Mini Strawberry Carrot Cakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

There's something magical about the arrival of spring – it's a time of renewal, freshness, spending more time outside, and, of course, delicious seasonal treats.

To celebrate the start of this delightful season, I made a dessert that combines the sweetness of strawberries with the earthy warmth of carrots—mini Strawberry Carrot Cakes with luscious cream cheese frosting.

This carrot cake is delicious and made with healthy ingredients! It’s moist and can be made into mini-cakes or a regular-sized cake.

It’s indeed the perfect spring gathering dessert!

Strawberry Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

These cakes are so moist, tender, and infused with the fresh flavors of ripe strawberries and grated carrots.

And, of course, what would a carrot cake be without a generous slathering of velvety, tangy cream cheese frosting?!

A sprinkling of edible seasonal flowers adds a touch of whimsy and elegance to these yummy cakes. It's the perfect way to showcase the beauty of spring, that's almost too lovely to eat!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup White Granulated Sugar (or brown sugar if desired)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Strawberry Purée
1 cup Grated Carrots
2 tsp. Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
Cardamon - a good pinch
All-spice - a good pinch
1⁄2 cup Pistachios, roughly chopped

Optional:

Crushed pistachios to sprinkle onto cakes when done.
Seasonal Flowers to garnish
Shredded carrots for garnish

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTINg:

1 cup Cream Cheese, cold
1 cup Butter, room temperature
4 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
1 tsp. Vanilla Essence (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F
If you're making mini cakes, you can use a regular baking dish or a 9” round. Grease whichever you use before baking.
Add fresh strawberries to the food processor and purée. Set aside.
Add the strawberry purée, vanilla, oil, and apple cider vinegar, and mix into a batter. Do not over-mix. It will still seem thick, which is okay.
Fold in the fresh carrots and pistachios.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes. It should come out clean.
Remove from heat and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:

Use a stand-up or handheld mixer.
Cream butter and cream cheese together until blended.
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time and blend until creamy and smooth.
Add the vanilla if desired and mix in.
Use immediately or store in the fridge for later use.

To Assemble:

If making mini cakes, use a cookie cutter to cut them into the desired circular shapes.
Stack the cakes and frost in between and on top.
Sprinkle with crushed pistachios
Add seasonal flowers if you’d like, and/or some shredded carrot as a garnish.
If you’re not making mini cakes, simply frost, top, and serve!

Serves 6.