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Who is in the mood for these mini carrot cakes? Aren’t they adorable?! They would go perfectly with my Bunny Bottom Cookies. 🙂
With four kids baking has become such a treat… because they think that everything that comes out of the oven is the best thing in the world! These Carrot Cake Balls are no exception.
I will say that not everyone likes carrot cake. Everyone likes it differently, too: nuts or no nuts, raisins or no raisins, cream cheese icing or vanilla icing. In our house, I leave the raisins out (even though I love them!) because only two of our kids like raisins. The other kids can spice it up with their own toppings, like raisins, if they want to include them.
This recipe was sent to me from a friend. She said that it is easy to make and tastes great, so I knew I had to share it. Easter is coming and everyone loves Carrot Cake… although you could certainly make this anytime of the year!
Enjoy!
Carrot Cake Balls
Ingredients
- 1 box carrot cake mix
- 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter softened
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 container cream cheese frosting
- 1 bag bright white candy melts
- 1 cup green candy melts
- 1/2 cup orange candy melts
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 disposable piping bags
- 1 small cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper
- 1 medium cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper
- 1 wire rack over a cookie sheet
- 1 metal spatula
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degreesLine your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a standing mixer, beat cake mix butter, milk, vanilla and eggs on medium speed for 2 minutes.Mix in the shredded carrots and chopped pecansPour cupcake batter into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bake in the oven for about 21 minutes
- COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE MOVING ON
- Remove cupcakes from cupcake liners and crumble into a large mixing bowl until the cake is crumbled into fine crumbs
- Scoop in two spoonfuls of cream cheese frosting into the crumbled cake and mix until dough like texture
- Mix until dough like texture
- Flatten out cake batter onto the medium cookie sheet and set aside
- MAKE CANDY STEMS: Using a double boiler, melt your green candy melts
- Once melted, scoop into a disposable piping bag and cut the tip offPipe stems onto the small cookie sheet by piping a thick line about 2-3 inches long and pipe leafs along the linesI recommend piping A LOT because they will break when inserting them into the cake
- SET ASIDE WHIEL STEMS DRY...
- While the stems are drying, using the carrot cookie cutter cut out the carrots and place onto the medium cookie sheet
- Cut off the tops of the carrots and discard them (or use them to make little cake balls to eat... just because you can!)
- Using the double boiler again, melt the white candy melts
- Once melted add the 2 tbsp of coconut oil to thin out the white candy melt.Pour into a piping bag and set aside
- Place the bodies of the carrots onto the wire rack
- Carefully push the stems into the top of the carrots
- Using the white candy melts, cut the tip off the top and drizzle over the cake so that it's completely coated in white
- Using the double boiler again, melt the orange candy melts
- Lightly tap the tray onto a counter so that any excess drips off the cake.
- Once melted, scoop into the piping bagCut the tip off the orange piping bag and drizzle over the white on the cake
- Let completely dry before removing from the wire rack with a metal spatula
