Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe – Love and Lemons

These moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced Carrot Cake Cupcakes are an easy, delicious treat! Tangy cream cheese frosting gets them over the top.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These carrot cake cupcakes are the fun version of my favorite spring dessert: carrot cake! I plan to bring them to every party and gathering I go to this season because they are 1) easy to make, 2) perfect for sharing, and 3) sooooo delicious. Just like a great slice of carrot cake, these carrot cupcakes are soft, moist, warmly flavored and brimming with fresh carrots. A rich, flavorful cream cheese frosting gets them over the top.

Carrot Cupcakes recipe ingredients

Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe Ingredients

What you need for this carrot cake cupcake recipe:

carrots, Naturally! They add moisture and a sweet, earthy flavor to these delicious cupcakes. Grate them on the large holes of a box grater for more pronounced carrot stains, or on the small holes if you want them to blend into the cupcakes.
all purpose flour – Scoop and level to avoid over-filling your measuring cup.
almond flour – It gives these cupcakes the perfect moist texture and nutty depth of flavor.
baking powder and eggs – They help the cupcakes puff up as they bake.
Almond milk – Or any milk! My homemade oat milk would be great here too.
avocado oil – For moisture and fullness. No avocado oil on hand? Use canola oil or vegetable oil instead.
cane sugar – For cuties.
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla – The vanilla and spices give these cupcakes that classic spiced carrot cake flavor.
And sea salt – To make all the flavors burst!

If you want to decorate the cupcakes, you will also need cream cheese frosting. My recipe is easy to make with just 4 ingredients: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. For a vegan version check out this post!

The full recipe with measurements is below.

Eggs, almond milk and oil in a glass mixing bowl alongside dry ingredients in a white mixing bowl and grater with grated carrots

How to make carrot cupcakes

I love how easy this carrot cake cupcake recipe is to make. No mixer required! That’s how it’s done:

First prepare your pan. Lightly spray or oil a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners. While you work, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Whisk together the wet ingredients by hand in a glass mixing bowl

Next, whisk together the wet ingredients in one mixing bowl and the dry ingredients in another. Fold the grated carrots into the wet ingredients.

Using a wooden spoon, pour dry ingredients into a bowl of wet ingredients

Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! If you do this, the cupcakes will be dense.

Divide carrot cake cupcake batter into muffin tins lined with paper cups

Finally baking! Divide the batter between the muffin cases and place in the hot oven. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until tops are soft to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Top with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Chopped Pecans

Carrot Cake Cupcakes Tips and Variations

Let them cool down to room temperature. It’s super tempting to frost these carrot cupcakes and eat them while they’re still warm from the oven. But please let it cool down to room temperature first! Their texture and flavor actually improve as they cool. Plus, if they’re still warm when you add the frosting, it will melt!
Get ahead. Don’t want to make cream cheese frosting and carrot cake cupcakes in a single day? You don’t have to! The frosting will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and the cupcakes will freeze perfectly. Make a batch ahead of time and let it thaw in the fridge overnight before glazing. Once frozen, the cupcakes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Add mix-ins! Do you love your carrot cake with raisins or nuts? Feel free to add them! Fold 1/2 cup raisins and/or chopped walnuts or pecans into batter before dividing into muffin cups. I also like to sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with chopped pecans for crunch.

Recipe for cupcakes with carrot cake

More popular dessert recipes

If you love these carrot cake cupcakes, next try one of these easy dessert recipes:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

serves 12

Packed with warm spices and fresh carrots, these carrot cake cupcakes have a delicious flavor and moist crumb. We love them on their own, but they also taste fantastic with cream cheese frosting!

Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, almond milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir in carrots.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Use a ⅓ measuring cup to measure the batter into the muffin liners.
Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, decorate the cupcakes with cream cheese icing and crushed pecans, if desired.

Source link