Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Easy carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Soft, moist, warmly spiced, and perfect for Easter, holidays, or spring baking.
Servings: 12
Calories: 371kcal
Equipment
- Decorating Piping Tip, No 2 - Round for the carrot
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1¼ cup All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ½ cup Oil
- 2 Eggs large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1½ cups Carrots finely grated
- ½ cup Walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
For the cream cheese frosting:
- ½ cup Unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz Cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For decoration:
- Green gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk eggs and brown sugar until smooth and well combined (about 1 minute). Add oil, yogurt (or sour cream), and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.
- Add Carrots: Fold in grated carrots and chopped nuts.
- Combine: Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mix gently just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix, this keeps the crumb soft and tender.
- Bake: Divide batter evenly into liners (about ¾ full). Bake for 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and tops spring back lightly. Cool completely before frosting.
- Make cream cheese frosting: Beat butter until creamy (about 1 minute). Add cream cheese and beat until smooth and lump-free. Add powdered sugar gradually. Mix in vanilla and beat for 1–2 minutes until fluffy and smooth. If too soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes before piping.
- Decorate the cupcakes with mini carrots: This step is completely optional. You can simply frost the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and serve them as is.
- Divide the frosting into three bowls: Leave most of it white (for frosting the cupcakes). Transfer about 3-4 tablespoons into a small bowl for orange. Transfer about 2-3 tablespoons into another small bowl for green. Add a small drop of gel food coloring to each bowl. Mix with a spatula until evenly colored and add more coloring gradually until you reach the desired shade.
- Frost the cupcakes with the white frosting using a spatula, a large round tip or a large star tip.
- Pipe the carrot body: Transfer the orange frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a small triangle or short line shape in the center of each cupcake (see the video for better understanding).
- Pipe the carrot tops: Transfer green frosting into a piping bag fitted with a leaf tip (#352 or #349). OR small round tip #2 or #3 (pipe short upward strokes). Pipe 3–4 short strokes at the top of the carrot to create the leaves.
Video
Notes
- For ultra moist cupcakes: Add 2–3 tablespoons well-drained crushed pineapple to the batter.
- Applesauce: For an even softer texture, you can replace 2–3 tablespoons of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. This slightly lightens the cupcakes while keeping them moist.
- Carrots: Use finely grated carrots (small holes of a box grater). Large shreds won’t soften properly during baking and can create a slightly dense texture.
- Don’t overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the cupcakes dense instead of soft and tender.
- Frosting consistency: If the frosting feels too soft for piping the mini carrots, refrigerate it for 20–30 minutes to firm up. Read more about how to master the best cream cheese frosting.
- If it’s still too runny, add 1–2 tablespoons powdered sugar at a time until it reaches a pipeable consistency.
- Food coloring: Use gel food coloring rather than liquid. Liquid coloring can thin the frosting and affect the texture.
- Mini carrot decoration: The piped mini carrots are completely optional. The cupcakes are delicious simply topped with cream cheese frosting. The decoration is just for a festive touch (perfect for Easter or spring gatherings).
- Storage: Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 3204IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg