Mini Carrot Bundt Cakes

Mini carrot bundt cakes are a smaller, and healthier, version of the traditional carrot cake you know and love. Feel good about eating this super moist, sweet and healthy carrot cake for Easter dessert, or anytime after the carrot holiday!

I used to think that I didn’t like carrot cake. Then I had a slice of melt-in-your mouth carrot cake, and my world was forever changed.

My world also forever changed when I found out how much sugar and butter goes into making carrot cake. Similar to my love for banana bread.

So you know how much I love to take a not-so-healthy dessert and turn it on its healthy head? That’s exactly what I did with these mini carrot bundt cakes.

This recipe produces maybe the moistest carrot cake you will ever have. It has all of the sweet flavors of traditional carrot cake, but is sweetened with pure maple syrup. I also managed to use NO BUTTER! *Gasp!*

You’re probably wondering how exactly it’s possible to make a delectable, extremely moist mini carrot bundt cake without white sugar and butter.

Please keep reading to find out just what makes these cute little cakes just so healthy and mouthwatering tasty.

Mini carrot bundt cakes hidden ingredients

Obviously we start with carrots in this recipe {not so hidden}. But then we move on to the hidden, and not-so-typical, ingredients of these mini carrot bundt cakes. They include: applesauce, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, pure maple syrup and cashew milk.

I love all of these ingredients on their own, but the addition of the applesauce and maple syrup add sweetness and a malty caramel flavor to the cake.

Greek yogurt and coconut oil are great for added moisture, ensuring the cakes don’t dry out. And then there’s cashew milk. Probably one of my new favorite creamy alternative milks. It adds some creamy texture to the carrot cake as well.

For these particular mini carrot bundt cakes, I used a mixture of white whole wheat flour and coconut flour.

The coconut flour adds a nice light texture to the cakes that both Burken and I have loved.

You can find coconut flour in the health section at your local grocer or online. My favorite is Bob’s Red Mill.

The last piece that makes these cakes just so dang good, and taste just like the carrot cake you know and love, are the spices.

The warm cinnamon, bold cloves and rich flavor of cardamom all combine together to make a perfectly spiced carrot cake.

Easter basket bundt cakes

I loved using these mini bundt pans to make these carrot cakes because they create the perfect little “basket”.

With Easter hopping right around the corner, these are the perfect little dessert to take to your holiday.

I bought the pans from our local Home Goods {obsession is an understatement when it comes to that store. Anyone else able to leave without buying a whole basket-full??} but these are pretty similar. 

When you frost your mini carrot bundt cakes with the delectable cream cheese frosting {because no carrot cake is complete without it}, spoon it into a Ziploc, or pastry bag.

Then cut a large piece of the tip off and make almost a zig-zag pattern on top. Then sprinkle with shredded coconut. Place a few candy eggs in the “basket”, and you’re all set for Easter!

Print

Mini Carrot Bundt Cakes

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Mini carrot bundt cakes are a smaller, and healthier, version of the traditional carrot cake you know and love. Feel good about eating this super moist, sweet and healthy carrot cake for Easter dessert, or anytime after the carrot holiday!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot cake, healthy cake, mini dessert

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla Cashew milk
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. raw cane sugar
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 ¼ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup white whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. cloves
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• Shredded coconut
• Candy eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature {or softened}*
• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1-2 Tbsp. unsweetened vanilla Cashew milk

Directions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and spray four mini bundt pans with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the applesauce, yogurt, milk, maple syrup, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla. Mix in the shredded carrots.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
4. Add about half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix to incorporate.
5. Divide the batter among the four bundt pans and place on a baking sheet.
6. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
7. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth.
8. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth. Add 1-2 Tbsp. milk if the batter seems extra thick.
9. Once the bundt pans are cool enough to touch, flip over. Frost the budnts with the cream cheese frosting.
10. Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top and top with candy eggs in the center.

Recipe Notes

*Note: room temperature cream cheese will mean no lumps in your frosting. Beat it first to ensure the smoothest cream cheese frosting.