Carrot cake cupcakes are moist, tender, and filled with shredded carrot and cozy spices. They're topped with velvety cream cheese frosting and crunchy walnuts for the perfect sweet treat.
Why you'll love this recipe
Flavor: Sweet, cozy spices, subtle earthy carrot flavor, topped with cream cheese frosting.
Texture: Moist and tender, topped with creamy frosting and crunchy walnuts.
Ease: The cupcakes are made with two bowls and a spoon - that's it! You will need a hand mixer if you opt to make the included cream cheese frosting.
Perfect for: Easter, baby showers, spring picnics
Similar to: Applesauce Cupcakes and Gingerbread Cupcakes
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Flour - All-purpose flour balances with the wet ingredients and adds structure and stability to the batter. Don't substitute with other types of flour because it's not often a simple 1:1 ratio swap. Instead, search for a recipe that's developed to include the flour you'd like to use.
- Oil - Adds moisture to the cupcakes.
- Sugar - Brown sugar adds sweetness and a warm, caramelized flavor to the cupcakes.
- Carrot - Carrot adds texture, moisture, and structure to the recipe. Finely grated carrot incorporates best into the cupcake batter, while a coarser grate adds noticeable texture. I recommend using the small side of a box grater for best results. Carrot could also be substituted with shredded apple or zucchini.
- Eggs - Add moisture and structure to the cupcakes.
- Leavening - Adds lift to your cupcakes while they bake. You'll need both baking powder and baking soda for this recipe.
- Spices - Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg add warm, cozy flavor.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of the cupcakes and balances with the sweetness.
- Vanilla - Adds flavor to the cupcake batter.
How to make carrot cake cupcakes
- Add dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to a separate bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Divide your batter between 12 cupcake liners. I like to use a large cookie scoop for even portioning.
- Bake until the centers pop back when gently pressed, then transfer to a cooling rack to bring to room temperature before frosting.
Tips and tricks
Measuring flour properly - Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, especially the flour. If you don't have a scale, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. Scooping directly from a bin using the measuring cup compacts flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe. This can make cupcakes dry and bland.
Bring eggs to room temperature quickly - Add eggs to a bowl, then cover with very warm tap water. Your eggs will be room temperature in about 10 minutes.
Testing for doneness - Gently press the top of a cupcake. If it bounces right back, they're done. If an indent is left, they need more time.
Allow cupcakes to cool - Do not unwrap your cupcakes while they're still warm. Your cupcakes will stick to the liners until they are fully cooled throughout. Once cooled, your cupcakes will easily unwrap.
Do not frost warm cupcakes - Buttercream is sensitive to heat and will melt between 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Storage
Cream cheese frosting must be refrigerated if it sits out for more than 2 hours. Store frosted baked goods in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days. Bring your cupcakes to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Unfrosted cupcakes will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Cupcakes can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw cupcakes, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight or place on the counter top for 2 to 3 hours.
Frequently asked questions
No. Instead, make a frosting that's made with less sugar like ermine frosting or homemade whipped cream. Buttercream frosting is made with two main ingredients: confectioner's sugar and butter. It's popular because it's no-cook and made with few ingredients. Since it's mainly made of sugar, it's very sweet. Using less sugar means you'll mainly taste butter, the other main ingredient.
I use this Wilton cupcake decorating kit (Amazon) to decorate my cupcakes. It comes with four piping tips, bags, and easy to read instructions. I recommend this additional coupler (Amazon) to make it easy to secure the piping tips and to change out tips halfway through decorating.
The secret to moist cupcakes comes down to three things: properly measuring your flour (not adding too much), adding the proper quantities of moisture-adding ingredients (sugar, eggs, carrots, and oil), and taking care not to overbake your cupcakes.
Sinking can happen for many reasons. Overmixing the batter (which adds extra air that's released during baking), underbaking, using expired leavening, using the wrong leavening, or accidentally doubling the leavening.
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📖 Recipe
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) finely grated carrot
- ¾ cup (160 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces (227 g) block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups (400 g) confectioner's sugar
Decoration
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add finely grated carrots, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with a spoon until just combined.
- Divide batter between 12 cupcake tins, filling to about ⅔ full.
- Bake for about 17 to 19 minutes, OR until the tops pop back when gently pressed (if an indent is left, your cupcakes need more time).
- Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, add room temperature cream cheese and butter and beat with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and mix until incorporated.
- Add confectioner's sugar, half at a time, and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Switch to high speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes, top with chopped walnuts, and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Leftovers: Leftover cupcakes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerating: Cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated if it sits out for more than 2 hours. Store frosted baked goods in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Freezing: Cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw cake, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight or place on the counter top for 2 to 3 hours.
- More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!