This One Bowl Carrot Snack Cake is the perfect size for a small family gathering or anytime snack cake! Not too sweet, it is a nice breakfast treat or afternoon snack! Of course, this cake is an excellent dessert for Easter Brunch.
We are big fans of carrot cake in this house. Normally, I make a Bundt style carrot cake that is always a hit. However, it makes a large bundt cake and also has A LOT of sugar. Sometimes, you need something a little simpler. In Southern Living last month (a few months ago, I’m not sure), they featured a one bowl snack cake using self-rising flour with a condensed milk-based frosting. I tried this recipe out, and I saw the potential. The condensed milk frosting was not something I will be repeating, but the one bowl cake using self-rising flour was something I could workshop for sure. The plain cake featured was not one I particularly enjoyed, the self-rising flavor gave a strong biscuit flavor to a plain cake. But it was the perfect backdrop to balance out a spiced carrot cake!
This carrot cake starts with freshly grated carrots. I had some baby carrots that needed to be used up, so I went with those. You would think not having to peel would make this process easier, but the small size made hand grating a challenge. Tiny little nubby carrots were tough to grate compared to their regular sized, less processed counterparts. I recommend using regular carrots, washing them well and then peeling before grating.
You could use a food processor with a grating attachment, but I used a little handheld cheese grater. I have a food processor but getting it out and washing after felt like more effort than necessary.
Mixing the dry ingredients in the bowl then adding the wet into the same bowl help this recipe come together in a snap.
This recipe has 1 cup of grated carrots, using the large holes on a handheld cheese grater, but I think you could add up to half a cup more without adding to much moisture.
Speaking of moisture, this cake also works well at altitude! I currently live in Colorado Springs. Baking here has been a challenge. When testing this recipe, I was skeptical. One factor usually manipulated in baking recipes is the amount of leavening used. Using self-rising flour, I was not sure how to manipulate the rising agent, as it was not something I was measuring out separately.
My local grocery store started carrying vanilla bean paste (pictured above, the goo in the photo) and I have started subbing it for vanilla extract in my recipes. I need to do a side-by-side comparison for flavor, right now in this moment I can’t honestly say if I have noticed a significant difference in the actual baked good.
On the other hand, vanilla bean paste DOES make a difference in frosting. The vanilla bean paste leaves pretty specks, and there is a depth to the vanilla flavor. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting here features vanilla bean paste. The vanilla/cinnamon combo with the tang from the cream cheese was decadent without being overpowering. It may be my new favorite frosting. After tasting it for the first time, I knew I would use it on other bakes. (Cinnamon rolls maybe!?)
One Bowl Carrot Snack Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
This simple one bowl carrot cake fits in an 8×8 pan and is just the right size when you need a little sweet treat. With self rising flour and fresh carrots, this cake is lightly sweetened with a tangy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Perfect to have with your morning coffee or after Easter Brunch!
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup self rising flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup Whole Milk
1/3 cup melted butter (I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could sub vegetable oil/avocado oil)
1 cup freshly shredded carrots (I use a cheese grater!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 Eight ounce Block Cream Cheese at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon GroundFrosting.
Chopped Pecans for the top if you are old like me
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350F. Take an 8 inch glass baking pan and line with parchment paper. You can also use the baking spray with the paper or skip the paper and only use spray.
In a large bowl, Whisk the flour, sugar cinnamon, ground ginger and carrots together. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until everything is combined but do not over mix. Make sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Pour into your prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Mine took exactly 30 minutes here on Colorado Springs. Test using a toothpick. Let cool completely before frosting.
To make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
You can use a stand mixer, hand held mixer, or bowl and wooden spoon.
Place the softened Cream Cheese in your bowl and beat until soft and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and mix until the cinnamon is evenly distributed and no lumps remain. This will be a softer frosting, but will firm up in the fridge.
Spread the frosting on the cooled cake and top with pecans as desired. Store in the fridge between servings.
