Carrot
Mini Coconut Carrot Cakes With Candied Ginger
- Prep time 25 minutes
- Cook time 35 minutes
- makes 24 mini cakes
Author Notes
Carrot cake is one of those flavors I always forget is my favorite—until someone else mentions how much they love it. I’ve always thought of it as a spring dessert, but when I consider it, it’s truly seasonless, fitting for any time of year.
While the process is mostly the same, making a full cake can sometimes feel like a big undertaking. Instead, I cut the cake into 24 rectangular slices and individually frost each one with a playful squiggle design. For a little extra flair, I top them with toasted coconut flakes and a few slivers of candied ginger.
Tips & Tricks:
• Make sure the heavy cream and cream cheese is very softened/at room temperature because if it’s colder than the temperature of the butter, you risk seizing the butter and splitting the frosting.
• If you’re a big fan of candied ginger, feel free to mix the chopped ginger into the cake batter instead of just decorating it with.
• Carrot cake is always as good (if not better) the next day, so the whole recipe can be made and stored in the fridge a day before serving.
—Nea Arentzen
Ingredients
- Cake Batter
-
1 cup
(198 grams) neutral oil
-
1 1/2 cups
(312 grams) brown sugar
-
1/2 cup
(100 g) granulated sugar
-
3
large eggs
-
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
2 1/4 cups
(270 grams) all-purpose flour
-
2 teaspoons
cinnamon
-
1 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda
-
1 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
1 pound
carrots, shredded (about 4 cups)
-
3/4 cup
toasted coconut flakes, divided
-
1/4 cup
candied ginger, sliced (for garnishing)
- Cream Cheese Frosting
-
1 cup
(226 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
-
4 cups
(450 grams) confectioners’ sugar
-
1/4 cup
(56 grams) heavy cream, at room temperature
-
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoons
kosher salt
-
4 ounces
(113 grams) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Directions
- Make the cake: Heat oven to 350ºF with a rack in the center position. Grease and line the bottom of a 9x13-inch rectangular baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt; mix together on the top before fully mixing it into the wet ingredients. Stir in the shredded carrots and toasted ½ cup of the coconut flakes (save rest for decorating). Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan; bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let it cool completely in the pan.
- Flip the cake onto a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice it lengthwise into three equal strips, wiping the knife clean between each cut. Then, cut each strip into eight equal pieces along the short side. You should end up with 24 mini cakes (8x3).
- Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla. Starting on low speed so the sugar doesn’t fly up, beaut until the frosting is light and fluffy. The idea is to “whip” the cream which will help this.
- Add the cream cheese and beat until just combined. Avoid overmixing as this will draw out too much moisture from the cream cheese and make the frosting less stable.
- Transfer the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with the chosen tip, then pipe onto each mini carrot cake. Decorate with the remaining toasted coconut and the sliced candied ginger.
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