This Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe is a hit! Moist and flavorful cakes are topped with mounds of tangy cream cheese frosting.
Here’s a festive recipe that’s a simpler take on the popular classic cake: Carrot Cupcakes! These cupcakes are fun, easy to put together, and extremely satisfying. Juicy carrot cakes have just the right amount of spiciness and spiciness inside. Filled with tangy cream cheese frosting, the flavor combination is out of this world. We tested them on a few friends and neighbors and they all came back with 5 star reviews! They’re ideal for Spring, Easter, or whenever you’re in the mood for a great treat.
Ingredients in carrot cake cupcakes
Carrot Cake Cupcakes are a lot easier to make than one big layered cake. No need to make multiple round pans, worry about a spilled cake, or frosting best practices. Simply pour the batter into a muffin pan and you’re done! Frosting is quick and easy with a piping bag. Here’s what you’ll need for the cake portion of these carrot cake cupcakes:
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- Spices: cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
- baking powder
- Salt
- eggs
- neutral oil
- Unsweetened applesauce: Applesauce is the secret ingredient that makes these cupcakes extremely moist!
- carrots: We like to use the grater’s large holes for large chunks of carrot
Cream Cheese Frosting Tips
The hardest part about these carrot cake cupcakes? Freeze them! We’ve learned a few tips for making the best cream cheese frosting to fit on a cupcake. Here’s what you need to know:
- Allow the butter and cream cheese to come back to room temperature (1 hour). Of course it’s boring to remember. But it’s absolutely crucial here for the right texture. We ruined it with butter that was too cold. Place them on the counter and it should take 1 hour for both to reach room temperature.
- Sift powdered sugar. To ensure the best frosting quality, sift the powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl before using. This will remove any lumps.
- Spray with a piping bag. Piping bags may seem intimidating at first, but they are very easy to use. Choose a fun frosting tip and dab the frosting onto the cakes in a circular pattern.
Carrot cake cupcake presentation ideas
These carrot cake cupcakes are gorgeous with a sprinkle of finely chopped pistachios on top. But you can intensify them in different ways! Here are a few ideas:
- Garnish with chopped nuts such as pistachios, pecans or walnuts
- Add a pinch of grated coconut
- Scatter carrot candies on topor make a decorative carrot with icing
Information on storage and preparation
What’s the best way to store carrot cake cupcakes? can you advance them Here are a few tips:
- Cupcakes are better fresh. But you can prepare them in advance! See below.
- Unfrosted cupcakes Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Frozen cupcake closeout store up to 4 days in the fridge.
- If you make ahead, save cupcakes without frosting. Refrigerate up to 2 days. Add glaze as close to serving as possible.
- Or freeze unfrozen cupcakes up to 2 months before serving. Again, we recommend bringing them closer to serving size for best results. You can also freeze leftover cream cheese icing for up to 1 month. Be sure to bring it to room temperature and stir before use.
More carrot recipes
Carrots are always in season (although of course we like to celebrate them in spring!). Here are some other carrot recipes you’ll love:
This Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe is…
Vegetarian. For non-dairy frosting, use non-dairy frosting.
The description
This Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe is a hit! Moist and flavorful cakes are topped with mounds of tangy cream cheese frosting.
For the cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons Cinammon
- ½ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Eggs (or flax eggs for vegans)
- ⅓ cup neutral oil
- 2/3 cup Applesauce (unsweetened)
- 1 ½ cups lightly packaged peeled and grated carrots
For the frosting (or use this vegan cream cheese frosting)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces Cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- For garnish: finely chopped pistachios, pecans, or walnuts (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the muffin cases in a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and kosher salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil and applesauce. Stir in the grated carrots.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined (but make sure there aren’t any pockets of dry ingredients left behind).
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely, at least 1 hour. (Let the butter and cream cheese sit at room temperature for 1 hour while the cupcakes cool.)
- When the cupcakes have cooled, prepare the cream cheese frosting: Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Use a fine sieve to sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Using stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping once. Reduce the speed to a minimum and then add the vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar until a thick glaze forms.
- Use a piping bag to pipe frosting onto cupcakes, or refrigerate until frosted, up to 1 week. (You can use all of the icing or less if you want a lighter cupcake.) Sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios.
- Storage Note: Leftover cupcakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, but are best served as cool as possible (bring to room temperature before serving). If you make ahead, store cupcakes without frosting in the fridge. Add glaze as close to serving as possible. Freeze unfrozen cupcakes for up to 2 months, but again, we recommend baking closer to serving for best results. You can also freeze the cream cheese frosting for up to 1 month. Be sure to bring it to room temperature and stir before use.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Dessert
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Carrot Cupcakes
