Mini Tahini Carrot Cake (6" Cake Pan or Standard Loaf Pan)
A small but mighty mini tahini carrot cake that is sweet and nutty with a super soft, velvety crumb. Topped with a simple dusting of cinnamon powdered sugar, this tiny tower of a carrot cake is perfect for brunch, snacking, or dessert!
Ingredients
- 150 grams finely grated carrots (about 2-3 large carrots)
- 100 grams sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 70 grams whole milk (room temperature)
- 60 grams tahini (well stirred)
- 50 grams olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 100 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar or icing sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 6x3" round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (don't worry about the sides).
- Mise en place: Peel and grate the carrots on the small holes of a box grater or microplane. You want very fine, delicate ribbons of carrots. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk, tahini, and oil. Note: Wait to stir the vinegar into the wet ingredients until right after you add the sugar to the eggs in the next step (you don't want it to sit too long in the milk or it will curdle). Set aside.
- Ribbon the eggs. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk room temperature egg on medium speed for 60 seconds. Then add sugar and whisk 3-4 minutes more on high speed, until very thick and pale in color. When you lift the whisk up, there should be a "ribbon" of egg and sugar that drips from the end and sits on the surface of the mixture for a few seconds before sinking in.
- Add the liquids. With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly stream the milk/oil/tahini/vinegar mixture into the eggs. It should take about a minute or a minute and a half to add it all. Once it's all in, scrape down the sides and beat for another minute on high speed.
- Add the dries. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed until almost completely combined.
- Add the carrots. When there are just a few streaks of flour left in the bowl, add the carrots and stir on low speed just until combined. The flour will continue mixing in as the carrots do.
- Remove air bubbles. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to send any trapped air bubbles to the top.
- Bake the cake. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If using an instant read thermometer, you're looking for an internal doneness temperature of 190F.
- Cool. Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a sheet pan to cool completely.
- Finish. Once the cake is completely cool, whisk powdered sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Dust overtop the cake before serving.
RECIPE NOTES
- Submerge the egg in hot water while you grate the carrots. By the time you finish grating, the egg will be at room temperature and ready to use!
- To cut a parchment circle to fit the bottom of the cake pan, trace the bottom of the pan and then cut about an eighth of an inch inside the circle you drew. This will account for the thickness of the pan walls and give you a circle that fits neatly inside the pan.
- Have the carrots ready to go before you start mixing anything. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, the baking soda and baking powder will start to activate. You don't want to leave them hanging around while you grate the carrots!
- If you haven't (measured out) all your remaining ingredients before mixing the egg and sugar together, do so while the egg and sugar are mixing. But if you still have more to prep but the eggs have ribboned, reduce the mixer speed to low to keep the egg and sugar incorporated while you finish prepping.
- Recipe inspiration borrowed from: The Carrot & Pecan Cake in Claire Saffitz's Dessert Person, the Sesame Cake from Yossi Arefi's Snacking Cakes, and a carrot cake muffin I made in pastry school.