These Carrot Cake Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are the best way to have a small Easter dessert, without all the leftovers. These cupcakes have all the flavors of a layered carrot cake and piles of cream cheese frosting, but in a much smaller package! This recipe makes 6 delicious cupcakes, but can be doubled to serve more, if you like.
It's carrot cake season, and my family couldn't be happier! We start baking with carrots when Lent starts, and we follow through all the way to Easter.
I love carrot cake almost as much as my family, but I really love it in cupcake form. If you're looking for it in cheesecake form, do not miss my Carrot Cake Cheesecake. It's a full-size dessert, so it's perfect for your large Easter gathering.
Actually, I have 5 different sizes of small carrot cake on this site!
- This small batch carrot cake for two, made in 2 ramekins.
- A single layer carrot cake made in an 8" square pan.
- A small 6 inch carrot cake that is so cute.
- A kid-friendly healthy mini carrot cake bites that are naturally sweetened!
- And now these carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!
Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe
This recipe for carrot cake cupcakes makes just 6 cupcakes, which I love because carrot cake is something I have a hard time resisting. I think it's because I justify each bite since carrots are a vegetable? There are 2 carrots in this small batch of carrot cake cupcakes, so technically, you're eating ⅓ of a carrot with each cupcake.
So logical, right? I use this same logic for my strawberry cream cheese frosting, because it contains fresh fruit!
The cream cheese frosting recipe makes juuuuuuust enough frosting to frost all 6 cupcakes, but not a drop less, ok? I know that some of you like to double my cupcake recipes and bake them in small 6" cake pans, and I wanted to let you know that you'll have to double the frosting recipe, too.
Carrot Cupcakes Recipe Ingredients
- Flour. All-purpose flour, a total of 10 tablespoons, which is ½ cup plus an additional two tablespoons.
- Ground Cinnamon.
- Ground Cloves.
- Freshly Grated Nutmeg.
- Ground Ginger.
- Baking Powder.
- Baking Soda.
- Carrots. One-half cup of freshly grated carrot. I don't like the pre-grated carrots from the store, because they're too thick and don't dissolve into the cake batter like freshly grated. Use the large holes on a box grater to grate the carrots, not the small holes.
- Shredded Coconut. I like regular, sweetened shredded coconut flakes, often located next to the chocolate chips in the grocery store. While desiccated unsweetened coconut does exist, let's go for the full sugar since we're making carrot cupcakes.
- Brown Sugar. I recommend light brown sugar, not dark, as the extra molasses found in dark brown sugar can make the cupcakes slightly too moist.
- Egg. We're using one whole large egg.
- Sour Cream.
- Vanilla.
- Oil. The oil needs to be a neutral, flavor-less oil, like grapeseed oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. Don't use olive oil or coconut oil, as the flavors can overpower the spices in the carrot cake cupcakes.
How to make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Gather all ingredients for the carrot cake cupcakes, and have the cream cheese frosting ingredients out, resting at room temperature too. Grate the carrots just before baking so they don't dry out or turn brown around the edges. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit, and line 6 cups in a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Now, whisk together the dry ingredients: combine the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well, and then add the coconut and carrots. Toss again; coating the carrots in the dry ingredients helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake during baking.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: whisk the brown sugar, egg, sour cream, vanilla and oil together very well.
4. Finally, combine the wet and dry ingredients by adding the wet ingredients to the bowl with the carrots and other dry ingredients. Stir very well to mix together to ensure no flour remains unincorporated, but do not over-mix.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, and bake on the center rack of the oven for 24-27 minutes. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted half-way into the center comes out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If you underbake carrot cake, it sinks. Use the toothpick test!
6. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then move to a wire rack to cool completely before starting on the cream cheese frosting.
7. Now it's time to make the frosting! Add the room temperature cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla to a bowl.
8. Beat the frosting together until light and fluffy. Add an extra splash of milk or heavy cream if it seems too thick for you. Don't be afraid to beat it for a long time, to make it super fluffy.
9. You can use a simple butter knife to frost the cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting, or you can scrape it into a piping bag with a star tip and frost the cupcakes like a bakery.
How to garnish a Carrot Cake Cupcake
- For crunch: Toasted pecans, chopped is a lovely way to add crunch to the top.
- Simple but elegant: Store-bought glazed pecan halves look very pretty on top, too.
