If you love carrot cake, why not try this mini carrot cake? Everything you adore about the classic is wrapped in a smaller, gluten-free package that features a wee cake with an oh-so-tender crumb, warm spices, and a generous swirl of cream cheese frosting.

When you're hankering for a gluten free carrot cake or a batch of gluten free carrot cake cupcakes but want something a bit tinier, a mini carrot is just the thing! Perfectly proportioned for a 6-inch round pan, this cake is loaded with fresh carrots and your choice of oat flour or a gluten-free flour blend. And the tangy-sweet, fluffy-soft cream cheese frosting is, well, the icing on what is already a pretty perfect offering.
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Why I Love Making A Mini Carrot Cake
So many carrot cake recipes make a huge amount of cake—and while I love recipes like my gluten free pumpkin sheet cake when I want to serve a crowd, sometimes I just don't need that much cake! A petite carrot cake is a good call for those times when you want enough cake for, say, 4 people with a few slices leftover. And if they happen to eat gluten-free, all the better!
- A little slice of celebration. Sweet, spiced, and tender, this cake makes enough to feed a small group without leaving you with so much cake you actually get tired of cake (believe it or not, this is possible!).
- Gluten-free or not. Follow the instructions to make this carrot cake gluten-free, or simply swap 1 cup of all-purpose flour for the gluten-free flour to make a more traditional version.
- Novice-friendly. This cake is so user-friendly! No mixer is needed—just a bowl, a whisk, and a few pantry staples.
- Customizable. Keep it simple or add nuts and raisins, a little maple syrup ... This is an adjustable recipe, and you can adapt it to your tastes.
What You'll Need
As noted, this is a super easy cake made with pantry and fridge basics. Here's a look at what you'll need—you'll find the full ingredient amounts and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Vegetable oil - You can use any oil of your choice here, including coconut oil, olive oil (for a richer flavor), or avocado or canola oil.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt works fine.
- Eggs - Large eggs at room temperature are best.
- Spices - A combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Gluten-free flour - You can use oat flour or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (like my homemade gluten free flour blend). Use regular all-purpose flour if you don't need a gluten free cake.
- Rising agents - Baking powder and baking soda.
- Carrots - You'll need about 1 ½ cups of finely shredded carrots.
- Frosting - Unsalted butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.
How to Make A Mini Carrot Cake
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this decadently delicious cake:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease and line a 6-inch cake pan.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, and eggs.
- Make the dry mix: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Combine: Stir the dry mix into the wet ingredients.
- Add carrots: Fold in the carrots.
- Add to pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest for up to 20 minutes.
- Bake: Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350°F for about 35-45 minutes, then cool completely.
- Make frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, then add the powdered sugar.
- Frost cake: First, make sure the cake is completely cool.
- Add frosting: Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Baking Tip: Add a Little Maple Syrup
To the frosting, that is! A touch of pure maple syrup will add a bit of natural sweetness and that quintessential maple flavor. Add it sparingly so that the frosting doesn't get goopy; start with 1 teaspoon of syrup, taste, and then add a little more if necessary.
Substitution Suggestions & Tips
- Rest the batter. Resting the batter while the oven preheats allows the gluten-free flours to fully absorb the liquid in the batter and avoid any of the dreaded "grittiness" that can occur in gluten-free baked goods.
- Use room temperature ingredients. So important! Especially for the frosting—you want a really smooth and fluffy frosting, so let the butter and cream cheese sit out on the counter until they are soft. It's OK to do this for several hours if necessary.
- Sift the powdered sugar. Another way to ensure the smoothest frosting is to ALWAYS sift powdered sugar before adding it in. You should do this when you make any frosting recipe!
- Refrigerate the cake. This is a pretty soft cake at room temperature. To help with neat frosting, place the cooled cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This will help with even frosting. Also, use a gentle hand when applying the frosting.
- Add other spices. You can add ¼ teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and cardamom to give the cake an even cozier flavor.
- Stir in nuts and raisins. I have left these out of the ingredients list, but a more traditional carrot cake contains golden raisins and nuts like walnuts. Feel free to throw these in if you wish.
- To make refined sugar-free: Use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- To make dairy-free: Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter and non-dairy cream cheese in the frosting.
- Skip the frosting. I mean, why would you ...! But you absolutely can if you wish for a simpler cake: Leave off the frosting and dust the top of the cake with sifted powdered sugar and serve a little whipped cream on the side.
Proper Storage
I recommend storing carrot cake in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. You can eat it straight from the fridge or let it warm up a bit on the counter for 10-15 minutes to soften the frosting.
- Fridge - Store the cake, tightly covered or in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - To freeze the cake, let it cool completely, then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake completely in the fridge before you frost it.
More Easy Gluten Free Cake Recipes
If you try this recipe, please let me know! And if you have any questions, always feel free to reach out in the comments or by email. I hope you love it! ❤️
Gluten Free Mini Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup gluten free flour or oat flour (120 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrots finely grated
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 block of cream cheese)
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
Bake the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 6-inch cake pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the ¾ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 2 large eggs.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 cup gluten free flour with the ¾ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and spices. Stir this mix into the wet ingredients. Fold in the 1 ½ cups shredded carrots.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest for up to 20 minutes. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 35-45 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.
Make the frosting
- In a large bowl, cream the ½ cup unsalted butter and 8 ounces cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the 3-4 cups powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency and sweetness.
- Frost the top and sides of the cooled cake.
Notes
- Rest the batter. Resting the batter while the oven preheats allows the gluten-free flours to fully absorb the liquid in the batter and avoid any of the dreaded "grittiness" that can occur in gluten-free baked goods.
- Use room temperature ingredients. So important! Especially for the frosting—you want a really smooth and fluffy frosting, so let the butter and cream cheese sit out on the counter until they are soft. It's OK to do this for several hours if necessary.
- Sift the powdered sugar. Another way to ensure the smoothest frosting is to ALWAYS sift powdered sugar before adding it in. You should do this when you make any frosting recipe!
- Refrigerate the cake. This is a pretty soft cake. To help with frosting, place the cooled cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This will help with even frosting. Also, use a gentle hand when applying the frosting.
- Add other spices. You can add ¼ teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and cardamom to give the cake an even cozier flavor.
- Stir in nuts and raisins. I have left these out of the ingredients list, but a more traditional carrot cake contains golden raisins and nuts like walnuts. Feel free to throw these in if you wish.
- To make refined sugar-free: Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- To make dairy-free: Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter and non-dairy cream cheese in the frosting.
- Skip the frosting. I mean, why would you ...! But you absolutely can if you wish for a simpler cake: Leave off the frosting and dust the top of the cake with sifted powdered sugar and serve a little whipped cream on the side.
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