Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These Carrot Cake Cupcakes are unbelievably delicious! Perfectly soft, moist, and bursting with warming spices and brown sugar then topped with my favorite sweet cream cheese frosting. I am a huge carrot cake lover so when I don’t have time to prepare a whole cake or want something portable these carrot cake cupcakes are my go-to. They are super quick and easy to make, bake up in no time (15 minutes), and keep really well so you can take them on picnics, lunches, or snack on them throughout the week.

They’re also perfect for celebrating Easter and the beginning of Spring. 

What you need to make this recipe

Flour – All-purpose flour is all you need just make sure to sift it to avoid any lumps in your batter.

Carrots – You must use fresh carrots peeled and grated yourself. Don’t use pre-shredded as they will be too dry.

White and brown sugar – I like to use a mix of both sugars as brown sugar helps to add a little moisture and caramelized flavor.

Pecans – Pecans are added into the batter for crunch and texture, you could also use walnuts.

Spices – Ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon give the carrot cake cupcakes that classic flavor, you can adjust these to taste.

Oil – Use a flavorless oil such as canola oil for best results, this helps moisten the cupcakes.

Baking powder and soda – I use a mix of both to help lift the cupcakes and improve the texture.

Eggs – Make sure your eggs are at room temperature for best results.

Butter – Butter is used to make the frosting so it’s important you use unsalted butter and that it is softened (room temperature).

Cream cheese – If possible use blocks of cream cheese which is stiffer than cream cheese sold in tubs also make sure it’s at room temperature to avoid any lumps.

Powdered sugar – You can easily adjust the amount of powdered sugar if you need a stiffer frosting.

How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

1. Grate the carrots using a box grater.

2. In a medium bowl add the oil, eggs, vanilla, white and brown sugar. Whisk until well-combined.

3. Sift the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl then whisk together.

4. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until almost combined.

5. Fold in the shredded carrot and toasted pecans.

6. Fill the cupcakes up about 3/4 the way up then bake.

7. Cream the butter and cream cheese then sift in the powdered sugar in two batched, beating in between.

8. Beat in the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth and creamy. 

9. You can decorate the cupcakes with a simple swirl as seen above. I used an 846 tip, a large closed star, and piped a swirl starting at the edge of the cupcake and becoming narrower as I moved up. You could use a large round tip instead and sprinkling with chopped pecans is a nice crunchy option.

10. To make buttercream carrots start with a flat round base. I used a large round tip and then smoothed the top with an offset spatula. Color a bit of the cream cheese frosting orange and an even smaller amount green. Use a 10 tip to pipe the carrots and a 349 tip to pipe the leaves.

Pro tips for making this recipe

• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• Make sure that your refrigerated ingredients are at room temperature before using.
• It’s really important to grate the carrots yourself as pre-shredded carrots are too dry and won’t add moisture to the cupcakes.
• You can also use a food processor to grate the carrots.
• Toasting the pecans really brings out their flavor and aroma so it’s well worth doing.
• The nuts can be omitted or you can use walnuts instead.
• make sure to use cream cheese in blocks and not tubs.
• If your frosting is runny then add more powdered sugar a cup at a time until the consistency thickens up. You can also chill the frosting slightly so it firms up.
• You can easily adapt the flavor by adding shredded coconut, raisins, or even chocolate chips.
• I find that a little vanilla added to the frosting makes it perfectly sweet but feel free to switch it up with different flavored extracts or even some cinnamon.
• To check the cupcakes are done insert a toothpick into the middle if it comes out clean with just a few crumbs they are ready and wet batter means they need a little longer.
• Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting or the frosting will just melt.
• You can top the cupcakes with some more chopped toasted pecans for an effortless and quick garnish.
• This recipe can be doubled if you want to make a bigger batch.
• If you’d like to make one whole cake instead check out my Carrot Cake Recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I prepare this in advance?

Yes, you can bake the cupcakes and keep them stored in a sealed container (unfrosted) for up to 4 days. The frosting can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days separately.

What can I use instead of cream cheese frosting?

Cream cheese frosting is what’s traditionally used to frost carrot cake but if you’re not a fan I recommend using my Buttercream Frosting instead (super easy recipe).

Can they be frozen?

The cupcakes are best frozen unfrosted as the cream cheese can split. For best results freeze the cupcakes on a baking sheet then transfer them to a freezer bag. You can store them for about two months.

Alternatively, you can keep frosted in the fridge for 3-4 days don’t keep them at room temperature for more than 1 day.

If you’ve tried this Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!