Carrot cake cupcakes are all the carrot cake flavor you know and love packed into cupcake form. These fluffy and moist cupcakes are topped with a sweet, thick cream cheese frosting to make them the complete package.
Carrot cake is the perfect flavor combination of carrots, cinnamon and other spices. These carrot cake cupcakes capture that flavor perfectly, but in fluffy cupcake form.
It is easy to make cupcakes in classic flavors of other pies and cakes. Such as these apple pie cupcakes or these lemon meringue pie cupcakes.
These sweet treats are a perfect individual serving dessert making them great for birthdays, celebrations and other events with a lot of people to serve.
🧁Why To Try This Recipe
Easy to Customize. You can easily customize this recipe by making the filled, adding nuts, pineapple and more.
Classic Flavor. Carrot cake is a classic flavor that everyone knows and loves.
Ready in 45 minutes - this delicious dessert is ready in just 45 minutes. It is easy to make with no difficult techniques needed.
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📋Ingredients
For Cupcakes:
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla
- Oil
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Flour
- Carrots - peeled & grated
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Cream cheese - softened
- Butter - softened
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
📖Substitutions & Variations
These cupcakes are easy to customize to have your favorite flavor. Try out a few of the substitutions or variations.
- Add nuts - walnuts or pecans are commonly added to carrot cake. You can add a sprinkle of crushed nuts to the top of the frosting or directly into the batter.
- Decorate with frosting carrot - make these extra fancy by taking a bit of your frosting and using food coloring to make it orange and green. Then decorate the top of each cupcake with a frosting carrot.
- Use Pineapple - often times pineapple is used to flavor carrot cake. Add ½ cup of crushed pineapple to the batter.
- Fill them - make a cream cheese filling with cream cheese and powdered sugar and pipe the filling into the center of each cupcake.
Love carrot cake flavor, but want cookies? Give these carrot cake cookies a try instead.
⏲️Instructions
Use these simple step-by-step directions to bake up a batch of your own cupcakes.
Step one: Line your muffin or cupcake tin with liners and set aside. Then, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step two: Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and oil to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
Step three: Add flour, baking powder, salt and spices to mixing bowl. Mix on low, scraping sides as need until well combined.
Step four: Add grated carrots into the mixing bowl.
Step five: Carefully fold carrots into the batter until evenly combined.
Step six: Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling them ⅔ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 22 minutes.
Step seven: Add butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined.
Step seven: While mixing on low, slowly add powdered sugar. Once all is combined, turn to medium for a few minutes until stiff peaks form.
Step eight: Scoop frosting into piping bag with a large star tip. Once cupcakes have cooled, place a large swirl of frosting on each cupcake and top with a few walnuts.
Hint: don't overbake the cupcakes. Remove them from the oven when the edges are just turning golden brown and the center has set. You should be able to insert a fork or toothpick into the center and remove without any cupcake on it.
⭐Recipe Tips for Success
- Frosting Consistency - the frosting should be thick enough it doesn't drip when scooped onto a spoon or spatula. To thicken, add sugar; to thin, add milk
- Don't overmix batter - overmixing batter will lead to thicker less fluffy cupcakes. When adding ingredients make sure to mix just long and fast enough to get everything incorporated.
- Proper technique to pipe frosting - to get a nice frosting swirl start by adding one large dollop in the center of the cupcake. Then, start on the outer edge and pipe the frosting in a circular swirl pattern into the center of the cupcake.
Storage
You can store these in an airtight container for 3 - 5 days in the refrigerator.
If you want to freeze them, you can do so for up to 3 months. Flash freeze the cupcakes first, then wrap in cling wrap and place in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Hand or Stand Mixer
- Muffin/cupcake tin
- Cupcake Liners
- Spoon or Spatula
- measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- ⅓ Cup Sour Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ Cup Oil
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 ½ cup Flour
- 1 ½ cup Grated Carrots 3 medium; peeled & grated
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- ½ cup Butter Softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line muffin/cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- Add 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ⅓ cup sour cream and ½ cup oil to a mixing bowl. Mix on medium low until well combined.
- Add in 1.5 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda and salt, ¾ teaspoon ginger and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Mix on low speed, scraping down sides as necessary until well combined.
- Add in 1.5 cups peeled and grated carrots and fold into batter.
- Measure about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner - they should be about ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 - 22 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
- While baking, make the frosting.
- Add to mixing bowl 8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and salt.
- Turn mixer on low and slowly begin adding in powdered sugar a little at a time.
- Once all sugar is added, turn up to medium and beat until it is smooth and fluffy.
- Scoop frosting into a piping bag with a large star tip.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled you can frost them.
Notes
- Add other flavors - add crushed walnuts or pecans, or pineapple to change up the flavors a little.
- Frosting consistency - it should be thick enough to have small peaks and not drip off a spoon or spatula when scooped up. Thicken by adding powdered sugar; thin by adding milk.
- Pipe frosting - squeeze the piping bag evenly while piping the frosting. Start with a large dollop in the center of the cupcake, then start at the outer edge spiraling the frosting into the center.
- Store in an airtight container for 3 - 5 days in the fridge.
- Freeze up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
