This mini carrot cake is super cute - it's a small batch brown-butter carrot sheet cake baked in an eighth sheet pan, yielding 8 servings. Soft and moist, and speckled with grated carrots, it's topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting. Perfect for a small group gathering or celebration, or as a dessert for a few!
Mini Brown Butter Carrot Sheet Cake
Hi hi! Just popping in to share this recipe for homemade carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting. This recipe is super easy to make. The Brown Butter Carrot Sheet Cake comes together in one bowl and bakes quickly. You brown one quantity of butter at the start of the recipe which then gets used in both the cake and the brown butter cream cheese frosting. This wee cake is so, so cute, and I can't wait to make more #tinysheetcakes!
This recipe is the perfect small batch dessert - with it only being one layer it is low maintenance and no-fuss, and I promise that the extra step of browning the butter is worth it!
If you are after a larger scale carrot sheet cake, my full-size carrot sheet cake is perfect, otherwise I also love this carrot cake loaf recipe!
Brown Butter Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake is super simple - there is just a simple carrot cake, then a brown butter cream cheese frosting. The carrot cake layer is perfectly moist, and then the brown butter cream cheese frosting is one of my favourite things - I scaled down the frosting recipe from my favourite cinnamon rolls. The brown butter is what really makes this carrot cake sing - I love how toasty it is and the incredible depth of flavour it gives to the brown butter cream cheese frosting.
- Brown the butter - in this recipe I am going to get you to brown all the butter you will need for the recipe all at once. This will save you having to brown two separate small amounts of butter. Brown it all, then leave it to cool for a tiny bit.
- Make the mini carrot cake - The mini carrot cake is super easy to make. You just combine the brown butter, raw sugar, oil, and egg, then incorporate the dry ingredients. The carrot then gets folded in at the end and the whole thing gets popped into the oven.
- Mix up the brown butter frosting - I like to use an electric hand mixer for this job, but you can do it by hand if you like. The brown butter needs to be cool but still spreadable for this. I like to pop it in the freezer and stir every minute or so until it is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cake - Plop the brown butter cream cheese frosting on top of the cake, live your best life with your offset spatula, then enjoy your mini carrot cake!
I know that making brown butter can be intimidating. Don't be scared, I will hold your hand the whole way through in my post and you'll be nailing it in no time: Brown Butter 101: The Ultimate Guide
Tiny sheet cake baked in an Eighth Sheet Pan
I recently bought myself a whole bunch of Eighth Sheet Pans. I have had them in my kitchen for a few years - I have two by my stove to keep oil and things on and they are great for toasting nuts, baking a little piece of fish, baking a sweet potato, or for baking off two cookies. However as I have been exploring more small batch recipes, I started wondering if you could make a tiny sheet cake in an eighth sheet pan - and turns out that you absolutely can, and that it works great.
An eighth sheet pan gets its name from the size - it is an eighth of the size of a full sheet pan which makes it half the size of a quarter sheet pan (which is then a quarter of the size of a full sheet pan etc). It measures 9.5"x6.5" (24x16.5cm) approximately. A tiny sheet cake is the perfect size for just a few people, and it doesn't have the stress of assembling a layer cake. You get a great cake to frosting ratio. I LOVE them. This Mini carrot cake worked perfectly as a tiny carrot sheet cake!
I have a few eighth sheet pans - the ones from USA pan or Williams Sonoma or Nordicware all work great. The Williams Sonoma and USA pan versions are more heavy duty and non stick so I would recommend those! See the FAQ for alternative pan sizes! If you are going to invest in one (they are super cute and so handy), I promise there will be more small batch recipes coming your way too using them! There's nothing I hate more than a recipe that calls for a certain sized pan and then you have no use for it for the rest of your life. I won't do that to you. Promise.
If you're after more small batch recipes I have a whole load of them: Small Batch Baking Ideas
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Mini Moist Carrot Cake Recipe (Small Batch)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This mini carrot cake is super cute - it's a small batch brown-butter carrot sheet cake baked in an eighth sheet pan, yielding 8 servings. Soft and moist, and speckled with grated carrots, it's topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting. Perfect for a small group gathering or celebration, or as a dessert for a few!
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 110g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
Brown Butter Mini Carrot Cake
- 115g turbinado/raw sugar
- 40g neutral oil
- 25g brown butter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 75g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 90g freshly grated carrot (large holes on the box grater is fine)
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 50g brown butter, chilled until spreadable (not liquid - you want it the consistency of what room temperature butter would be)
- 100g full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 125g powdered sugar, sifted
- ⅛ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
BROWN BUTTER
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool slightly. Some will be used in the cake and some in the brown butter cream cheese frosting (see recipe notes).
