Jennifer’s Carrot Cake Bites
This is one dessert that is to die for! My good friend Jennifer’s carrot cake bites are so delicious, and the small size lets us feel less guilty for eating such a divine, moist, rich treat! So delicious, so rich, so moist, so amazing! These carrot cake bites are moist little bites of heaven!
There’s nothing quite like a carrot cake for flavor that just pops in every bite. The tender, sweet cake with that cream cheese frosting is just so good!
I’ve tried and made a variety of these delicious desserts in my day. My carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting is always a hit at special occasions, and I love serving my mini carrot cake cupcakes for a weeknight dessert.
I have to say, this is my favorite! The buttermilk glaze that you pour on top, right after the carrot cake comes out of the oven, is SO absolutely delicious! I kept sipping spoonful after spoonful of the buttermilk glaze right out of the saucepan! Oh my, so amazing!
What makes these little cupcake bites so interesting (and delicious) is that they’re a bit like tiny poke cakes. You poke little holes in them, cover them with the glaze, and is soaks in. Om nom nom.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic Flavor: These bites are loaded with the classic carrot cake and orange cream cheese frosting flavors we all know and love.
- Super Moist and Tender: The buttermilk glaze that soaks into the bites makes them so incredibly moist and tender.
- Basic Ingredients: These bites are made with common baking staples found in any kitchen or grocery store.
- Easy: The cupcakes, glaze, and frosting are all simple recipes, and putting them all together is equally easy.
- Versatile: These bites are perfect for dessert, parties, or even a sweet addition to breakfast or brunch!
- A Great Make-Ahead Option: These bites are freezer-friendly. Store an extra batch for up to a month for future use!
Ingredients
I’ve included all the ingredients you’ll need to make these carrot cake bites right here, but you can find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Carrot Cake Bites
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Eggs – slightly beaten
- Vegetable oil
- Butermilk
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Crushed pineapple – drained
- Carrots – grated
- Coconut – flaked
- Orange peel – grated
- Walnuts – chopped (optional)
Buttermilk Glaze
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Buttermilk
- Butter
- Light corn syrup
- Vanilla
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- Butter – softened
- Cream cheese – softened
- Vanilla
- Powdered sugar
- Grated orange peel
- Fresh orange juice
Variations
- Carrot Cake Poke Cake: Make the recipe as called for, but cut the cakes into regular-sized pieces for carrot cake poke cake.
- Chocolate Chips: Milk, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate chips all pair well with the flavors of these cake bites, adding a pop of extra flavor.
- Nuts: I love the walnuts in this recipe, but really any nut will work. Use your favorite to create different flavors.
- Cupcakes: Make the recipe as directed, but bake the batter in cupcake pans. Be sure to reduce your baking time.
- Extra Sweet: Use orange buttercream frosting in place of cream cheese frosting for an even sweeter version.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bites
Although easy to make, this recipe does have several steps. I’ve included an overview here, but you can find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Carrot Cake
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then beat the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Then, fold in the carrots, coconut, and pineapple.
- Divide the batter between two 8×8 prepared baking dishes and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Buttermilk Glaze
- Bring the buttermilk glaze ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan while the cakes bake.
- Remove the baked cakes from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the tops of the cakes.
- Pour the glaze over both cakes and let them cool for about 15 minutes. Then, transfer the cakes from their pans to a wire rack and cool completely.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat teh butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy.
- Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Frost the fully cooled cakes. Then, cut them into small squares and enjoy!
Tips
- Loosely spoon your flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife to avoid using too much. Never scoop your flour out directly with the measuring cup.
- Bring your cold cake ingredients to room temperature to facilitate better emulsification and create a more tender cake.
- Mix your batter until just combined, meaning all the ingredients are moistened. Overmixing creates tough cake bites.
- While not always necessary, I recommend sifting your powdered sugar for the frosting to ensure the best texture.
- Be sure your cakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cakes will cause the frosting to thin and lose its luxurious texture.
Carrot Cake Bites FAQ
Carrot cake bites are simply very small slices of carrot cake. A carrot cake is baked and frosted and then cut into bite-sized squares.
This recipe is basically a poke cake that’s been cut into bite-sized squares. As with any poke cake, it’s important to keep the holes spaced about ½-inch apart and no deeper than half the depth of the cake. Otherwise, it will fall apart when sliced.
Carrots should be grated as finely as possible for carrot cake. The goal is to achieve a soft, most texture without any large chunks or strips of carrots. Use the smallest setting or side of your grater.
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This is my good friend Jennifer and her husband Tom. Talk about two wonderful human beings… These two are always helping others and doing nice things for people. Jennifer is my co-worker and a Case Manager with Hospice. She takes care of our Veterans who are in hospice at the VA home.
Jennifer is an amazing RN, and I am soooo fortunate to have met her and to be able to work side by side with her. I have learned so much from Jennifer. Most of all, I’m so thankful that I can call her my friend!! Thanks for an amazing cake recipe that I can add to my collection of delicious cakes! You’re awesome!
Jennifer’s Carrot Cake Bites
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Bites
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
- 3 ½ cup carrots, grated
- 1 ½ cup coconut, flaked
- 1 tsp orange peel, grated
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
For the Buttermilk Glaze
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup butter
- 1 Tbs light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp grated orange peel
- 2 tsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350°.
- Lightly grease 2 8X8 baking dishes.
- Line with parchment paper.
- Lightly grease and dust with flour, set aside.
For the Carrot Cake Bites
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl, combined eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla.
- Beat on low speed until well combined.
- Stir in flour mixture with a wooden spoon.
- Fold in grated carrots, flaked coconut, and crushed pineapple until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dishes.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and poke lots of little holes throughout.
- Immediately pour the buttermilk glaze over both cakes.
- Let cool in baking dishes for 15 minutes.
- Remove cakes and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Spread the orange cream cheese frosting on top.
For the Buttermilk Glaze
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, butter and corn syrup.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir until combined.
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla, powdered sugar, grated orange peel, and fresh orange juice.
- Beat until smooth.
- Frost each cake once cooled completely.
- Cut into small pieces and place in cupcake liners.
- Enjoy!
- Store in refrigerator.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze entire cakes wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for up to a month. Or, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Loosely spoon your flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife to avoid using too much. Never scoop your flour out directly with the measuring cup.
- Bring your cold cake ingredients to room temperature to facilitate better emulsification and create a more tender cake.
- Mix your batter until just combined, meaning all the ingredients are moistened. Overmixing creates tough cake bites.
- While not always necessary, I recommend sifting your powdered sugar for the frosting to ensure the best texture.
- Be sure your cakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cakes will cause the frosting to thin and lose its luxurious texture.
Adapted from Southern Living “Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake” April 1981
Nutrition
Here are a couple pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest!
Enjoy, Terri
