• Preheat your oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional. Generously grease two Tala 6-cup Mini Sandwich Pans with melted butter and sprinkle a little flour into each hole. Tilt the tin to coat the sides, then tap out the excess.
  20 grams Unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon Plain flour
  
• Grate the carrot and finely chop the walnuts. Set aside for now.
  125 grams Carrots, 50 grams Walnuts
  
• In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, spices and orange zest together until combined. Make a well in the middle.
  180 grams Light brown sugar, 180 grams Self-raising flour, 1.5 teaspoons Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Mixed Spice, 1 large Orange
  
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla until well combined.
  2 large Eggs, 180 millilitres Sunflower oil , 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract 
  
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and combined.
  
• Fold in the grated carrot and chopped walnuts.
  
• Divide the mixture evenly between the baking tins, filling each one 3/4 full.
  
• Bake for 20-22 minutes until the mini carrot cakes are golden and risen. Leave to cool completely in the baking tin. To release the cakes, first run a knife around the outside and then push them out from underneath. Use a knife to peel off the metal bases.
  

Make the cream cheese frosting:

• Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and icing sugar together until soft and fluffy. This will take a little while but just keep going. If the texture is too dry, you can add a splash of milk.
  100 grams Unsalted butter, 200 grams Icing sugar
  
• Scoop two heaped tablespoons of buttercream into a separate bowl and mix with orange food colouring to turn it bright orange. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle (I used the Tala No.4 piping tip). Set aside for now.
  Orange food colouring
  
• Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and add it to the bowl of white buttercream. Whisk on low speed until the frosting is smooth and combined. Take care not to overmix, as it can quickly become runny.
  100 grams  Full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese
  

Assemble and decorate the mini carrot cakes:

• If the cakes have domed on top, use a sharp knife to level them off.
  
• Spoon or pipe the cream cheese frosting on half of the sponges. Place the other sponges on top to sandwich the layers together.
  
• Spoon or pipe more cream cheese frosting on top. Use the back of a teaspoon to make a swirl on top.
  
• Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top of each mini cake. Holding the piping bag of orange buttercream at a 45° angle, pipe a triangle-shaped squiggle to create the carrot shape.
  20 grams Walnuts
  
• Finish with a small sprig of rosemary for the leaves. Serve and enjoy!
  Rosemary sprigs