Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes
User Reviews
5
Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Description
This recipe combines a blend of warm spices with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt as the dry ingredient base. The wet ingredients include eggs, sugar, and avocado oil, with shredded carrots, raisins, coconut, and toasted nuts added to the batter to provide texture and sweetness. The ingredients are mixed carefully to avoid overmixing and maintain a tender crumb.
The cupcakes are baked in lined pans until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, ensuring a moist and fully cooked interior. The accompanying cream cheese frosting is made by creaming full-fat cream cheese and butter, then adding powdered sugar and vanilla extract to achieve a smooth, spreadable topping that complements the spiced cake.
The cupcakes can be stored refrigerated with or without frosting. When chilled, letting them come to room temperature before serving improves the frosting texture and flavor. These cupcakes can also be frozen unfrosted and thawed for later use, giving flexibility for make-ahead baking.
Preparation tips emphasize gentle mixing to preserve crumb texture, proper cooling before frosting, and safe storage durations to maintain freshness and frosting quality.
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
- 270 g all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
- ¾ cup raisins
- 260 g carrot peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 30 g shredded coconut ¾ cup, sweetened or unsweetened
- 1-½ tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves ground
- 73 g pecans toasted and coarsely chopped, or walnuts, ¾ cup
- 4 large egg room temperature
- 370 g granulated sugar
- 210 ml avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract pure
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese full-fat, at room temperature
- 16 tablespoons butter at room temperature, unsalted
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract pure
- 16 ounces confectioners' sugar
- kosher salt pinch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line (2) 12 cup baking cupcake pans with cupcake liners; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves; set aside.
- In a food processor fitted with the steel blade or blender, process the carrots, salt, eggs, sugar, and oil for 5 minutes until completely smooth.
- Transfer the wet mixture to a large bowl. Using a hand whisk, gently mix ½ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the raisins, coconut, and pecans to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined, don't overmix!
- Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcakes pan until each is ¾ full. Bake the Carrot Cake Cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, and butter on low speed until incorporated.
- Increase the speed to high, and mix until just combined about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.) Don’t whip!
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla extract, and raise the speed to be high, and mix briefly until smooth (scrape down the bowl occasionally).
- Transfer the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag and decorate the Carrot Cake Cupcakes as desired or spread on the cupcakes to decorate. Top with toasted pecans. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate frosted cupcakes up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving for best texture.
- Unfrosted cupcakes keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be frozen for longer storage.
- Freeze cupcakes wrapped well without frosting for up to 3 months; thaw thoroughly before frosting and serving.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- Mix batter gently to avoid overmixing and ensure tender cupcakes.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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