The best mini carrot cake recipe with pineapple and pecans! This 6 inch carrot cake recipe shows you how to make a mini carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting! And if you like this recipe, you’ll love my Mini Vanilla Cake with Easy Vanilla Buttercream, my Mini Chocolate Cake, and my Vanilla Cake with Strawberries!
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Best Mini Carrot Cake Recipe
I'm back with another mini cake recipe! I love making these 6-inch, single layer cake recipes because I'm usually only baking for 2 or 3 people at most (and sometimes just for myself!). I developed my first small batch cake recipe, this mini vanilla cake, last year at Easter for a small dinner I made for myself and my boyfriend. So it's fitting that this year I bring you a mini carrot cake recipe. It's the perfect carrot cake for two to four people, just in time for your Easter celebrations!
This mini carrot cake is small, but big on flavor and spice! It's moist and tender, perfectly sweet and spiced, and full of lots of fresh carrots, toasted pecans, and crushed pineapple. And you know I had to drape it all with my brown butter cream cheese frosting! It's such a decadent cake, perfect for a holiday, birthday celebration, or anytime! Sometimes you're just craving the best mini carrot cake recipe!
If you're looking for these same flavors in a larger portion, try my Carrot Pound Cake, which is based on this recipe and features a brown butter cream cheese glaze!
How do you make a carrot cake moist from scratch?
In this mini carrot cake recipe, we're using a few important ingredients to make sure our cake stays moist for days (not that it'll last that long). First, we're using mostly brown sugar as the sweetener for this cake. It adds flavor and moisture in addition to sweetness, and helps to give us a perfectly soft texture. Next, we'll use oil as our main fat for the cake batter. Since this mini carrot cake is full of flavorful ingredients, it doesn't rely on butter to add flavor to the batter. So a simple vegetable oil adds richness without drying the cake out.
And we're also adding one of my favorite baking ingredients, crushed pineapple. Many carrot cake recipes omit pineapple or use banana, applesauce, or another fruit ingredient. I love the flavor of pineapple in this mini carrot cake! Just like in my pineapple banana bread, the crushed pineapple only adds a hint of flavor, but definitely delivers on texture!
Finally, make sure you don't overbake your carrot cake -- that can dry it out. This cake is slightly denser than other types of cakes, so it may take a bit longer in the oven. But watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't overcook. When your toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs, your mini carrot cake is done!
How to Make a Mini Carrot Cake - Ingredients
- all-purpose flour - you'll want to make sure your flour is measured correctly, so either weigh it using a kitchen scale (you'll need 96 grams) or use the spoon-and-level method.
- baking powder & baking soda - helps to add lift, and keep this mini carrot cake light and fluffy.
- spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves are a perfect warming blend to complement the carrot, pineapple and pecans in this mini carrot cake for two.
- salt to bring out all these flavors!
- toasted pecans - you can buy store-bought roasted pecans, or see below for tips on how to toast raw pecans yourself.
- egg - make sure your egg is room temperature so that your carrot cake bakes up fluffy and even.
- dark brown sugar & granulated sugar- a nice blend of sweetness from the white sugar, along with deep molasses flavor and moisture from the dark brown sugar creates a great texture for this carrot cake for two!
- vanilla extract- vanilla isn't a major flavor in this carrot cake for two, so you won't need too much of it, but I still recommend using a high-qualitypure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post onhow to make vanilla extractat home with just 2 ingredients!
- vegetable oil - instead of butter, we're using oil in this mini carrot cake. It helps to keep the cake moist and tender, and it's easier to work with than butter! Also, with all the spices, brown sugar, and fruit and carrot flavors, you definitely don't need added flavor from butter!
- crushed pineapple - canned crushed pineapple is such a fun ingredient to use in baking. I love it in my pineapple banana bread and my pineapple bars, but in this mini carrot cake it adds just enough pineapple flavor and texture to take it over the top!
- grated carrots - where this cake gets its name! We're using a box grater to give this cake the flavor and texture of carrots all throughout. Make sure to grate the carrots yourself by hand -- using a food processor gives you a different texture, and store-bought pre-shredded carrots are cut way too big for our purposes with this mini carrot cake!
Equipment
First, you'll need a box grater and vegetable peeler for your carrots. You'll also need a light-colored frying pan to brown your butter. And definitely a 6-inch cake pan with 2-inch sides. I love these Wilton 6-inch cake pans. I also use these silicone liners for my 6-inch cake pans instead of parchment paper. They're so easy and my cakes never stick! Here are all my recommendations for tools you'll need to make this mini carrot cake!
Tips and F.A.Q.
How bad is carrot cake for you?
I mean... it does have carrots?? OK, in all seriousness, this mini carrot cake is decadent. It's got plenty of sugar and fat, so I wouldn't call it health food by any means. Luckily, its small size makes portion control a bit easier, so you won't be as tempted as you might with a full size carrot cake!
Why is there no butter in carrot cake?
Another variation carrot cakes have is that most carrot cake recipes use vegetable oil instead of butter to keep the cake moist for days. This mini carrot cake for two is no different! I actually use oil in a lot of my cakes, including my mini vanilla cake. It's a great way to add a moist texture, and it's also much easier to work with than butter!
What is the difference between spice cake and carrot cake?
