we ever got to enjoy when we were growing up. We only ever had plain cakes in our house. I did not taste carrot cake until I was an adult and it was love at first bite. I think the first one my mother tasted was at my house and it was love at first bite for her as well.

What's not to love about carrot cake!  Spicy and moist and flecked throughout with bits of carrot giving it color.  I like nuts in mine and sometimes I like to add sultana raisins.  In fact my favorite versions have sultana raisins in them.

Mom used to love it if we got her a Carrot Cake for her Birthday from Tim Hortons. That was back in the day when they had a baker on premises and a huge chiller cabinet at the front of the store with whole cakes in it. You could buy them by the piece or even a whole cake.

Not much is made on premises these days, and they no  longer have a baker working in them overnight like they used to. I don't think that Timmie's is near as good as it used to be. More's the pity.  Anyways, here is a delicious smaller sized carrot cake that I think you just might enjoy! 😁

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SMALL CARROT CAKE

Pretty simple ordinary baking ingredients. There is nothing out of the ordinary required here. You will need a six inch round baking tin. Alternately you can bake it in a 9 by 5 inch loaf tin in which case you will have a rectangular shaped cake rather than a round. Timing may need to be adjusted slightly.

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup (105g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/3 cup (60g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1 TBS (15g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole fat milk
• 1/4 cup (25g) chopped toasted walnuts
• 3/4 cup (80g) grated raw peeled carrot

For the frosting:

• 3 TBS (43g) butter at room temperature
• 4 TBS (60g) cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar
• 1/2 TBS maple syrup
• the finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
• chopped toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of the cake (optional)

 

Make sure your spices are fresh and not stale. Fresh spices will give you the best flavor.  You could also use vanilla paste in this recipe for a deeper vanilla flavor.

Whole fat milk (Homogenized) will give you the best flavor and texture.  

Peel your carrot before grating. If you leave the peel on the carrot it will give a most unappealing color to the carrot and the batter.  (I know it seems weird to have to state this, but some people are not that knowledgeable when it comes to these things.)

Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature for the best success.  Butter, eggs, cream cheese, etc.

 

HOW TO MAKE SMALL CARROT CAKE

This is a relatively simple cake to put together.  There is nothing complicated here.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a six-inch layer cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, both sugars, baking powder, and the spices together in a medium sized bowl with the salt.

Whisk the oil, egg, vanilla and milk together in another bowl. Add at once to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Make sure there are no dry streaks. Stir in the carrots and the walnuts.

Spread the cake batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.

 

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove from the tin to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting beat the butter and cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric whisk. Add the icing sugar, orange zest and maple syrup. Beat thoroughly at high speed until the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy.

Place the cake layer on a plate and spread some of the icing around the sides and then over the top of the cake to cover. Sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts if desired.

 

RECIPE NOTES FOR SUCCESS

I always like to toast my walnuts for use in baking.  I actually toast them a bag at a time and store them in an airtight container the freezer ready to take out and use as and when I need them.  To toast, spread on a baking tray in a single layer and toast at 350*F/180*C for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before using.

If you are wanting a nut free cake, simply leave the nuts out entirely. Don't like walnuts?  You can always use pecans, pistachio nuts or macadamia nuts.

Use the block style of cream cheese, not the whipped.

If you don't have maple syrup you can always substitute orange juice in its place or milk.

You can make the cake ahead of time. Simply bake, cool, wrap tightly in cling film and store at room temperature until you are ready to ice and serve.

You can also freeze this cake before frosting. Again, cool, and wrap tightly in cling film. I would then pop it into a zip lock baggie.  It will keep up to 3 months. Thaw completely before frosting.

 

This was a very good carrot cake and just the right size for the smaller family. It cuts perfectly into 6 reasonable pieces. You can leave the walnuts out if you wish, but they do add a lovely bit of texture and crunch.

I added some extra spice to the cake as I like a carrot cake with oodles of spicy flavor.  I also adapted the recipe for the frosting to include orange zest. If you don't have maple syrup use an equal amount of orange juice in it's place. Delicious!

 

Carrot cake desserts are a real favorite in my home.  If you are interested in seeing some other carrot cake recipes do check out the following!

CARROT CAKE ROLL - Fat free carrot cake, loaded with chopped raisins and nuts, spread with a cream cheese filling and then rolled up like  a jelly roll.  I like to dust it with icing sugar and then garnish with toasted walnut halves for a beautiful presentation.

BEST CARROT SNACK CAKE -  The country cousin of the carrot cake with no bells and whistles. No frosting. This is a cake that you can enjoy eating out of hand. Perfect for packing into school lunches or for an after school treat. This is a wholesome, deliciously moist carrot cake filled with whole grain flour, plenty of carrots, toasted pecan nuts, chopped dates and a beautiful mix of warm baking spices.

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Small Carrot Cake

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Moist, spicy and delicious with a lush buttercream/cream cheese frosting. Prep time includes time to make the frosting. The time required for the cake to cool before frosting is not reflected in the recipe.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup (105g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/3 cup (60g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1 TBS (15g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole fat milk
• 1/4 cup (25g) chopped toasted walnuts
• 3/4 cup (80g) grated raw peeled carrot

For the frosting:

• 3 TBS (43g) butter at room temperature
• 4 TBS (60g) cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar
• 1/2 TBS maple syrup
• the finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
• chopped toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of the cake (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a six-inch layer cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, both sugars, baking powder, and the spices together in a medium sized bowl with the salt.
3. Whisk the oil, egg, vanilla and milk together in another bowl. Add at once to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Make sure there are no dry streaks. Stir in the carrots and the walnuts.
4. Spread the cake batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.
5. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove from the tin to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
6. To make the frosting beat the butter and cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric whisk. Add the icing sugar, orange zest and maple syrup. Beat thoroughly at high speed until the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy.
7. Place the cake layer on a plate and spread some of the icing around the sides and then over the top of the cake to cover. Sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts if desired.

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