Servings
Font
Back
4.9 from 729 votes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Try these moist carrot cake cupcakes when you are in the mood for all the cozy flavors of carrot cake but are short on time.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
47 mins
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 646 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

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:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
  3. 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.)
  4. 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Nutrition Information

Calories 646kcal (32%) Carbohydrates 88g (29%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 32g (49%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 11g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 0.4g Cholesterol 70mg (23%) Sodium 365mg (15%) Potassium 154mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 75g (150%) Vitamin A 4100IU (82%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 65mg (7%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 646

% Daily Value*

Calories 646kcal 32%
Carbohydrates 88g 29%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 32g 49%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 11g 65%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 0.4g 20%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 365mg 15%
Potassium 154mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 75g 150%
Vitamin A 4100IU 82%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 65mg 7%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.