Satisfy your sweet tooth with bite-sized carrot cake bliss! This recipe shows you how to make easy, delicious carrot cake bites packed with flavor. Perfect for parties, potlucks, or a quick and easy dessert.
Happy Easter Everyone!!
I am so late to the party making these. I have seen everyone posting their Easter recipes and desserts months ago! But, nonetheless, here I am, getting this up.
These bites are exactly what you want from carrot cake. They are mild and tame in flavor, so no one can resist reaching for another! This is just a cake cut into small, 2-bite pieces. This makes them so cute and dainty. There is just something about small bite-sized desserts that makes them so much more tasty. Also, the cream cheese frosting on top is incredibly perfect; it balances out the mild flavor of the carrot cake.
Table of Contents
Why Carrot Cake?
Carrot cake has a long history, starting as a carrot pudding in 1591; that honestly doesn’t sound too appetizing, but that’s before we had convenient access to all the goodies we do now. Carrot cake then became popular when sugar was rationed, and people were looking for a sweet treat. Throughout the years, it has evolved into the delicious, moist, spiced cake we all know and love today.
While carrot cake is not exclusive to Easter, it seems to go hand in hand in my head. If the Easter bunny could pick a cake, I’m sure he’d choose carrot cake every time. These carrot cake bites are perfect for Easter dinner, an Easter tea party, or a Springtime dessert.
About These Carrot Cake Bites
These carrot cake bites are so moist and spongy. They are somehow even better the next day.
Applesauce: The applesauce makes these so moist and has some extra flavor.
Cinnamon: This gives the cake that little spice that is craved when eating carrot cake. I skipped the ginger because I enjoy the mild flavor of the cake. If you miss it, though, add a little. If you love cinnamon the way I do, check out these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!
Grated Carrots: You must grate your own carrots. I know they sell pre-grated carrots at the store, and while those are great for a salad, they won’t meld with the cake the same. Get out that grater and DIY those carrots!
Frosting: While you can get away with softening the butter in the microwave and using cold cream cheese, I HIGHLY suggest planning ahead and letting these things soften naturally to room temp first. The creaminess is unmatched!
Fun Toppings
I LOVE these little carrot designs on each piece, and when I tell you I am NOT an artist, I mean it. These were so easy! Just a squiggle and then a little green on top. They all have so much personality! Here are the types of icings I used:
If you aren’t feeling that creative though, feel free to use sprinkles or even just leave it blank! Decorate for someone’s birthday with birthday sprinkles or colored frosting.
Here are a couple of my favorite Amazon sprinkle options:
Let’s get to baking!
Carrot Cake Bites
These carrot cake bites are mildly spiced with cinnamon and are perfect for parties, potlucks, or a quick and easy dessert for Easter, Springtime, or any time of the year!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Applesauce
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 cups Grated Carrots (about 3 large carrots grated)
Frosting
- 1/2 cup Softened Butter
- 8 oz Softened Cream Cheese (1 block)
- 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- Decorating icing or sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan (12×17) with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick spray. (Can replace with a 9×13 pan, but your bites will be much thicker, so increase cook time. If replacing for cupcakes, also adjust the cook time.)
- Beat applesauce, sugar, and eggs until smooth.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. (Technically, this should be mixed separately and then added, but I don’t like doing extra dishes, sooooo do as you wish.) Beat until smooth.
- Fold in carrots.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 24-28 mins til toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy and fluffy. Add powdered sugar in increments until it is all smooth and delicious.
- Remove cake from pan by parchment and frost. I suggest keeping the cake on parchment until serving for easy removal of pieces on parchment.
- Enjoy!
