Carrot Cake Cupcakes
How about we make your favorite
These homemade cupcakes are so good that you’ll want to make them in double batches! They taste just like well-spiced seasoned carrot cake, but in individual servings. That makes them perfect for packing in lunches OR for those times when you want a portable snack.
Spiced with classic cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg flavors and topped with velvety cream cheese frosting, these carrot cake cupcakes will be the star of the
What You Need to Make This Recipe
More than anything, you need a well-stocked pantry to make these homemade cupcakes!
For the cupcakes themselves:
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Oil
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Flour
- Grated Carrots
For the frosting:
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla
- Powdered sugar
- Chopped pecans for a garnish
Fun Add-Ins
The base of these carrot cake cupcakes is delicious. However, you can easily add some fun textures or decorate the cupcakes in a new way for a bit of variety.
Spices: Add in pumpkin pie spice if you’re making these homemade cupcakes in the fall. This is especially perfect when they’re served with an after-dinner coffee!
Raisins: Mix in some raisins to the batter if you want a chewier texture.
Walnuts or pecans: If you like a bit of crunch in your cupcakes, not only can you sprinkle some of these chopped nuts on top, but you can mix them into the cupcake base as well.
Decorate: pastel-colored sequences or pearls can be used on top of the cupcakes.
Tips To Make the Perfect Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ensure that the cream cheese and butter are softened at room temperature before making the frosting.
Use the finest setting on your grater when prepping the carrots to ensure you don’t have chunky cupcakes.
You can save some time making these cupcakes by using canned frosting instead of homemade cream cheese frosting.
Cream cheese frosting tends to be thinner than buttercream. If you’re finding it too thin, place the frosting in the fridge while you’re waiting for the carrot cake cupcakes to cool. This will thicken it up a bit.
What is the secret to fluffy cupcakes?
These cupcakes come out light but moist. The secret is ensuring that the eggs are at room temperature before they’re mixed in. This makes whipping easier, resulting in a classically fluffy texture.
Other Carrot Cake Recipes We Love
If you’re a carrot cake lover, these carrot cake bars are right up your alley! A few other favorites are:
How To Store Cupcakes
Leftover cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to store them in a container rather than a bag, though, so that they don’t get crushed and misshaped. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and frost them when needed.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
- cupcake/muffin pan
- stand mixer
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 c brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ c sour cream
- 1 t vanilla
- ½ c oil
- 1 t baking powder
- ½ t baking soda
- ½ t salt
- 1 t cinnamon
- ¾ t ginger
- ¼ t nutmeg
- 1 ½ c flour
- 1 ½ c grated carrots about 3 medium sized carrots, peeled and finely grated
- For the frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ c unsalted butter softened
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 t salt
- 4 c powdered sugar
- ½ c chopped pecans to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- line your muffin tin(s) with liners. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and sour cream, mix until combined.
- in a separate bowl mix the baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and flour and mix thoroughly
- add to the wet mixture and stir to combine, then stop the machine, scrape down the sides and mix again.
- add in the grated carrots and fold to combine.
- measure out approximately ¼ of a cup worth of batter into each cupcake liner – they should be no more than about ⅔ full.
- bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20-22 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the center is set
- allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
- For the frosting-in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, softened butter, salt, vanilla and about a cups worth of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Gradually add in the remaining powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Bump up the speed to medium and whip the frosting until smooth and fluffy.
- transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe a large mound of frosting on each cupcake. Sprinkle with the chopped pecan pieces to garnish.
- serve
