Carrot Cake For Two

by cookingwithauntjuju.com

Have you ever wanted just one piece of carrot cake instead of making a big dessert such as my Sourdough Carrot Cake? By the way if you are looking for a different way to use your sourdough starter, give this delicious dessert a try; it even has crushed pineapple in it. Yes, you can make more than bread with your sourdough starter and my Rosebud likes to be in all kinds of goodies.

This 4 layer cake I have posted today (I will explain below) actually gave us 4 servings which my sister, Marna and I happily ate over a two-day period. Oh, so good and that made my sister very happy as she always hopes for some kind of sweet when she comes for a visit.

This recipe is adapted from Food Network, the cake was perfect but I changed the frosting a little. This recipe is so good and easy – it will be a favorite treat when a small dessert is needed.

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Carrot Cake for Two

  • 1/4 cup pecans
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup, finely minced  – I use a fine grater so the carrots are moist

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with non-stick spray, place the parchment in the pan and spray it too. Toast the pecans in a skillet until they become fragrant and just lightly browned. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop up the nuts.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Make a big well in the center of the bowl and add the sugar and egg and beat with a fork until well combined. Next add the oil and vanilla and continue to beat with a fork. Mix all of the ingredients until just combined; fold in the carrots and pecans.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan as evenly as possible. I tap it on the counter to even it up more. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan to a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Turn it out of the pan, remove the parchment and let cool completely on the rack, about 1 hour.

Frosting:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (I recommend using low-fat as full fat is very rich – I liked but my sister wanted a frosting not so sweet)
  • 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter until combined and smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and process until combined.

Once the cake has cooled cut it into 4 equal wedges, just like a pie. Frost the top of each wedge with about 3 tbsp. of frosting. Stack the wedges on top of each other on a serving plate, resulting in a 4-layer slice of cake. Completely cover the curved back side of the cake with the remaining frosting and leave the 2 remaining sides open.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cut the wedge in half – I would suggest fourths and serve.

Here is another recipe for cream cheese frosting from King Arthur Flour (KAF) which I used on my Sourdough Carrot Cake.

King Arthur Flour Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp. lemon oil (a nice addition)
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • about 1 tbsp. milk, enough to make a spreadable frosting

Combine the first 4 ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar slowly and beat until combined. Add the milk until you reach a good consistency.

Recipe by cooking with aunt juju http://cookingwithauntjuju.com/2016/04/17/carrot-cake-for-two/

Another delicious frosting for carrot cake by Ina Garten.

Mascarpone Frosting

  • 12 oz. Italian mascarpone cheese, room temperature
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/3 cup crystallized ginger, minced (not in syrup)
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Beat the first five ingredients together for about 1 minute or until light and fluffy in a bowl with a paddle attachment. Add the ginger and salt and beat for 30 seconds more.

Garnish with sugared carrot peels or candied carrot coins.

Carrot Coins:

  • 2 medium sized carrots, very thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp. sugar, plus more

Bring the carrots, 2 tbsp. sugar and 1/4 cup water to simmer in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring to separate the carrots. Cook until soft for about 5 minutes. Increase heat and cook, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a thick syrup. Add a few pinches of sugar, tossing constantly. Cook until the carrots are coated. Remove to a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool. Toss with more sugar to coat. Scatter across the top of the frosting.

Carrot Curls:

  • 1 or 2 large peeled carrots
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 225°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it with non-stick spray. Peel the carrot and discard the peelings. Remove long strips using a veggie peeler.

Bring the water and sugar to a boil, add carrot strips and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer the strips for about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.

Bake the strips on a prepared baking sheet for about 30 minutes. The carrots will become translucent.

Work quickly and wrap each carrot strip around the handle of a wooden spoon, forming curls. Slide off spoon and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit until completely dry.

Recipe by cooking with aunt juju

Candied Carrot Curls for Carrot Cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • fat carrots

Peel the carrots of the outer skin. Lay the carrots on a paper towel and starting at one end press firmly with a vegetable peeler all the way down to the other end. You want wide and thin  carrot slices.

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrot strips. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes or until they look translucent. Cool on parchment paper. Don’t let them sit too long as they will dry out and the sugar will not stick.

Put some superfine sugar in a flat dish. Place the carrot strips in the dish and coat well.Remove and shape into curls; allow to cool and harden. You can make these a week ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe by cooking with aunt juju

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I always finely grate my carrots for this dessert as it adds extra moisture and evenly distributes the carrots throughout the cake. You cut the 9-inch cake into fourths, frost each quarter top and then stack them before spreading the rest of the frosting.

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81 thoughts on “Carrot Cake For Two”

  12. Love the looks of that carrot cake Judi….and loving it even more that it is for 2 (or in your case 4 like you say) :). So often I’m tempted to make dessert for my husband and myself, but I don’t want anything leftover, this is a doable quantity without the added temptation 🙂

    Reply

    • Thanks so much Loretta – my sister and I tried to make it last a little longer. We both would have had no problem eating our whole piece at once. It’s a good recipe if you like carrot cake and want a small dessert.

      Reply

  13. What a gorgeous carrot cake Judi! I love the size of it 😀 So funny we were thinking alike this week 😉 That cream cheese frosting sounds delicious with the lemon oil. Beautiful!

    Reply

  15. Judi,
    Great idea baking for 2 instead of a huge cake and its temptation- especially when it is as yummy and picture perfect as your carrot cake! Love the layers.

    Reply

    • Thanks Sandhya – I prefer a layer cake as you get more frosting. Baking for 2 is always better for me especially with this dessert as I enjoy it too much and probably would over indulge.

      Reply

  16. What a beautiful carrot cake! I usually put my carrots in a food processor and blitz until they’re tiny (I’m lazy like that), but never thought to use my Microplane.Your cake looks so fluffy and delicious!

    Reply

  19. Perfect idea and it looks so gorgeous! I miss the days of the “snack” cake like we used to make when I was a teenager. Just humble little cakes in an 8 x 8″ pan…big cakes are just too much; a great excuse to invite friends over, but just too much. This cake is the best of both worlds!!

    Reply

  23. What a lovely, delicious looking carrot cake! Love the fact that it is just enough for 2 people! Sometimes you bake a cake and there is no one to eat it! I love this quick and easy recipe. I am saving it. Happy FF!

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  24. Anything with cream cheese frosting on it is my favorite thing ever. This small batch cake looks so good and perfect for a quick treat! I might have to quintuple the frosting though!

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  25. Love the carrot cake and finally a way to get enough frosting in there, brilliant. Thank you for co hosting FF! 🙂

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  26. This cake looks so lovely and moist Judi. Love the layering that turns the simple carrot cake into a really decadent dessert!

    Reply

  28. Carrot cake for two Judi? THis looks marvelous enough to be a carrotcake for one! THank you for being an amazing co-host and your carrot cake would go so well with my sweet potato cake at the party!

    Reply

    • Thanks co-host. It was nice to share with a sister and then neither of us felt guilty. Your sweet potato cake pairs well with my carrot cake, now all we need is a cup of tea or coffee.

      Reply

  30. Genius idea, Judi! A cake for two is perfect for a “normal” day in my house…no company…no problem! I can make my cake and eat it too. 😛

    Reply

  35. I don’t make cakes often because they are too large for just two people. Thanks for your recipe as carrot cake is one my husband and I both enjoy.

    Reply

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