The BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Simple ingredients become stellar in this easy to make dessert. The BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a classic when it comes to cake recipes. Perfectly spiced cake studded with fresh carrot, raisins and pecans then topped with a rich, cream Cream Cheese Frosting….addicting.
Easter is just days away…..my favorite holiday of the whole year. I think it’s because the food we eat leans into my Polish heritage more than the other holidays….we chow down on kielbasa, fried cabbage, ham and Potato Pierogies loaded with buttery, fried onions until we need to loosen our belts. It’s warm enough around here that we can, then, hang outside while the kids enjoy an egg hung and if we’re lucky, the sun will be out. Then, by the time the kids have found the very last egg and are completely hopped up on sugar, we are ready for dessert.
Bring on the Carrot Cake Cupcakes!
Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes
The dessert spread at our house is just as impressive as the dinner. Not a spot is available on the dining room table for anyone to sit and eat, it’s covered in Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs, Banana Pudding, Strawberry Crepe Cakes, cake rolls, Strawberry Jell-o Salad and, of course, Carrot Cake. And in this case….the BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.
I’ve made quite a few carrot cakes in my time….and I screwed up quite a few, as well. So, this recipe for the BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting is absolute perfection because it’s been tested and perfected many times over.
It’s light, moist and fluffy….all at the same time. Studded with fresh carrots, sweet raisins and buttery pecans, there’s a little bit over everything in here…much like my favorite Morning Glory Muffins…..or a Southern Hummingbird Cake, but without the pineapple.
How To Make It
I take my Carrot Cake very seriously and have a few tricks up my sleeve to make sure your’s are the BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes…..ever. First, I do something a bit unorthodox when I bake them…I crank the heat up to 400˚F.
And I bake them until they begin to rise and the edges firm up, THEN I turn the heat down to 325 and finish baking so they’re puffed up perfectly.
This technique ENSURES you will not end up with flat cupcakes…which if you follow me on Instagram you probably saw the first test batch of very FLAT cupcakes. They were still tasty and a little frosting would have covered the evidence but I wanted bakery quality domes for even frosting distribution.
The Cream Cheese Frosting is just 4 ingredients and yields smooth, creamy frosting that you’ll want to slather on everything….or just eat out of the bowl with a spoon. It would be fantastic on these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins because really….a muffin is just a naked cupcake, am I right?
Tips for Making Carrot Cupcakes
- Finely grate the carrots so you don’t end up with big chunks in the cake batter. I like to use a box grater and then run my knife through the pile of grated carrots a few times to chop them up a bit more.
- Whisk your dry ingredients thoroughly to add lightness and airiness to the batter and don’t over mix the ingredients when adding the wet mixture to the dry.
- Replace the nuts or raisins with chocolate chips, sunflower seeds or just skip the add-ins altogether.
- We use Cream Cheese Frosting but you can substitute with a lighter Whipped Cream Frosting, if preferred.
If you love this one….you’re for sure going to love these easy Carrot Cake Cheesecakes! They’re mini….for perfect portion control!
More Easy Cupcake Recipes
If you like this lightly spiced cupcake recipe, you may also want to give these a try:
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Get the Recipe: The BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purposed flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh grated carrots
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- For the frosting:
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 pounds confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time mixing well after each addition.
- Turn the mixer on low. Stir in the vanilla and carrots.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, then the raisins and pecans.
- Fill each muffin well lined with a cupcake liner 3/4 full with the batter.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 and continue baking for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
- To make the frosting:
- Add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the sugar to the cream cheese mixture beating until light and creamy. Stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost the cupcakes, as desired. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and serve.
Notes
Frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
4 Comments on “The BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting”
Hi Kellie!
Ok, first of all, those are the cutest carrot cupcakes I’ve ever seen! I’m totally in love with the little carrot themed wrappers!
My hubby and I adore carrot cake, but sadly the last two places I’ve had it has been in a hospital cafeteria and at the gas station across from my neighborhood. With that said, I think it’s about time I make one for myself!
I run a site of my own and just published an article about healthier Easter basket ideas, and linked to your carrot cupcake recipe in it! Here’s the link if you want to check it out!
https://gatheredagain.com/healthy-non-candy-easter-basket-ideas/
Can’t wait to give this recipe a try! Keep up the good work!
Laura
The Carrot Cup Cakes are very delicious ones. They always taste extra sweet.
Not sure what happened but I followed the recipe exactly and they came out completely burnt! I even took them out of the oven about eight minutes before the timer was up and the bottoms are black. Very disappointed and I bake quite often 🙁
Hi LeAnn….I’m not sure what happened either but sometimes oven times vary so it’s best to check for doneness even if you’re following the recipe. I recently calibrated my oven so I know the time/temperature is accurate. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you.