Small Carrot Cake
I recently purchased a set of 6-inch cake pans and have been exploring recipes for small cakes that serve 4-6. This simple carrot cake with cloves and cinnamon has a rustic texture but a smooth and silky cream cheese icing. I think it's best refrigerated overnight and eaten the next day after the spice flavors have melded
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp all spice
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated carrots
Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 6 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 6-inch pans with parchment paper. Set aside
- In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, egg, and oil. Stir in flour mixture and fold in grated carrots. Stir just until combined. Pour evenly into prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and continue cooling on wire rack.
- Using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla and mix until fluffy. Spread frosting over cake. Top with walnuts.
- Wrap cake loosely in plastic wrap and chill before serving--ideally overnight. All cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- For two people, I halve the recipe to make a one layer cake.
- Be sure that you grate the carrots (small holes on a box grater) and not shred them.