Portable, Easy & Yummy Carrot Cake Dessert

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I received a message from my CSA  (Community Supported Agriculture) vendor this week apologizing for sending SO MANY CARROTS! I have made roasted carrots, maple glazed carrots, carrot mac’n’cheese, carrot pancakes and added sliced or shredded carrots to a multitude of other recipes. I decided I was done with savory carrots, so I decided to try a carrot dessert instead. That is when I came across a recipe for this portable, easy & yummy carrot cake dessert – Inside-Out Carrot Cakes. I would call them more of a cookie, but the texture and flavor is more like a cake.

Inside-out Carrot Cakes
Inside-out Carrot Cakes

They are adorable individual little cookie-cakes and they taste yummy. They were simple to make and I followed the recipe exactly with no hiccups. (with one exception – I omitted the coconut as I do not like it inside cookies or cake)

Inside-out Carrot Cakes

Fun and portable, this easy dessert stuffs sweet cream cheese icing between two flat cylinders of spiced carrot cake. They’re perfect for lunch boxes, picnics, or  bake sales.

  • Yield: Makes 10 to 12 cakes
  • Total:1 Hour

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for cookie sheets
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly, finely grated nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly, finely ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, divided
  • 1 1/2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded on the fine side of a box grater (to yield 1 cup)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
  • 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Put a dab of butter in each corner of 2 large baking sheets and line with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla; stir in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add carrots and coconut, stirring until just combined.

3. Drop 1-tbsp. circles of batter onto baking sheets about 1 in. apart. Bake until cooked through and browned slightly, 14 to 18 minutes. Cool on baking sheets.

4. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese until very soft. Add butter and beat until smooth and well blended. Add powdered sugar a third at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in cream and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

5. Flip cakes over and spread about 1 1/2 tbsp. frosting on half of them. Top each with a remaining cake, flat side down, to sandwich the frosting.

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Note:The recipe easily adapts to make a small batch of cupcakes (about 7): Pour batter into lined, 1/2-cup muffin tins and bake at 350° for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in tins 5 minutes, then turn onto a rack. Frost the cupcakes once they’re completely cooled.
(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Desserts)
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3 opinions on “Portable, Easy & Yummy Carrot Cake Dessert”

  1. Yum! I love carrot anything and can’t wait to try these out. Not only do they look divine, but I suspect they’re healthy as well.

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    1. Something made with carrots can’t help but be somewhat healthy and they sure are good! To make them healthier, I lessened the amount of sugar a little in the cream cheese filling and I liked it that way.

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  2. Thanks for the recipe! This looks like a very healthy dessert. But to make sure it tastes sweet, my advice would be to never store carrots next to apples or else they grow bitter! Take care!

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