Easy Carrot Cake Slice with Cream Cheese Frosting

A small square piece of carrot cake on a white plate.

Easy Carrot Cake Slice with Cream Cheese Frosting

Indulge in this amazing carrot cake slice, a quick and easy way to enjoy all the delicious sweet flavour of carrot cake in convenient tray bake form. Perfect for your next picnic, party, or family gathering!

Course Cake, Snack

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Cooling time 10

Total Time 50

Servings Pieces

Calories 330kcal

Author Wandercooks

Cost $5

Equipment

1 Mixing Bowl(s)
1 9x9 in (24cm) Baking Dish / Lamington Tray

Ingredients

For the cake slice

2 cups self raising flour 250 g / 8.8 oz
3/4 cup brown sugar 100 g / 3.5 oz, lightly packed
2 large carrots around 2 cups, grated
½ cup walnuts 45 g / 1.6oz, chopped
1 ½ tsp mixed spice sub cinnamon and / or nutmeg
150 g vegetable oil sub melted butter

For the cream frosting

200 g cream cheese 7 oz, at room temperature
1 cup icing sugar 100 g / 3.5 oz
2 tbsp butter softened
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the carrot cake slice:

Pre-heat oven to 180˚C / 360˚F.
Place all slice ingredients (self raising flour, brown sugar, grated carrot, chopped walnuts, mixed spice and vegetable oil) into a medium mixing bowl. Mix well. Tip: If the batter is too dry and hard to mix, add a little more oil or melted butter. If the mixture is too runny, add a little more flour.
2 cups self raising flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 large carrots, ½ cup walnuts, 1 ½ tsp mixed spice, 150 g vegetable oil
Pour batter into a baking dish lined with baking paper and press down flat with the back of a spoon. Bake for around 30-35 minutes until cooked through. Tip: Let the cake cool down in the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow it to fully cool before topping with icing.

For the cream cheese frosting:

Add all the frosting ingredients (cream cheese, icing sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract). Mix well.
200 g cream cheese, 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Slather cream cheese frosting all over the cake. Slice into small squares or rectangles and serve.

Video

Notes

Baking Paper - Line your baking tray with baking paper to make it easy to take the slices out once baked.
Frosting - Allow plenty of time for the cake to cool before topping with frosting, otherwise the frosting will just melt into a runny mess. Go slowly to spread it evenly right to the edge. P.S. If you don’t want to use cream cheese frosting, try our lemon slice icing instead!
Double Batch - Why not bake two slices, one for now and one to freeze for later!
Storage - Store in the fridge in an airtight container for around 2-3 days. You can also freeze it for a month or two.
Skip the Icing - Serve warm and slathered with butter, just like pain d’epice (French spice bread).
Extra Veggies - Add finely grated zucchini into the mix, or skip the carrot completely and go full zucchini, like a sweet version of zucchini slice!
Topping Ideas - Go for a simple powdered sugar icing, or amp it up with a tangy lemon icing or chocolate frosting. You could even add extra ground nutmeg, speculaas spice mix or pumpkin pie spice to the cream cheese topping for extra cosy flavour.
Choc Chips - This slice is amazing with white, milk or dark chocolate chips baked in.
Dried Fruit - Add sultanas, currants, raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried mixed fruit or mixed peel for extra tart citrus flavour.
Leftover Frosting? - Use it as a topping for strawberry muffins, eton mess, pavlova - or our favourite - on top of poffertjes!

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