This mini carrot cake is baked in an 8×8 square pan for a snack-cake feel and finished with a light whipped cream–style cream cheese frosting—so no butter is needed. The frosting gets its airy texture from whipped heavy cream folded into cream cheese. The cake is studded with chopped walnuts, though pistachios or pecans work well if you prefer. It’s an easy, spring-ready treat (great for Easter) that you can make without a stand mixer if needed.
This recipe is a smaller take on my pistachio carrot cake, but I swapped pistachios for walnuts here. Feel free to swap the nuts back in or use whatever you have on hand.
I originally considered a brown-butter cream cheese frosting, but opted for a lighter, fluffy frosting made by whipping cold heavy cream and folding in cold cream cheese. The result is cloud-like and perfectly pairs with the moist cake.
The cake is baked in an 8-inch square pan; a 9-inch round pan is an acceptable substitute if that’s what you have. If you enjoy snack cakes, try my mini strawberry snack cake as another easy single-pan option.
Baking with Carrots
Use freshly grated carrots rather than pre-shredded bagged carrots. Pre-shredded carrots are often dry and will make the cake dense. Freshly grated carrots release moisture that keeps the cake tender and moist.
You can grate carrots by hand with a box grater or use a food processor to save time.
Key Ingredients
- Carrots: Freshly grated for moisture and texture.
- Chopped walnuts: A classic choice—swap for pecans or pistachios if you prefer.
- Eggs: Standard binder and leavener—this recipe uses two large eggs.
- Neutral oil: Sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil keeps the cake tender without adding flavor.
- Spices: A blend of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger gives warmth and depth.
- Heavy cream & cream cheese: Cold ingredients are whipped together to make the frosting light and stable without butter.
Let’s make this recipe!
Below is an overview of the steps—full recipe and exact measurements are included further down.
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch pan. In a bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
- Step 2: Fold in the dry ingredients, then add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts until evenly distributed.
- Step 3: Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30–40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 4: Whip cold heavy cream with sugar, salt, and vanilla until thick. Add cold cream cheese gradually while mixing, then whip until smooth and spreadable. Frost the cooled cake.
My Baking Tips
- Use a kitchen scale when possible. I develop and test recipes by weight for best accuracy and consistency.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. Frosting warm cake can cause it to slide or become runny.
- Keep the heavy cream and cream cheese cold until you’re ready to make the frosting—cold ingredients whip up into a firmer, fluffier frosting.
Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions
Store the frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4–5 days.
You can bake the cake up to 3 days ahead. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to frost.
Make these carrot recipes next!
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Easy Banana Carrot Muffins
-
Carrot Bundt Cake
-
Carrot Mug Cake
-
Pumpkin Carrot Banana Bread (No Mixer)
Made This Recipe?
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Mini Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (no butter)
Ella Gilbert
Equipment
-
8×8 baking pan
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (99 g) neutral oil
- 1 cup (200 g) white sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ¼ cups (160 g) grated carrots
- ½ cup (56 g) chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (105 g) heavy cream, cold
- ¾ cup (170 g) cream cheese, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, and spices until no flour pockets remain. Fold in grated carrots and chopped walnuts until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 30–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool 15–20 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting: whip cold heavy cream with sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-low until the sugar dissolves, then increase speed to high and whip until thick (about 2 minutes).
- With the mixer on low, add cold cream cheese a tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Scrape the bowl, then whip on high for about 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Spread frosting over the cooled cake, slice, and serve.
Notes
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.