Name: Small Carrot Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 33 min
Total time: 48 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup neutral oil (like canola or grapeseed); 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, beaten; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained; 1 cup grated carrots; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 3/4 cup caramel bits; 8-ounces of cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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It’s a small carrot cake with caramel cream cheese frosting is a one-layer cake for Spring and Easter!

Two square pieces of carrot cake with caramel frosting stacked.

First things first, did you know: I have 5 different sizes of this recipe on this site?
-this single layer carrot cake made in a 8×8” pan
-my 6” small carrot cake
-my carrot cake for two made in ramekins
-a healthy carrot cake made in a mini muffin pan
-and of course, a small batch of carrot cake cupcakes

While we love warm mini carrot cakes with melted cream cheese frosting, we also love cold carrot cake right out of the fridge. This is one of those cold carrot cakes you sneak for breakfast with coffee.

I’m not sure how big your Easter celebration is going to be, but I’m guessing carrot cake is on the menu. While I already have a mini carrot cake for two on this site, I thought I would make you a slightly bigger one.

One square piece of carrot cake with caramel swirled frosting.

This isn’t your standard 3-layer carrot cake–which is super yummy but oh-so-much work; it’s a smaller 8×8-inch single-layer version. (A 8×8-inch pan is your standard brownie pan, friends.)

I’m not skimping on the frosting here. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean we can’t have mounds of frosting. And instead of cups and cups of powdered sugar in a standard cream cheese frosting recipe, we’re going to stir in melted caramel sauce. This will be your new go-to cream cheese frosting recipe.

Ingredients

Oil. One-half cup of any natural oil without flavor, like vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower seed oil or avocado oil. Do not use coconut or olive oil, please.
Granulated Sugar. One cup granulated white sugar.
Eggs. Two large eggs, beaten before adding to the bowl.
Vanilla Extract. We need vanilla extract for the cake batter and the frosting.
Canned Crushed Pineapple. You must use canned crushed pineapple for this recipe, because it has the right amount of moisture for the batter. Measure out 1/2 cup, and then lightly squeeze it to drain it on a paper towel before adding to the batter.
Carrots. It’s best to grate carrots yourself, because the store-bought ones are too dry. Use the large holes on a box grater to make 1 cup of grated carrots. For me, this is 2-3 medium-sized carrots.
Flour. Regular all-purpose flour, not self-rising flour.
Baking Powder.
Baking Soda.
Cinnamon. The only spice my family uses in carrot cake is cinnamon, but I know other families use ground ginger or even nutmeg–add it, if you like.
Caramel Bits. The fastest way to melt caramel to make this caramel cream cheese frosting is to use the caramel bits. You can also use a store-bought jarred caramel sauce in a pinch, but it’s a little runnier than what we need. The bits harden a bit in the cream cheese frosting and make a sturdier frosting that holds its shape.
Cream Cheese. One package (8-ounce) of full-fat cream cheese that has been softened to room temperature.
Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar for sweetening the frosting.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350, and line a 8×8-inch square pan with parchment paper on all sides

White bowl with grated carrots, pineapple and eggs.

Dry ingredients over wet ingredients in a white bowl.

In a large bowl, stir together with a wooden spoon (do not use an electric mixer) the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, pineapple and carrots. Stir again to combine.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet.

White bowl with light yellow to orange batter and spoon in it.

Stir the mixture to combine. Scrape it into the prepared pan.

Bake on the center rack in the oven for 33-36 minutes, until nicely golden brown and starting to pull away from the edges. Let the cake cool. It might slightly sink in the middle if you didn’t get enough moisture out of the pineapple, but it’s fine.

Clear bowl with cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Once the cake is fully cool, make the frosting. Melt the caramel bits in the microwave with a splash of water (following package instructions). Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

Cream frosting with a splash of vanilla in it.

Spatula spreading frosting on a square pastry.

Beat in the vanilla last.

Spread the frosting on the cake plain, and then drizzle caramel on top before swirling it in.

White frosting swirled with caramel on a square cake.

A few notes about this small carrot cake:

My version of carrot cake has pineapple in it. I hope that’s okay with you! My family can be purists about carrot cake and insist that it should not have walnuts, raisins, or pineapple. They love this version!

Slice of carrot cake on white plate with fork on side.

I should warn you that the cake is going to sink ever-so-slightly in the center as it cools. I’ve never met a carrot cake that doesn’t sink a tiny bit. By nature, it’s warm, spicy, and so very moist. In order to make a non-sinking flat or domed carrot cake, the texture of the cake would have to be altered to be too light and fluffy. That is just not what we’re going for. The final result is dense and moist, and that’s exactly the way it should be.

So, grab your brownie pan, a handful of carrots and caramels, and make this small carrot cake. Tell me it isn’t the most delicious carrot cake you’ve ever had!

Yield: 9 small pieces