I’m lovin’ these desserts for two! It’s such a life saver for anyone living by themselves or with just one other person. Just enough indulgence without going overboard. When a reader requested a carrot cake recipe for two, I was happy to give it a try (or three tries). I LOVE carrot cake and I almost always have a partial bag of carrots hanging out in my fridge because I love shredding one or two into different recipes for added nutrients and they stay good for quite some time. So these little Carrot Cakes for Two are a great way to use up the last one or two carrots in the bag.
It took me three tries to get this recipe right, but hey, I’m not complaining. That just means I got to eat carrot cake three times. Tee-hee! I left the recipe pretty simple as just a spiced cake loaded with shredded carrots, but you could always add a few raisins or even some shredded coconut to the mix (stir them into the wet ingredients). Oooh, or walnuts. Yes, walnuts would be good in there too. Yum.
Carrot Cake (for two)
Servings 2Ingredients
CAKE
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour $0.05
- 1/2 tsp baking powder $0.04
- 1/4 tsp salt $0.02
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon $0.05
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg $0.03
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger ((optional) $0.02)
- 1 large egg ((yolk only) $0.19)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar $0.12
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract $0.07
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil $0.08
- 1 medium carrot $0.14
FROSTING
- 1 oz . cream cheese $0.22
- 1 Tbsp butter $0.07
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract $0.07
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar $0.13
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir until evenly combined.
- Peel the carrot and use a large holed cheese grater to shred it into a separate bowl. Add the egg yolk, brown sugar, vanilla, and vegetable oil to the shredded carrot. Whisk these ingredients together with a fork until evenly combined.
- Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until evenly combined.
- Coat two small (6oz.) ramekins with non-stick spray, then divide the batter between the two. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet to make them easier to transport in and out of the oven. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cakes are baking, place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl and allow them to come to room temperature. Once room temperature and soft, whisk with a fork until smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time until it is all incorporated.
- Allow the cakes to cool before spreading the cream cheese frosting over top (otherwise it will melt and slide off). Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Carrot Cake for Two – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ground ginger (optional).
In a separate bowl, combine the yolk of one large egg, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, and one medium carrot that has been shredded using a large holed cheese grater. Whisk with a fork until evenly combined.
Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until they are combined and no dry clumps remain. Try to avoid over mixing.
Coat two small 6oz. ramekins with non-stick spray (or a muffin tin) and divide the batter between the two. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet to make it easier to move them in and out of the oven. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cakes are baking, add 1 oz. cream cheese, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract to a bowl. Let them come to room temperature, so they are soft and easy to work with.
It’s easier to whisk the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together into a paste before adding the powdered sugar. Once you have the soft paste, add the powdered sugar a little at a time until it’s all incorporated.
Ta-da! Now let these cool before adding the icing (or else it will melt and slide off).
Once the cakes are no longer hot-hot (a little warm is okay), slather that delicious icing over top. Oh my.
And enjoy.
How would this convert for microwave (if at all)? That’s a lot of oven heat for just a little bit of cake for me! I’m completely addicted to mug cookies, and this would be right up the same “danger alley” if there were to be a microwave version.
So please don’t give (yes give give GIVE!) us a nuke version!!
You could probably use a toaster oven instead. That’s what I do when I make biscuits that I’ve frozen before hand. You’ll just have to watch them more closely since they’ll be a lot closer to the elements.
I wondered the same thing, and I bet it would work. Since these look so amazing, and my oven is out of order at the moment, I think I’ll just try it! :)
You might try it in a toaster oven if you have one.
These would be cute baked in those silicone mini Bundt cups I bought at the dollar store. Because they e quite small I think I might get more than two cakes out of the recipe.
Beth, you say bake for 30 minutes. What temperature?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
DOH ! thanks Ande. I need to learn to read.
I have 3 egg whites in my frig from making a key lime pie which thankfully (the pie) went to a neighbor. If I make these carrot cakes, I’ll have enough egg whites to make your S’mores Macaron which have been on my “want to make list” since you posted them! And I’ve read that the process goes easier with older egg whites so I should be all set :)!
I LOVE YOU BETH
I made these yesterday and I loved them! I was wondering since people mentioned what to do with the extra egg white… Is it possible to come up with an angel food cake for two with the leftover whites, perhaps? :D
Excellent idea! :)
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perfect way to use up that lonely carrot ! Genius
Beth – You are my hero. This is all I ever want in life. I’m a carrot cake fanatic and having an entire sheet cake in my refrigerator is dangerous. Now, I can enjoy one serving with my boyfriend. :)
I’m with Erin on this one. I love carrot cake. I love the idea of adding shredded coconut (but just to mine, is it just me or is it true that all men hate coconut?!) And I’m going for the walnuts, because you should go big or go home. Serving for two. Perfect. Save me from myself.
…and the rating… YUM! 5 stars!
haha carrot cake for ONE! I ate both of them! :p
Mmmmmm. I LOVE carrot cake. The portions are perfect, so I can avoid wasting food. I’m looking forward to making Chicken Shawarma for dinner this week, as well as the carrot cake. :-)
Ohhhh nooooo. Carrot cake is one of my greatest weaknesses! I already made your brownie pots twice in the last 3 days (which were a big hit). Thanks for another recipe I can’t wait to try! I’ve always loved baking but didn’t consider myself much of a cook until I started following your blog. Now I cook almost all of my meals, and they’re almost all from Budget Bytes.
Yum! I’m going to treat myself to carrot cake and a face mask using the white from the egg :)
What do you suggest doing with the egg white leftover? I love this idea but I usually dislike wasting the egg white. Would it be ok to incorporate into the batter anyway?
Whenever I have egg whites from baking, I just scramble them in a pan with a little butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I call them albino scrambled eggs.
It would probably change the texture too much, but you could always save it for a quick egg sandwich or breakfast wrap later. Raw egg whites also freeze well.
I like using leftover egg whites to make a nice egg white omelet with arugula, baby spinach, feta cheese, salt, pepper, and a pinch each of basil and oregano. Pair that with a slice of toasted rye bread with butter, tomato and green onions (dash of salt and pepper again), and you have a lovely breakfast. Oh and some fruit on the side is also essential. Maybe throw in some bacon too ;)