Bird’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Celebrate Easter with these festive Bird’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes that are super moist, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce, and topped with cream cheese icing, toasted coconut, and chocolate candies!

Easter is just around the corner and these Carrot Cake Cupcakes are the perfect festive treat! The cutest little desserts that are not only delicious but also make a great addition to your holiday table. These carrot cake cupcakes are made healthier with whole wheat flour, shredded carrots, coconut oil instead of butter, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce. The cupcakes are topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut, creating delightful “bird’s nests” of egg-shaped chocolates.

For these bird’s nest cupcakes I wanted to use a carrot cake to keep with the fun Easter theme, but you can of course make any type of cupcakes or frosting you would like! However, I highly recommend making these deliciously moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes because I KNOW you won’t be disappointed! My 2 year old kept calling them “baby bird treats” and absolutely loved them.

ingredients you need

• Wholemeal Pastry Flour – I love baking with whole wheat flour as it has all the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour and gives these cupcakes a light and fluffy texture. I highly recommend using this, but if you don’t have one on hand you can use whole wheat white flour or regular all-purpose flour
• baking powder + baking powder – these act as a leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise
• carrots – You will need to grate about 2 medium carrots to get a heaping cup for this recipe. The grated carrot also helps keep these cupcakes moist
• applesauce – just a little bit of unsweetened applesauce in these cupcakes helps reduce the amount of oil we have to use and also adds a little extra sweetness. You can also use a mashed banana
• coconut oil – this replaces butter in these cupcakes and helps make them moist and fluffy!
• eggs – gives these muffins their structure and height
• sweeteners – I used a combination of coconut sugar and some maple syrup to naturally sweeten these cupcakes without using refined sugar
• Spices – a delicious combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt
• Vanilla – enhances the flavor in these cupcakes and tastes so good with the warm spices
• grated coconut – we use this to create the little “nests” on the cupcakes and make sure to use unsweetened shredded coconut with longer strands, not coconut flakes which look more like chips
• cream cheese – this is needed for the frosting! I like to lay mine out about an hour before using so it softens and is easier to whip up

How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes OR you could make 24 mini carrot cake muffins! You will prepare the batter the same way, you just need to adjust the cooking time for the smaller muffins. Here’s how to make them!

1. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt, and spices and set aside.
2. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together grated carrots, eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined. Then mix in the coconut oil, just make sure you melt the coconut oil first and let it cool before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Make the dough. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin liners lined with muffin liners (or you can spray them with nonstick spray), making sure each liner is about 2/3 full. You could also make 24 mini muffins!
4. BAKE! Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, then allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. If baking mini muffins, bake at 350 for about 10 to 13 minutes. Next I show you how to make the cream cheese frosting and assemble your bird nests!

How to make the bird’s nests

While the cupcakes are cooling, you can toast the coconut and make the cream cheese frosting!

1. Toast the coconut. Toasting the coconut gives the otherwise simple coconut such a robust, nutty flavor and adds great texture to these cupcakes! Start by adding the shredded coconut to a large, dry pan (no oil needed!) and cook over medium-high heat, making sure the coconut is in an even layer in the pan. Stir the coconut continuously in the pan until golden and fragrant, being careful not to burn the coconut.
2. Make the frosting. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or you could use a hand mixer), combine softened cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and beat on high until smooth.
3. Build the bird nests! Once your cupcakes have completely cooled, use a knife or spatula to glaze each cupcake (no need to use a piping bag to make them look pretty as we’ll be topping them with coconut!) then sprinkle toasted coconut over each cupcake and press lightly down to allow the coconut to stick to the glaze. Then put a little icing on the bottom of each egg shaped candy and press it into the center of each cupcake. You will need 3 candies per cupcake.

How to store Bird’s Nest cupcakes

The great thing about these cupcakes is that they taste even better the next day! Just make sure you store them in a sealed, airtight container and they’ll last on the counter for about a day, then pop them in your fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. If you’re making these for an Easter or Mother’s Day event, be sure to make them ahead of time!

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I hope you all enjoy these adorable Bird’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes and if you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me a five star rating below and don’t forget to tag me with the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny on Instagram! I love seeing all your delicious recoveries!