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These little cakes make the carrot part of carrot cake visible. A thin spiced sheet cake is cut into matching tapered shapes, sandwiched with cream cheese frosting and coated in orange candy melts. They are a project for a relaxed afternoon: no specialist carrot mold is required, but chilling between stages makes the finish much easier.
An original Kumora recipe inspired by the linked cake design. The linked reference is decorating inspiration, not evidence of a kitchen-tested result from this recipe. The cover is identified in its caption.
Before you start
- Digital kitchen scale
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls, silicone spatula and cooling rack
- Offset spatula, cake board and turntable
- Piping bags and parchment paper
- One 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) metal pan
- Paper carrot template about 10 cm long and 4 cm wide
- Small serrated knife, dipping forks and a lined tray
Start with a flat sheet cake
Finely grate the carrots yourself so the strands soften during baking. Dry, coarse packaged shreds leave a rougher crumb that is harder to carve. This recipe leaves out nuts and raisins so the mini shapes cut cleanly.
Aim for an even layer in the pan. Once baked, chill the completely cooled cake for at least 45 minutes; a cold sheet can be handled with much less crumbling.
Cut pairs with a paper template
Draw a tapered carrot shape, about 10 cm long and 4 cm wide at its broadest point, and cut it from clean parchment. Arrange the template before cutting so you can fit twelve pieces. Pair the pieces by size to make six sandwiches.
Keep the pointed ends slightly rounded rather than needle-thin. After filling, smooth the edges with a little frosting. Save offcuts for cake crumbs or small dessert cups instead of forcing extra shapes out of narrow scraps.
Coat and add the carrot ridges
Use orange candy melts intended for confectionery coating. They are more forgiving than white chocolate with ordinary liquid coloring, which can seize. Melt according to the packet and keep all equipment dry.
Spoon coating over each chilled mini cake on a rack, working one at a time, and cover any bare patches. Once set, drizzle thin horizontal lines with the remaining coating. Pipe leaves on parchment using green candy melts, allow them to set, then attach with a dot of coating.
Plan the chilling stages
The filling must be firm enough to keep the two cake pieces aligned. If a sandwich bends when lifted, return it to the refrigerator before coating. Work in a cool room and use a spatula to support the whole cake.
Store in a single layer in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The coating may show condensation when moved to a warm room; let the closed container warm slightly before opening.
Carrot-shaped mini carrot cakes
- Makes, at 1×
- 6 filled mini cakes, plus cake offcuts
- Prep
- 1 hr 30 min
- Baking
- 25 min
- Start to finish
- About 4 hr
Allow about 2 hours for cooling, firming the filling and setting the candy coating.
Original recipe draft · not yet kitchen-tested. Baking times are estimates; use the doneness checks in the method.
Ingredients
Cake
Filling
Coating
Let’s make it
- Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease and line a 9 × 13-inch pan with parchment, leaving handles at the sides. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together.
- Whisk eggs, brown sugar, oil, yogurt and vanilla until combined. Fold in the flour mixture, then the finely grated carrot. Spread evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until the center springs back and a skewer has no raw batter. Cool fully, then refrigerate the sheet for at least 45 minutes.
- Beat the filling butter with the icing sugar until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix briefly just until combined. Chill if soft.
- Use the parchment template to cut twelve tapered carrot shapes. Spread a thin layer of filling over six pieces, leaving a narrow edge, and sandwich with the other six. Smooth any gaps with filling and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes.
- Melt the orange coating according to the packet. Set one cold cake on a rack over parchment, spoon coating over it and smooth the sides with a small spatula. Transfer carefully to a lined tray. Repeat and let the shells set.
- Put remaining orange coating in a piping bag and drizzle narrow lines across each carrot. Melt the green coating, pipe six leafy tops onto parchment and let them harden. Attach each with a small dot of orange coating.
- Refrigerate the finished cakes in a covered container. Serve with a small knife or fork; the coating will have a gentle snap.
Contains wheat, eggs and milk; check candy-melt labels for other allergens. Yield depends on the template and your cutting layout. Use full-fat block cream cheese; spreadable tub cheese may make the filling too loose.
The little details
- Avoid fresh decorative carrot tops unless you know they are suitable for food contact; candy leaves are simpler.
- Candy coating is a shell, not the filling: keep it as thin as you can.
- Cut the cake cold and support each piece from underneath.
Your questions, answered
Do I need silicone carrot molds?
No. A cold sheet cake, parchment template and small serrated knife are enough for the shape used here.
Can I use white chocolate instead of candy melts?
Yes, but it needs suitable fat-soluble chocolate coloring and careful handling. Water-based color can seize it. Candy melts are the more forgiving option for this project.
Why is the cream cheese filling runny?
Tub-style cream cheese and overmixing can both loosen it. Use block cream cheese, mix briefly and chill before assembling.
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