For all the delicious flavor of a carrot cake in a fraction of the time, try this moist carrot cake cupcakes recipe. The batter takes just a few minutes to put together, and it bakes up into warming, soft cupcakes in a flash! You’ll love the sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting that gets swirled atop each cupcake for extra richness and depth of flavor.
While layer cake recipes can be intimidating because of the time involved, cupcakes are very quick. Most of the time is spent simply waiting for them to cool so you can load on the velvety cream cheese frosting! Be patient and wait until they are completely cool before frosting them, otherwise the frosting will melt and slide right off. For more cupcake recipes, try my red velvet cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, and banana cupcakes.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour — all-purpose flour works great for these cupcakes. For gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes, simply use your favorite gluten-free flour blend instead (and make sure to check other ingredient labels to ensure they are also free from gluten).
Leavening — baking powder and baking soda yield springy cupcakes with the perfect rise.
Spices — cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg add cozy flavor to the cupcakes.
Oil — use a neutral-tasting oil like vegetable oil so it blends well with the other flavors. Oil gives you soft cupcakes with moist crumbs.
Sugar — you need granulated sugar and light brown sugar for sweetness and moisture.
Eggs — set the eggs out on the counter about 30 minutes before you start baking to bring them to room temperature.
Vanilla — opt for a good quality vanilla extract, not vanilla essence (which is flavored synthetically).
Nuts — chopped walnuts add crunch and texture. Swap them for pecans if you prefer.
Carrots — you need 2 cups of grated carrots, or about ½ pound of fresh carrots shredded with the large holes of a box grater.
Cream cheese frosting — to make the best cream cheese frosting from scratch, you need cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. To a medium bowl, add the oil, white and brown sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk until well combined.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir with a spatula until almost combined.
5. Add the carrots and chopped walnuts and stir until there aren’t any flour streaks.
6. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. Fill each liner about three-quarters of the way with cupcake batter. Bake at 350°F for 17 to 20 minutes. The centers should feel springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Make the cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter together until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar. Once combined, scrape down the bowl, add the vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
8. Frost each carrot cake cupcake. You can either spread the frosting on with a spatula or transfer it to a piping bag with a decorative tip and pipe into a swirl.
Pro Tips For Making The Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Weigh the flour. Using too much flour is a surefire way to end up with dry cupcakes. The most accurate way to measure flour is by weighing it with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour up in its container and spoon it into the measuring cup. Don’t scoop directly from the container with your measuring cup.
- Shred the carrots by hand. While it’s tempting to reach for a bag of pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store, it’s better to shred the carrots with a box grater at home. The pre-shredded kind are dry and come in quite large pieces. Grating them at home will give you much thinner shreds, as well as moisture from the carrots.
- Use oil with a neutral flavor for the best carrot cake cupcakes. Vegetable oil or canola oil won’t add to the flavor of the cupcakes and, therefore, won’t compete with the taste of the spices and carrots. If you’re out of oil, you can use melted butter in its place, but the cupcakes won’t be quite as tender, so keep that in mind.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. The frosting will melt off the cupcakes if applied while the cupcakes are still warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
In my oven, preheated to 350°F, this recipe is baked for 17 to 20 minutes. Different ovens might take slightly less or more time, however, so remember that when the cupcakes feel springy or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, they are done.
I like to pipe the cream cheese frosting into a tall swirl atop each cupcake, and then sprinkle some chopped walnuts over the top. The result is elegant and pretty. For a more rustic look that uses less frosting, spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a spatula and then sprinkle on the nuts.
While cream cheese frosting is the usual choice for frosting carrot cake and why I love it on these cupcakes, you can also frost the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting if you prefer.
Homemade carrot cake cupcakes last for a few days, so you can definitely make them ahead of time if you like. I recommend storing them covered in the fridge if you make them more than 24 hours before serving.
Yes, because of the cream cheese frosting, it is best to store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can freeze these cupcakes before or after frosting them. Flash freeze the cupcakes on a baking sheet until solid and then transfer to an airtight container. They keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the fridge before frosting or enjoying them.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this carrot cake cupcake recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Video
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour (150g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup vegetable oil (80 ml)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar (67g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (60g)
- 2 cups grated carrots (about ½ pound of carrots/ 225g)
For the Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (226g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups powdered sugar (720g)
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir together with a spatula until almost combined. Add the carrots and walnuts and stir until well distributed and there aren’t any flour streaks remaining. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. (They should be about three-quarters full.)
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the centers feel springy to the touch or a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and the butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar. Once combined, scrape down the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Top the cupcakes with frosting by spreading it on with a spatula, or transferring it to a piping bag with a decorative tip and piping over the top. Store the cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Weigh the flour. Using too much flour is a surefire way to end up with dry cupcakes. The most accurate way to measure flour is by weighing it with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour up in its container and spoon it into the measuring cup. Don’t scoop directly from the container with your measuring cup.
- Shred the carrots by hand. While it’s tempting to reach for a bag of pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store, it’s better to shred the carrots with a box grater at home. The pre-shredded kind are dry and come in quite large pieces. Grating them at home will give you much thinner shreds, as well as moisture from the carrots.
- Use oil with a neutral flavor for the best carrot cake cupcakes. Vegetable oil or canola oil won’t add to the flavor of the cupcakes and, therefore, won’t compete with the taste of the spices and carrots. If you’re out of oil, you can use melted butter in its place, but the cupcakes won’t be quite as tender, so keep that in mind.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. The frosting will melt off the cupcakes if applied while the cupcakes are still warm.
