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The Best Mini Carrot Sheet Cake

Hands down the best mini carrot sheet cake you'll ever make, this treat pairs the classic cake you know and love with a fluffy coconut frosting and toasted coconut flakes. Perfect for a small brunch, get-together with friends or for having on hand to give yourself a sweet, mid-week pick-me-up.

  • Author: Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the carrot cake:

  • 1/3 lb carrots, shredded
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • 2/3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves

For the coconut frosting:

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp coconut cream
  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes, toasted

Instructions

  1. Beat the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
  2. Combine the dry ingredients for the cake in one bowl and the remaining wet ingredients (including carrots) in another.
  3. Starting with the dry ingredients and alternating between wet and dry, add your ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture, whisking until just incorporated for each addition.
  4. Pour the batter into a lined or greased 8"x8" square cake pan.
  5. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.
  6. In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
  7. Add the powdered sugar and beat on high until smooth.
  8. Add coconut cream and beat until just incorporated.
  9. Spread frosting over cooled cake.
  10. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Notes

  • Testing for doneness: Although tempting to wait until the toothpick comes out clean, doing so will likely lead to over-baking your cake. Instead, you want your toothpick to come out without any raw batter and with some cooked crumbs still clinging to it.
  • The trick to bubble-free frosting: Although this frosting whips up relatively smooth, you can beat out any air bubbles that might have worked their way in by beating the frosting on low for about 5 minutes.
  • Storage: This cake can be kept at room temperature in an air tight container for 2-3 days.
  • Making this cake for a crowd: If you need more cake, simply double the recipe and bake it in a 9"x13" at 350F adding 5-15 minutes to the bake time.
  • A note on coconut cream substitutions: If you can't find coconut cream or would prefer to use something else, you can substitute it for a few tablespoons of the solidified portion of coconut milk or a teaspoon of coconut extract.

Nutrition

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