MINI CARROT CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Grease and line an eighth sheet pan or a 9"x5" (23x13cm) loaf pan with parchment paper which extends over the sides to form a sling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the raw sugar, oil, and brown butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well until the mixture is well combined and has slightly lightened in colour.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Add the carrot and fold to incorporate.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place into the oven and bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until the cake is done in the middle and springs back when lightly touched with a finger.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the pan.
BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- If your brown butter is still liquid, place in a bowl and place into the freezer, stirring every minute until spreadable. Place chilled brown butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer or whisk well until well combined. Add in the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla bean paste, and whip until light and fluffy.
ASSEMBLY
- Remove the cake from the pan using the parchment paper and place onto a serving platter.
- Spread the brown butter cream cheese frosting over the surface of the cake using an offset spatula or back of a spoon.
- Place briefly in the fridge to chill the icing if desired before cutting.
- Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
You may notice the quantities of Brown Butter don't quite add up to the initial amount of unsalted butter - this is to account for water loss when browning - read more about that above.
To get the brown butter spreadable I put it in the freezer and stir every minute or so until it has the consistency of room temperature butter. You can do this directly in the bowl that you make the frosting in before adding the other ingredients.
Comments
stacy says
Love this tiny size!!
Caribou says
This cake is so yum! The turbinado sugar makes all the difference 🙂
LORENA says
Love that it is a small batch recipe. The cake comes together very quickly and easily. It is super moist. I made cupcakes since I don't have a 1/8 sheet pan. For my taste, it needs a little more spice. Other than that, very tasty. Thank you Erin for the recipe.
Claire says
Made this and loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Anna says
This is the best carrot cake I've ever tried and I'm not a big fan of carrot cake, until I discovered this one!
Erin says
So happy you loved! Saw your email about doubling - you could do it in an 8" or triple it for a 9" 🙂
Sharrie says
Hi Erin, I'm new to your Cloudy kitchen but I am really digging it. I haven't made any of the recipes yet! But I am getting fired up to do just that! Can't wait, I will so let you know when I do. So far I am loving the Cloudy Kitchen
Thank You, Shar
Erin says
Hi! ah thank you so much!
Rochelle says
This recipe is everything! Making it for the 2nd time right now. I used Rapadura sugar and it was beautiful. I so so wish we could get mini sheet pans in Australia.
Erin says
Yayyyy so happy you love!
Stuart says
I found one on Amazon and it wasn't too expensive. This is the first cake I'm trying out in the pan, didn't have cardamom so I substituted ginger instead and added a few walnuts, definitely a winner.
Erin Clarkson says
Yay I am so happy you loved! It's my very favourite pan size!
Audrey says
Love this recipe! Bought an eighth pan specifically to make this and I’m obsessed!
Erin says
Yay I love to hear it! Thank you so much for the lovely review!
AG says
This was so light and delicious!
Erin says
Weee so happy you loved!
Candice says
The lightest and one of the best carrot recipes I have tried! Love it!
Micola says
Lol, I did exactly the same and I now know a person can have a favorite pan
Erin says
Hahahhah yusss I love to hear it
SallyT says
I loved this sweet little cake! SO fantastic.
LizK says
Have made this a couple of times and it is brilliant. The brown butter is a game changer and adds real depth of flavour. I love that the recipe can be doubled or tripled by just one click AND using grams makes it fool proof, no weird cup size mess ups! Highly recommend…..may have snackicidentally made Erin’s choc chip biscuits too today!!!!
Micola says
Best carrot cake recipe I have ever baked. I added about 100g chopped pecans since my husband believes carrot cake isn't carrot cake without them haha. I also doubled the recipe in the same 1/8th sheet pan to get it "thicker" and it still worked perfectly. I don't normally write reviews but this recipe really is foolproof. #WeighYourIngredients
Erin says
Ahhh thank you so much!
Helen says
I made this recipe in cupcake-format and it was just incredible! A perfect balance between the sugary sweetness (I used light brown sugar), spices and a rich brown butter flavour. Definitely one of my new favourite recipes!
Steve says
SO excited to make this!
Catherine says
So grateful for this small batch recipe since it's just my husband and I. I made this in a loaf pan as my birthday cake and it's perfect! Love how thorough the blog post is to explain the different elements.
Gudrun says
What a great recipe! I whipped up a batch last night, only took me ~1 hour from start to eating. From someone who always remembers there's cake I'm loving the small batch recipes!!
Josephine says
I loved this recipe!! It is, by far, the tastiest Carrot Cake I have ever eaten (and I have eaten a lot). The ratio of cake to icing was perfect. Using Brown Butter was a brilliant idea. I do have a question about the size of the recipes' print. It is so very small that I am wondering if it is my computer/printer or if the size is intended to be small. Is there anything I can do to about this? Thanks for this recipe. The next time I will double the recipe because the mini one just won't last very long.
