Description
Delight in these Mini Carrot Cakes featuring moist, cinnamon-spiced carrot sheet cake layers sandwiched with luscious full-fat cream cheese mascarpone frosting, topped with charming piped carrot decorations. Perfectly sized for serving 7, these cakes combine classic flavors with a fun presentation, ideal for gatherings or special occasions.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Batter
- 220 g Vegetable oil
- 150 g Granulated sugar
- 100 g Brown sugar
- 3 Eggs (at room temperature)
- 250 g All-purpose flour (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 230 g Carrot (peeled and freshly shredded)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 460 g Cream cheese (full fat 33%+, cold, e.g. Philadelphia)
- 150 g Mascarpone (full fat 41%+, cold)
- 60 g Powdered sugar (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Orange and green gel food coloring (for carrot decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease or line a 28×40 cm (11×16 inch) sheet pan with parchment paper ensuring an even surface for baking the cake batter.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the room temperature eggs, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and well combined, creating a cohesive batter base.
- Sift and Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold this dry mixture into the wet ingredients, being careful not to overmix to maintain a light texture. Fold in the freshly shredded carrots until evenly distributed.
- Bake the Carrot Sheet Cake: Pour the prepared batter into the lined sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is fully cooked.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely to room temperature before proceeding to cut and frost.
- Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: In a clean bowl, whip the cold cream cheese, mascarpone, vanilla extract, and sifted powdered sugar together using an electric hand mixer. Whip until the frosting reaches a fluffy and pipeable consistency, being careful not to overwhip to avoid runniness.
- Cut Mini Cakes: Using an approximately 8 cm (3 inch) diameter cookie cutter, cut out 14 circles from the cooled carrot sheet cake for uniform mini cakes.
- Assemble Cakes: Transfer the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip. Pipe a generous layer of frosting onto one cake circle, then sandwich it with another cake circle. Top with more frosting, creating a layered mini cake.
- Decorate with Carrot Frosting: Divide some frosting and color portions green and orange using gel food coloring. Place each colored frosting into separate piping bags with small round nozzles. Pipe carrot shapes on top of each mini cake to mimic realistic carrot decorations.
- Serve and Store: Serve the mini carrot cakes fresh. Any leftovers should be covered and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days to maintain freshness and texture.
Notes
- Use full-fat cream cheese and mascarpone cold to achieve the best frosting texture.
- Do not overmix frosting to prevent it from becoming too runny.
- Allow the sheet cake to cool completely to prevent frosting melting.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge and consume within 2 days for optimal taste.
- Gel food coloring provides vibrant color without affecting frosting consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
