An incredibly moist high altitude mini carrot cake, frosted with spiced brown butter cream cheese frosting. This petite 6-inch cake may be small in size, but it’s big in flavor, and just enough for two (or a few) people to enjoy without having too much leftover cake.
Looking for more high altitude cake recipes? Don’t miss these pumpkin crumb cake muffins, chai tea honey biscoff spice cake, and gingerbread sheet cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Cake
Small Size. What’s cuter than a mini cake? And with this mini carrot cake, you can enjoy a slice (or two) of cake, without being left with an overwhelming amount of cake you can’t finish. It’s just enough for a small family, or for two people to eat over a weekend.
Easy One-Bowl Recipe. You’ll need a hand-held mixer for the frosting (unless you’ve got a strong arm with a whisk), but the cake batter comes together quickly and easily with just a bowl and whisk.
So Much Flavor. The flavor in this spiced carrot cake is really incredible. The cake itself is buttery and moist, with lots of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. And the frosting is rich and nutty with brown butter, cream cheese, more spices, and vanilla bean paste. Every mouthful is pure pleasure.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- Butter + Vegetable Oil. Adds flavor and moisture.
- Carrots. After peeling the carrots, you can finely grate them with a box grater, or just do it quickly with a food processor. I like to use a small Ninja to easily chop them up into tiny bits. If you pack the grated carrots into your measuring cup too tightly, you’ll measure too much and your cake will be too dense, so it’s a good idea to weigh them for accuracy.
- Buttermilk. All the best cakes are made with buttermilk. The tangy richness balances the sugar, as well as makes a very tender cake.
- Granulated Sugar + Dark Brown Sugar. Sweetness and moisture.
- Egg. The egg adds structure to your cake batter, as well as fat.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour. While you could use cake flour, a carrot cake should be a little bit more dense than a white cake or vanilla cake, so all-purpose flour is a good choice.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the batter and makes the cake rise.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Spices. I use a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in many of my fall and winter recipes.
- Pecans. The nuts are optional, but they add more moisture to the cake, and a delicious flavor.
Frosting
- Butter. You’ll be browning the butter first, and it adds an incredible rich and nutty flavor to the frosting.
- Cream Cheese. Gives the frosting that classic tangy flavor that we love in cream cheese frosting.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Spices. Vanilla bean paste, cinnamon and nutmeg add so much flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
TIP: If you don’t have a 6-inch pan, you can bake the batter in a round or square 8-inch pan instead. The cake will bake more quickly in a large pan, so check it sooner for doneness.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray the bottom of one 6-inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, grated carrots, oil, buttermilk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and pecans.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for 10-15 seconds until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched, and a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
TIP: The cake will be slightly cracked on top, with a deep brown golden crust. The crust will seem a bit crisp at first, but will soften as the cake cools, especially once you add the frosting.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the side of the pan and turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
TIP: This frosting recipe makes a softer frosting, that isn’t firm enough for stacking a layered cake. For a thicker frosting that can hold up to stacking layers, you need to add more powdered sugar.
Buttercream
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. Immediately scrape the butter and the browned bits into a mixing bowl. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour while the cake cools, until the butter starts to solidify again.
- To the browned butter, add the cream cheese, salt, vanilla bean paste and spices. Use an electric mixer to beat for 2 minutes, until well combined and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, and beat for several more minutes until fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cake with the frosting, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Whipped Cream. For a lighter option, skip the frosting and serve slices of the cake slightly warm, topped with lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream.
- Loaf Cake. You can also bake the batter in a loaf pan, to make a carrot cake loaf cake.
- 8-inch Cake. If you don’t have a 6-inch pan, use an 8-inch round cake pan or 8-inch square baking pan. This mini carrot cake will bake more quickly in the larger pans, so start checking for doneness sooner, so the cake isn’t over-baked.
- Cupcakes. You can even make a small batch of carrot cake cupcakes, if you like. See this carrot cupcakes recipe for tips.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does carrot cake need to be refrigerated?
