Carrot Cake Fingers with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

These elegant, bite-sized Carrot Cake Fingers are a refined twist on a classic favourite, finished with lemon cream cheese icing piped in a delicate ribbon and adorned with fresh lemon and edible flowers. Carefully developed and tested in my Flower & Sugar kitchen, they’re designed to look beautiful on an Afternoon Tea stand while staying wonderfully moist and flavourful. Watch the promo video at the end of the recipe for inspiration.

Carrot Cake Perfection in Two Bites

Carrot cake has always been one of my great loves. If I’m in a café, it’s my go-to treat with a cup of coffee—no question. The gentle warmth of cinnamon, the brightness of orange zest, the crunch of walnuts, and the soft sweetness of carrots all come together to create a cake that’s comforting yet full of character.

And of course, where would carrot cake be without its perfect partner—lemon cream cheese icing? Tangy, smooth, and irresistible, it’s a match so perfect I can’t imagine one without the other.

What does make me a little sad, though, is how often this beautiful cake is let down by its presentation. Too often I see a quick swirl of icing and a few walnuts thrown on top, and that’s it. Ugh. It feels like such a wasted opportunity.

To me, carrot cake deserves its moment on a tiered stand at an elegant Afternoon Tea, dressed up and ready to impress.

So that’s what I set out to do. I reworked my tried-and-true carrot cake recipe from my cake business days into neat bite size fingers—perfectly portioned for refined Afternoon Teas. Instead of a casual dollop of icing, I piped a graceful ribbon pattern to highlight its elegance. Finally, I added edible flowers—both fresh and pressed—to complement the cake’s russet tones and contrast beautifully with the ivory lemon cream cheese icing.

The result? Carrot Cake Fingers that don’t just taste delicious but look every bit as special as they deserve.

Good to know

Perfect portions: These fingers are sized to be eaten in two bites—ideal for Afternoon Tea or a dessert platter.

Moist texture: The sour cream in the batter keeps the cake tender, while the grated carrot adds natural sweetness and moisture.

Flavour balance: Cinnamon and orange zest bring gentle warmth and freshness, while walnuts add a lovely crunch.

Make ahead: The fingers can be baked a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Elevate with Edible Flowers

Garnish my bite size Carrot Cake Fingers with fresh edible flowers such as Violas, Cornflower petals, or Lavender petals. I buy a small commercial mix from my local fruit and vegetable shop that stocks the brand Flowerdale.

If you have a good supply in your own garden then free to use your own. Even simple rose petals look divine! Just make sure whatever you choose to use is pesticide free.

You can also used pressed flowers. If you have plenty of edible flowers in your garden it’s a great way to save them for a later date. Just make sure you start pressing at least 3 weeks before your event. You can also purchase freeze dried or pressed flowers online, just make sure they are 100% suitable for food use and not just for art purposes. Check out Piccolo Edibles for a great range and good advice.

Other Afternoon Tea recipes to make

Flower Scones

Smoked Salmon Finger Sandwiches

Tiny Sausage Rolls

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients for Carrot Cake Fingers

Make the Carrot Cake Fingers

Read through the whole recipe before you get started.

Preheat the oven to 160 C fan / 320 F fan.

Place the silicone mini bar pan on a baking sheet. Spray 18 cavities with canola oil then set aside.

Roughly chop the grated carrot and the walnuts, then zest the orange. Leave everything on your chopping board for now.

Place the flour, soft brown sugar, white sugar, salt, bicarb and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

In a separate large bowl, combine the vegetable oil with the sour cream, eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix well with a fork then add the carrots, walnuts and zest. Stir until all the carrot is coated with the wet mixture.

Add the flour mixture to the carrot mixture and stir until all the flour has been incorporated.

Fill each mini bar cavity three-quarters full with the carrot cake batter. Use a mini ice cream scoop to make it easier and ensure consistency with the size. The one I used measures 4cm in diameter.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven then cool for 5 minutes in the pan – set a timer.

Push up on the bottom of the silicone pan to remove a finger then place upside down on a rack until cool. Repeat with remaining fingers.

Trim (if you need to)

Line a tray with baking paper. Set out the carrot cake fingers portrait style, right side up.

If you get a lip on the top edge of some of the fingers, simply trim it off with a sharp knife so it looks the same as the other fingers. The more uniform they are the better the overall result.

Make the buttercream

Fit a medium disposable piping bag with a #104 tip, snip off the end and set aside.

Soften the butter and sift the icing sugar.

Place the softened butter and the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Restart the mixer on the lowest setting and add the sifted icing sugar one tablespoon at a time until all has been added. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and increase the speed to medium. Beat for 1 minute until fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides. Beat again for 30 seconds.

Place the piping bag inside a tall glass and turn over the top third to make a cuff.

Fill with the lemon cream cheese icing, pull up the cuff, twist the bag and squeeze until the icing reaches the tip.

Ice the carrot cake fingers

My post on Instagram and TikTok shows me piping these little carrot cake bites – it’s only 30 seconds long so have a quick look. If you haven’t worked with this piping tip before, do a few practice pipes on a clean plate until you feel confident.

Position the piping bag so that the teardrop part / thickest part of the tip is closest to your bench.

Hold the bag at a 45 degree angle.

Starting in the top left hand corner of a carrot cake finger, squeeze out a small amount icing. Now move across to the right hand side then turn the corner and go back to the left hand side then turn again. Continue in this way until you get to the bottom right hand corner, then stop.

Repeat with remaining carrot cake fingers. Store until required – see below.

Garnish the Carrot Cake Fingers

Tip: Place the dehydrated lemons on a plate and leave out uncovered overnight. The air will soften them a little which will make them a lot easier to cut in half.

Cut the dehydrated lemon slices in half with a pair of scissors. Insert into each finger then add the edible flowers, pressed flowers etc. If the lemon slice is too large, cut it into quarters instead – the cakes are bite size so you don’t want the lemon to dominate the overall presentation.

Serve on a tiered stand, plate or platter.

To make ahead

Un-iced: Bake the carrot cake fingers 1 day in advance and store them in a sealed container lined with baking paper in the refrigerator. Place on a tray lined with baking paper (as above) for 30 minutes before following the instructions for icing and garnishing.

Iced: Bake and ice the day before required then store overnight as above. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving, then finish with edible flowers.

Freeze: Freeze un-iced fingers for up to 1 month. Place in a sealed container lined with baking paper and write the date on top. Defrost overnight in the fridge (keep in the container). Place the fingers on a tray lined with baking paper (as above) for 30 minutes before following the instructions for icing and garnishing.