Carrot Cake Cupcakes
This is my mom’s famous Carrot Cake adapted into a Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe. They’re moist, tender, impeccably spiced, and ridiculously good.
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe
If my mom is the queen of Carrot Cake (she is), I am the princess of Carrot Cake Cupcakes. This recipe takes my mom’s time-honored and perfect carrot cake recipe and turns it into a cupcake! It has a tender crumb, a delightful cinnamon undertone, and an “I want to eat it by the spoon” thick cream cheese frosting. Here are 3 tips to make sure your cupcakes turn out wonderfully fluffy and yum every time.
- Make sure you grate the carrots fresh. I know it’s tempting to buy the pre-shredded kind from the store, but the fresh carrots make this so much better!
- We all love big cupcakes, but don’t overfill your liners! Spoon about 3 Tbsp worth of batter into the liner and you’ll be golden. Too much batter causes cupcakes to explode over the top in a not-so-pretty fashion.
- Be careful not to over bake your cupcakes! This will dry it out and lose that moistness we crave here. Your cupcakes are ready when you insert a toothpick and it comes out with a few moist crumbs.
If you’d rather just bake a cake, here’s my mom’s Best Ever Carrot Cake recipe.
Ingredients in Carrot Cupcakes
No surprise ingredients here – just regular pantry staples fashioned into a classic cupcake that will thrill your tastebuds!
- Canola oil – You can sub vegetable oil if needed!
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Grated carrots, packed – You need to grate the carrots fresh, it seriously makes a huge difference over buying the pre-shredded package.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda – Make sure your baking soda is fresh! This will help your cupcakes rise beautifully.
- Cinnamon – This plays a huge role in flavoring the cupcakes.
- Salt
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese, softened – Make sure you use the block of cream cheese, not the spreadable tub kind.
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream – You do need whipping cream here in order to get the thick whipped consistency we’re looking for.
- Clear vanilla – You can opt for regular vanilla instead, your frosting just won’t be a brilliant white color.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a bowl with an electric hand mixer combine the oil, sugar, and eggs.
- Once combined, stir in the grated carrots.
- Next, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until a very loose batter forms.
- Once the batter is ready, scoop 3 tbsp of batter into each liner in the prepped cupcake tin.
- Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before making the frosting.
- To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
- Slow the mixer down and slowly add in the heavy cream and clear vanilla. Once completely combined, change your attachment to the whisk attachment and turn the speed up to as high as it will go. Whip until a thick frosting forms.
- Pipe or spread the frosting onto each cupcake and top with chopped pecans, sprinkles or leave plain.
- Enjoy! Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to Store Homemade Cupcakes
Allow your cupcakes to cool completely and frost as desired. Place in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
How to Decorate Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Begin by piping or spreading your frosting onto the cupcake. From there, you can leave them plain or top with themed sprinkles, chopped pecans, or get fancy and pipe a carrot onto the top.
Must-Make Easter Recipes
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups packed fresh grated carrots
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp clear vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a bowl with an electric hand mixer combine the oil, sugar, and eggs.
- Once combined, stir in the grated carrots.
- Next, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until a very loose batter forms.
- Once the batter is ready, scoop 3 tbsp of batter into each liner in the prepped cupcake tin.
- Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before making the frosting.
- To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
- Slow the mixer down and slowly add in the heavy cream and clear vanilla. Once completely combined, change your attachment to the whisk attachment and turn the speed up to as high as it will go. Whip until a thick frosting forms.
- Pipe or spread the frosting onto each cupcake and top with chopped pecans, sprinkles or leave plain.
- Enjoy! Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
yummy nice flavourful and soft cupcakes
Hi for your mom’s carrot muffins csn we grate the carrots the night before to save time
Yes, you can! I wouldn’t grate them too far in advance, but overnight should be totally fine.