Carrot cake cupcakes are a wonderful option for a dessert, all year round! The delicious combination of carrots and spices makes this classic treat a great choice for any get-together!
Carrot cake cupcakes
If you’ve ever tried making a full-sized carrot cake, you know the process can be tedious. This year, skip all that hard work and make this show-stopping carrot cake cupcakes recipe instead!
Check out these amazing desserts too!
- Carrot cake bars
- Chocolate fudge cupcakes
- Crumb coffee cake (no coffee)
- Apple tiramisu
- Red white and blue cupcakes
- Air fryer pumpkin donuts
- Scream Halloween cupcakes
- Creamy chocolate mint cupcakes
- Red velvet cupcakes
Making homemade carrot cake cupcakes from scratch might seem intimidating if you’re used to using boxed mixes. But whipping up some of these easy carrot cake cupcakes is actually pretty simple. In fact, there are only four steps to making a batch of these delicious treats at home:
1. Prepare the batter. The key to making delicious cupcakes is properly preparing the batter. That means following the recipe instructions exactly to ensure all the ingredients combine properly. Instead of dumping all the ingredients together in a bowl, like you would if you were using a boxed mix, you need to layer the ingredients together to create a delicious, smooth cupcake batter that will then bake to perfection!
2. Bake the cupcakes. Once you follow the recipe to create your cupcake batter, it’s time to start baking. Add cupcake liners to your muffin pan, then fill each liner around ¾ of the way full of batter. Next, place the pan in the oven to bake according to the recipe’s instructions.
3. Cool the cupcakes. After the bake time is up, you’ll need to give your cupcakes plenty of time to cool. Start by letting them cool in the pan for a few minutes. Once the cupcakes are cool enough to touch, transfer them to a wire cooling rack. The cooling rack will allow air to circulate all around the cupcakes, ensuring they cool properly and more quickly.
4. Frost the cupcakes. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can start decorating them. Spread some cream cheese frosting on top, then add more decorations if you want. After that, you can remove the cupcake wrapper and enjoy your dessert.
How Do You Shred Carrots for Carrot Cake cupcakes?
There are two different ways you could shred your carrots to add to the batter of your cupcakes:
- Use a box grater. To use a box grater for shredding carrots, place the box grater on top of a plate or cutting board. Cut the end off your carrot, then place the end on the side of your box grater with the smallest setting. Using a downward motion, move the carrot down the holes. Repeat this motion until you have enough carrots to use in your recipe.
- Use a food processor. To speed up the shredding process, use the grater attachment on your food processor. Once the attachment is placed, put your carrots in the food processor to quickly chop them.
Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes Tips and Tricks
Creating a light and fluffy carrot cake is often easier said than done. There are several pitfalls many home bakers face when they make this popular spring dessert. These carrot cake cupcake tips and tricks can help ensure your cupcakes are perfectly delicious the first time you bake them.
- Finely grate your carrots. The key to being sure the carrots inside your cupcakes bake through, you’ll need to finely grate them before adding the carrots to your batter. Since the cook time for carrot cake cupcakes is short, it’s especially important to grate the carrots as finely as possible. Use the smallest setting on your box grater or food processor’s grating attachment to get fluffy carrot pieces for best results.
- Use fresh spices. You might think the star of a carrot cake is the carrots, but it’s actually the spices. That’s why it’s a good idea to use fresh spices in your carrot cake recipe for the best flavor. You could grate your own spices to mix into your batter. Or just check the expiration date on your spice container to make sure you’re using the freshest spices possible for your cupcakes.
- Avoid chunky mix-ins. To keep your cupcakes from becoming too dense, it’s a good idea to limit the number of mix-ins you add to your batter. When mixing in extra elements, like nuts, try finely chopping them to keep your cupcakes from becoming too chunky and compromising the structure of your cake.
- Beat your eggs thoroughly. Since most carrot cake recipes are oil-based, you don’t get the aerating effect that comes from beating butter and sugar together. This leavening effect helps your cake rise and become airy and fluffy. The key to getting a light, airy cake without butter is to beat the eggs the way you would the butter and sugar in other recipes. Start by vigorously beating your eggs and sugar together, then slowly add the oil into the mixture as you beat to get a similar leavening effect.
How do you store these carrot cupcakes?
Unfrosted cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Frosted cupcakes keep up to 3 days at room temperature.
Place the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container or zip bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours then add frosting.
Carrot cake cupcakes recipe
Making these little bites of heaven is not only easy and quick but also quite affordable as this recipe uses simple ingredients that are easy to find.
Notes & Tips
- Use freshly grated carrots! Don’t use pre-shredded carrots, they’re typically on the dry side.
- Feel free to omit the crushed pineapples, but I found that it helps keep the cake extra moist and tender. If you want larger chunks of pineapple in the cupcakes, feel free to do so.
- Feel free to use walnuts or raisins to this recipe. This batter can hold about ¼ cup to ½ cup of add-ins.
- Let your cupcakes cool completely. Since the cream cheese icing that goes on top of your cupcakes is made up of butter and cream cheese, it’s especially important that you let your cupcakes cool completely before icing them. If you place that creamy frosting on top of a warm cupcake, you’ll end up with a melted mess. Place your cupcakes on a cooling rack after removing them from the pan to be sure they’re completely cooled before you start decorating.
- Frosting can be refrigerated and piped before serving.
- This recipe can be doubled to make 24 cupcakes.
What do you need to make carrot cupcakes?
- Flour – all purpose works just as great as cake flour for these cupcakes
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar – both brown and granulated
- Grated carrots
- Eggs
- Pineapple
- Peanuts or pecans
- Cream cheese for frosting
How Do You Make these Cupcakes from Scratch?
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and set aside.
- Mix the oil and sugars until well combined.
- Add the dry mixture, water, vanilla extract, and mix. Then slowly add the eggs, one at a time.
- Remove from the stand mixer and fold in the grated carrots, pineapples, crushed peanuts or pecans.
- Scoop out batter into the prepared muffin tins, fill about ¾ full and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Allow to completely cool before adding your desired frosting.
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Carrot cake cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapples
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts or pecans optional
- 2 cups cream cheese for frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, mix the oil and sugars until well combined. Add the dry mixture, water, vanilla extract, and mix. Then slowly add the eggs, one at a time.
- Remove from the stand mixer and fold in the grated carrots, pineapples, crushed peanuts or pecans.
- Scoop out batter into the prepared muffin tins, fill about ¾ full
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Allow to completely cool before adding your desired frosting.
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