Portions: 8 portions Calories: 507kcal |
I love carrot cake, and I love spices, and I combined them into these carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Enjoy single-serving carrot cakes with fantastic flavor, soft, moist crumbs, moist texture, and smooth cream cheese frosting and easy to make.
By - Revised . Original Jun 22, 2011.
Carrot Cupcakes w. Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe.
Why we ❤️ it
- Experimenting with carrot cake recipes seems to be one of my life obsessions (don't believe me?).
- It is one of the most forgiving recipes you can make, and it combines well with nuts, dry fruits, and spices.
- You will love how easy it is to make these cupcakes (muffins?) and how simple and tasty the cream cheese frosting recipe is.
- This recipe does not call for butter but still has a lot of moisture and a great texture. Give it a try!
Carrot Cupcakes w. Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
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Utensils and tools
- Stand mixer (can be handheld too)
Ingredients
For the carrot cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup very finely grated carrots
- 1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
- ¼ cup raisins, or sultanas (optional)
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ½ cup minced walnuts, or pecans, or nut mix of your choice
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
For the cream cheese frosting
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, or more, see notes
- ½ cup sugar (white, granulated)
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Get ready
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF [175 ºC].Line a muffin pan with 8 cupcake liners. Scoop equal amounts of batter into each of the 8 paper liners.
2. Combine
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, clove powder, and salt). Stir to mix them well.In a separate mixing bowl, combine carrot, ginger, raisins, orange zest, and walnuts and mix well.
3. Whisk
- In the electric mixer bowl, combine wet ingredients (eggs, coconut oil) and add the sugar. Whisk over medium speed until the egg mix has turned a very light color and the sugar has dissolved.Slowly add the dry ingredient mix and beat until the batter is fluffy and smooth.
4. Fold in Carrot
- Stop the mixer, add the carrot mix, and combine with a spatula in a folding motion.
5. Bake
- Pour equal amount of batter into the paper muffin liners (an ice cream scoop - if you have one - makes it easier to do that).Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and cool to room temperature.
6. Make the icing
- In the meantime, make the cream cheese icing by combining the cheese, cream, and sugar. Beat until it turns into a smooth mixture with no clumps.Add the lime juice, zest, and vanilla extract, and beat until they are all incorporated into the icing.
7. Icing
- Cover the carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
Top tips
- Grating carrots: Different cakes require different textures, but in this recipe, it is best to use finely grated carrots.
- Oil: You can use any type of neutral-flavored vegetable oil in this cake (such as peanut, corn, or canola oil), but I prefer coconut oil. You can use olive oil, but the flavor may be slightly noticeable.
- Vanilla: You can use dark or light vanilla extract, whichever you have on hand.
- Decorate: I used some cute cookies and dry meringue decoration I had on hand to decorate my daughter's birthday cupcakes. This is completely optional.
- Frosting: I also added 2 extra tablespoons of whipping cream to make a thinner cream cheese frosting so that the frosting would be flat. This is completely optional.
- Storing: If not serving immediately, store in the refrigerator. Since they don't contain butter, they won't harden when chilled.
Refrigerated in an airtight container, they should last 3 to 4 days. Without the cream cheese frosting, they will last about a week.
Serving suggestions
These lovely carrot cupcakes are great with some juice for the kids, and I love them with afternoon coffee. You can also serve them as dessert after dinner.
Double or triple the recipe for school bake sales (check about using nuts with the school!) or weekend cookouts.
Also, check this rustic Christmas carrot cake, this coconut carrot cake, and these no-cook cookies and cream mousse for more carrot goodness.
For another cupcake ideas, check out these brownie mix cupcakes and don't miss the decoration of this construction cake.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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