On another note, I have been searching the Internet for years looking for a Cream Puff recipe that does not use choux pastry. When I was a young person there was a bake shop in my home town that made Cream Puffs with a sweet, soft bun, sliced horizontally, filled with whipped cream, and dusted with icing sugar. The recipes that I have found say they are the ones eg. Cream Buns, however, they all taste like dinner rolls. The buns I remember were soft, sweet, almost cake like. If you have come across something like what I described, I would be thrilled if you could let me know. Thank you kindly.
Erin Clarkson says
So so happy you loved! Hmmm that sounds like a semlor maybe?
Meghan says
This was an absolutely delicious and easy recipe. My boyfriend loves carrot cake so I thought I’d make one- definitely not a baker. Came out perfectly!
Lauren says
Love the size of this cake, I make in a loaf pan and is just the perfect amount for morning tea for the week. The recipe always work (even when I chuck in a handful of walnuts). Delicious!
Daphne says
I love carrot cake! This is the perfect size so I don’t eat a huge cake all by myself. So moist and delicious! Also you can’t go wrong with brown butter (drool)
Alejandra says
So good I made it twice in one weekend! Perfect size.
Anna says
Wow this was so so good! My first time using brown butter and it added a beautifully intense flavour.
I say this every time I make one of your recipes but I’ll be the first on the waitlist if you ever publish a cookbook 😂 no pressure haha I just love everything you create! Thank you!
AB says
Carrot cake was a birthday cake request. What attracted me to this recipe was its size (perfect for two) and the brown butter cream cheese frosting. The cake did not disappoint! The recipe was easy to follow and using a scale, I did not have to use too many dishes (a plus for me!). The flavor of the cardamom and cinnamon in the cake shined felt balanced against the richness of the brown butter cream cheese frosting. I added toasted pecans on top for a little crunch. It was perfect. Thanks, Erin.
Megan says
Love this recipe! I've made it a few times now and even subbed gluten free flour. My mom thought it was full of regular flour and now compares all gluten free baked goods to this cake.
Will 100% be making again gluten filled and gluten free!
Megan says
The best tasting carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. I’ve never cooked with browned butter before and I am a convert, so so good.
Shannon says
What a lovely little cake ! Quick and easy to bring together. I used a loaf pan, the cook time was the same. I added some chopped walnuts and sultanas. Loved the brown butter in the cream cheese icing. I will definitely make this again. I may even add a bit more 🥕!
Alyssa says
This is honestly THE BEST carrot cake I’ve ever made/had. I used it to put into ice cream and the frosting was also swirled into the ice cream..it’s an absolute hit! Thank you so much!
Josephine Mullane says
I love the cake and the icing. I have made it twice and both times it tastes delicious however the cake is barely 1/2 inch tall. It did sink a tiny bit in the center. The icing was as thick as the cake. Not complaining, by the way. I weighed all the ingredients very carefully. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong or if the cake should only be about 1/2 inch tall. I used the 1/8 sheet baking pan.
Any information you could give me would be very much appreciated. Also, do you have any other mini cake recipes? Thank you.
Jackie says
Beautiful recipe! Just curious if you'll have an update with how to make these into cupcakes soon? Thank you
Erin Clarkson says
I'll add it to my list! 🙂
Andreea says
I’ve chosen your recipe because it is in grams 😀 and the cake was delicious.
Thank you!
Sarah says
This cake is fabulous. I scaled it up as I thought I'd want a little bit more than the 1/8th sheet. Scaled up 1.5x (rounded egg up to 2, mine were smaller) and baked in an 8x8 pan for 25-30 minutes. Otherwise recipe as written. I did add walnuts also. Came out fabulous and just what I wanted in a carrot cake. All the Cloudy Kitchen recipes I've tried are fantastic, and I often look here first for a recipe if I have something in mind. Thank you for listing ingredients by weight. I'm American, but I won't even entertain a recipe that doesn't include metric.
Maricarmen says
Dear Erin, thank you so much for all the effort and professionalism you put in your recipes! The best carrot cake I’ve ever had! Already measuring the ingredients for the next one 🧡🥕🧡
No picture since we devoured it as soon as it was cool enough to eat 😋
lachasso says
i made this twice now and it comes out perfect. i added a little milk after baking to keep it moist-er. sooo good!
Monte says
Lovely recipe!!! I doubled it and it still worked perfectly. I added a bit more spices just because that's my preference but honestly this is an easy crowd pleaser that'll impress many❤️❤️❤️
Cheryl Chapman says
Simply delicious. And perfect for two people. That brown butter cream cheese frosting is a winner. Thank you!
Kelly says
This is a staple in our house. Also a huge hit with gatherings - everyone asks for the recipe. One of the best carrot cake recipes I’ve ever tried and I lovvvve my carrot cakes 😂 It’s super moist, easy to come together, and just delicious. I can’t rave about this recipe enough
Karen says
The cake is great, but the brown butter cream cheese is the best, OMG so delicious!!!