The Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe
Moist carrot cupcakes with warm spices and rich cream cheese frosting. These flavorful cupcakes are truly addictive and hard to put down!
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 417kcal
Equipment
- muffin tin
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups grated carrots (2-3 medium carrots)
- ¼ cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional garnish)
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in grated carrots. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (each should be about ⅔ full). Bake until a toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- Fit the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, and beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until very smooth and creamy. Turn mixer off and scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat mixture for 2 more minutes on medium-high.
- On low speed, gradually mix in the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. (May need to turn mixer off, scrape down sides of bowl, and continue mixing).
- Frost cupcakes using a pastry bag or preferred kitchen tool and sprinkle with chopped pecans (if using).
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Make sure that your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before you start beating them together. If they are still cold, you will end up with lumpy frosting.
- Use room-temperature eggs. This incorporates air into your batter and makes your cupcakes so much lighter and fluffier. To quickly bring your eggs to room-temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- Mix just until combined. Overmixing could produce extra gluten, creating chewier cupcakes, and we are going for a lighter texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 3205IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg