Moist Mini Carrot Cake With Pineapple

Small carrot cake with cream cheese frosting cut into slices on a wood cake stand.

4.34 from 3 reviews

Moist Mini Carrot Cake With Pineapple

This small batch carrot cake with pineapple is tender, moist, and easy to make. Finely shredded carrots and crushed pineapple add natural sweetness to the 6-inch spiced cake, finished with smooth cream cheese frosting. Ready in under an hour.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Erin Cernich

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil or any neutral oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
⅔ cup fresh carrots, grated about 2 medium carrots
⅓ cup canned pineapple chunks, drained and diced optional
chopped pecans or walnuts, for topping

Instructions

Use a box grater to grate the carrots. I like to grate mine on the fine hole, but the larger holes will work. Drain the pineapple and dice it into small pieces.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit to bottom of a 6-inch round cake pan. Lightly grease the pan and paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugars, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Add the egg and whisk until incorporated.
1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons canola oil, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain. Add the grated carrots and diced pineapple and stir until just incorporated.
2/3 cup fresh carrots, grated, 1/3 cup canned pineapple chunks, drained and diced
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with the spatula. Bake the cake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Then, invert the cake onto the wire rack and carefully remove the parchment if it stuck to the cake. Flip right side up and allow the cake to cool completely on the rack.
While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese buttercream. Spread the frosting on the cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts (pecans are my favorite!).
chopped pecans or walnuts, for topping

Notes

Serving Size - This is a small batch recipe for a 6-inch cake. The recipe can be doubled and made in an 8-inch cake pan.
Carrots - I recommend grating full carrots vs. buying pre-shredded carrots. The full carrot will provide more flavor and moisture.
Pineapple - The pineapple provides sweetness and moisture to the cake. You can omit it if you prefer. If you do, add 1 extra tablespoon of oil.
Storage - The cake can sit at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Beyond that, I recommend covering and refrigerating it because of the frosting.
Freezing - The unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic then place in a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator then bring to room temp to frost.

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