Since there’s cream cheese in the buttercream, I recommend refrigerating the leftover cake overnight. However, it’s perfectly fine to let it sit out for several hours during the day, since cake is best served at room temperature.
What can I use instead of buttermilk?
If you’re not able to find buttermilk, you can make your own sour milk. For every 1 cup of whole milk, stir in 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar, then let sit for 10-15 minutes to curdle.
Do I need to adjust the recipe if I don’t live at high altitude?
Maybe, but maybe not! Many people living in lower altitude states have told me they’ve made my cakes successfully without any adjustments.
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One Layer High Altitude Mini Carrot Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup carrots, peeled and finely grated (2 1/4 ounces)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup whole buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Frosting
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray the bottom of one 6-inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.TIP: You can also bake the batter in an 8-inch round cake pan or 8-inch square baking dish. The cake will bake more quickly in the 8-inch pans, so start checking for doneness after about 20 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, grated carrots, oil, buttermilk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and pecans.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for 10-15 seconds until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched, and a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.The cake will be slightly cracked on top, with a deep brown golden crust. The crust will seem a bit crisp at first, but will soften as the cake cools, especially once you add the frosting.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the side of the pan and turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. Immediately scrape the butter and the browned bits into a mixing bowl. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour while the cake cools, until the butter starts to solidify again.
- To the browned butter, add the cream cheese, salt, vanilla bean paste and spices. Use an electric mixer to beat for 2 minutes, until well combined and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, and beat for several more minutes until fluffy.Note: This frosting recipe makes a softer frosting, that isn't firm enough for stacking a layered cake. For a thicker frosting that can hold up to stacking layers, you need to add more powdered sugar.
- Frost the cooled cake with the frosting, and serve.
Have you ever added raisins? I’m just wondering how many to add!
I’ve never added raisins to my carrot cake, but you could try about 1/2 cup for this recipe. I’d suggest hydrating the raisins in warm water first, before adding them to the cake batter, so that they don’t suck all the moisture from the cake.
Awesome! Thanks so much!
Oh now, this could be a problem for me. The thing that always talks me out of making a cake “just because cake is yummy” is that there are only 3 of us and half of it would end up in the trash – heartbreaking. And now here you are with this perfect mini and I want it in all the flavors so I can make it weekly! You should be getting kickbacks from my gym.
Haha, yes, I hear that! I also have mini chocolate and vanilla cakes on my site, and am working on adding a few more flavors. 🙂
If I double the recipe, can I make it a 6 inch layer cake? Can I add some crushed pineapple? If so, how much?
Thanks! Looks amazing and want to make it today.
Yes, you can double the recipe for a two layer cake. I couldn’t say about the pineapple. It might add too much moisture, so you’ll have to experiment a bit if you want to add that.
Attempted this cake today with the KA adjustments as at 7700ft! Disaster! Not sure what I did wrong but it’s like a brick and very pale. No rise at all! Not sure if to try again with your exact recipe! ☹️
Becki, I would try it again with no adjustments. Sometimes adjustments aren’t needed at all with certain recipes – it’s one of the mean tricks high altitude plays on us! Is your baking powder fresh, though? Also, be sure you’re using the “spoon and sweep” method to measure your flour, so you don’t pack too much into the measuring cup.
Thanks for your reply 😊 feel a little better now. Might try again at some point but chickened out and made your choc chip loaf 😋 which worked with adjustments. I’ve also made your Italian lemon ricotta cake and blueberry lemon loaf which worked so maybe was getting too confident eh? 😂
Yeah baking powder is fresh and try to do that method. Who knows eh? 🤷♀️
Thanks for your help
I need cake recipes that are high altitude and gluten free. I substituted cup 4 cup gf flour and this came out great. The brown butter cream cheese frosting was a huge hit! I have successfully been able to substitute gf flour in several of these cake recipes – thank you!
I am not so successful when trying to altitude adjust gf cake recipes.