Not much, actually! Carrot cake is basically a spice cake, with some slight variations. This mini carrot cake adds freshly grated carrots, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans to a basic spice cake recipe. And the result is so good!
How do I toast my own pecans?
It's easy! Just spread your pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 5-10 minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes. Your pecans are done when they're a deeper golden brown on the outside, a light tan color on the inside, and have a toasty, nutty aroma.
Does carrot cake actually have carrots in it?
Yes it does! The carrots add a nice texture and moisture to this cake, and provide a slight carrot flavor.
How do you shred carrots for carrot cake?
I highly recommend grating your carrots by hand using a box grater -- since you'll only need ⅔ cup of carrots for this mini carrot cake recipe, it won't take long at all. And freshly grated carrots will give your cake the best texture! Just use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer peel, then use the smaller holes on the box grater to grate your carrots.
How do you brown butter for frosting?
Cut your salted butter into chunks and melt it over medium heat in a light-colored sauté pan. Once your butter is melted and the milk solids have sunk to the bottom of the pan, they’ll start to turn a deep golden brown. You may also smell a nutty or toasty aroma. That’s when your brown butter is ready and when you should remove it from the heat right away!
Scrape your browned butter (and any brown bits in the pan) into a heatproof container and store it in the fridge for about an hour until it is almost solid. It should have the consistency of softened butter, but if necessary you can let it sit out at room temp to soften back up a bit. For more details on browning butter, check out myBrown Butter Appreciation Post.
What other Easter recipes should I try?
This mini carrot cake is a perfect small-batch Easter dessert, but I have so many others for you too! My Lemon Lavender Cookies or Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies are a great treat, or for a more decadent dessert you can try my Strawberry Crisp or my Earl Grey Lavender Cake with Honey-Lemon Glaze! Cadbury Mini Egg lovers will adore my Mini Eggs Cake and my Mini Egg Brownies
Variations
You can definitely make some substitutions to personalize this mini carrot cake for two! First, you can swap out the pecans for walnuts for a slightly different nutty flavor. Since walnuts toast more quickly than pecans, you can just use raw walnuts instead of toasting them first. You can also skip browning the butter in the cream cheese frosting. Just prepare the frosting the same way, but with softened salted butter.
Another swap you can make is to switch out the pineapple for unsweetened applesauce, mashed overripe banana, or puréed carrots for even more carrot flavor! Any moist, sweet fruit puree can serve to add moisture and sweetness to this mini carrot cake batter and give it a slightly different flavor!
If you try this recipe,I would love it if you couldleave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging@chenee_today on Instagram!
More Small Batch Desserts You'll Love
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter and Sea Salt
- Mini Basque Cheesecake
- Mini Vanilla Cake with Easy Vanilla Buttercream
- Butter Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Nutella Baked Oats
📖 Recipe
Mini Carrot Cake - 6 Inch Carrot Cake Recipe
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The best mini carrot cake recipe with pineapple and pecans! This 6 inch carrot cake recipe shows you how to make a mini carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting!
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine :American
Servings: 6 slices
Calories: 614kcal
Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- baking spray
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon (1 g) ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon (2 g) salt
- 3 tablespoon (30 g) toasted pecan halves - chopped, plus more for topping (see note)
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar - packed
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (55 g) vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoon (44 g) crushed pineapple - well-drained
- ⅔ cup (85 g) carrots - freshly grated
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz (170 g) full-fat cream cheese - room temperature
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) salted butter - browned, then solidified to room temperature (see note)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (294 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 6-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides with parchment paper or a silicone liner and spray with baking spray.
baking spray
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, pinch ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt
Stir chopped pecans into the flour mixture until well coated. Set aside.
3 tablespoon toasted pecan halves
In a large bowl, beat egg and sugars together for 2 minutes with a whisk or electric mixer until lightened in color and thickened.
1 large egg, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup dark brown sugar
Whisk in vanilla extract, followed by vegetable oil, crushed pineapple, and grated carrots, mixing well after each addition.
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 3 tablespoon crushed pineapple, ⅔ cup carrots
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Drop from a few inches onto countertop to minimize air bubbles.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Prepare Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Whip brown butter with an electric mixer until lightened in color. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla.
6 tablespoon salted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 6 oz full-fat cream cheese
Gradually add powdered sugar and mix well.
2½ cups powdered sugar
Beat another 2 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy. Spread onto cooled cake.
Video
Notes
Toasting pecans: To toast your pecans, spread themon a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 5-10 minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes. Your pecans are done when they're a deeper golden brown on the outside, a light tan color on the inside, and have a toasty, nutty aroma.
Room Temperature Brown Butter: To make the brown butter cream cheese frosting for this mini carrot cake, you'll need brown butter that is softened, but not melted. To achieve this, I typically brown my butter, and then place it in a heatproof container in the fridge for about an hour. The butter should be cold, but still mostly soft. If it has gotten too solid, just let it sit at room temperature a bit before using it in your cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 614 kcal | Carbohydrates: 79 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 33 g | Saturated Fat: 16 g | Cholesterol: 93 mg | Sodium: 341 mg | Potassium: 208 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 64 g | Calcium: 79 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
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Last Updated on March 4, 2024 by Chenée Lewis