- Fancy carrot ribbons: Use a vegetable peeler to make thin ribbons of carrot, and then cook in a simple syrup for 15 minutes to soften. Curl the carrot ribbons into rose shapes and place on top of the cupcake.
How to store carrot cake cupcakes:
It's best to store the cupcakes in an air-tight container in the fridge, but remove them for a few hours before serving. It's also best to frost right before serving. If the frosted cupcakes are refrigerated, it's fine--just let them sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving. These cupcakes are made with oil, not butter, so they won't harden in the fridge, but still, keep them tightly wrapped or in an air-tight container.
Freezing this Carrot Cupcake Recipe
If you want to make these ahead of time, it's best to freeze the cupcakes before they have been frosted. Let them cool completely from the oven, and then wrap them in plastic wrap before placing them in a freezer-safe bag to freeze for up to 3 months. Make the cream cheese frosting the day you plan to serve them. If you have leftover carrot cupcakes with the frosting, yes, you can technically toss them in the freezer for a later day. It would be best to defrost them in the fridge. The frosting will melt if heated in any way.
Carrot Cupcakes Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour (10 tablespoons total)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup freshly grated carrot
- ⅓ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup neutral oil (canola or grapeseed oil)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ of an 8-ounce block of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. First, preheat the oven to 350, and line a muffin pan with 6 cupcake liners. Have all ingredients ready, and let the cream cheese frosting ingredients sit out at room temperature to soften.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk very well. Add the grated carrots and coconut, and whisk very well to combine. The flour coats the carrot and coconut pieces and helps them not sink to the bottom of the cupcakes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, egg, sour cream, vanilla and oil.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir just until blended.
5. Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners, and bake for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with only moist crumbs clinging to it.
6. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan.
7. To make the frosting: combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
8. Beat together until super fluffy and well-combined using an electric hand mixer.
9. Frost the cupcakes with a knife, or place the frosting in a piping bag fitting with a tip and frost them.
Notes
The cupcakes keep for up to 3 days, refrigerated. Let them rest on the counter about 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 275mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 3g
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Patty says
Made these for the 4th. Absolutely perfect and so flavorful. I used to be only a big batch baker (and still freeze a lot of cookie dough), but as my nest has emptied this is so much more practical. These are not short cut recipes, but the real seal scaled down. Thanks so much. This one is a keeper!
Christina Lane says
Thank you, Patty! Empty nesters like you are the reason I do what I do :) I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for writing me :)
LaTrice says
Oh. My. Gosh. Carrot Cake Cupcakes are on point!! My sister and I had a craving for sweets, but wanted to keep the portions small, so I stumbled upon this recipe. We had everything we needed in the kitchen, so the cupcakes were simple to make. Instead of making six cupcakes, we ended up making nine. The cream cheese frosting was amazing, but I added a tablespoon of milk to thin it out because I almost destroyed the beaters. I used a piping bag to frost the cupcakes. It was moist, flavorful and delicious. I want to make another batch very soon. This is the first recipe I made from your blog, Christina. Thank you so much!! :-)
Katie says
Do you think its possible to make this into a small cake? What size pan should I use/how to adjust the baking time? Thanks.
Claire says
I have made these twice, and they are SO GOOD! It's nice to find a good recipe for a small batch. I've also successfully doubled this to make 12 cupcakes. FYI I left the coconut out because I didn't have any, and it's still delicious. The frosting is perfect - I find it makes plenty for the cupcakes, with a little bit left over. Thank you for this perfect recipe!!!
Christina Lane says
Thanks for letting me know, Claire! I'm so glad you loved them :)
Robin says
Hi there, these look like awesome carrot cake cupcakes but I just wanted to point out, in case anyone is on insulin & takes it based on carbs and/or calories, it seems as though the nutrition information is WAY off! This is what I saw:
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:CALORIES: 2957
TOTAL FAT: 133g
CARBOHYDRATES: 428g
PROTEIN: 19g
Believe me, I am not in anyway trying to be a ‘ball buster’ (I’m really sorry I couldn’t think of a more appropriate term, I hope you know I’m keeping this light) But 428 g of carbohydrate is equal to about 14 snickers bars. Now unless a serving is the entire plate of cupcakes my guess is that they are probably about 30 g of carbohydrate each. I just thought, in case someone was new to carb counting and didn’t recognize how crazy that number was, I thought I should point it out so maybe you can fix it? If you took the insulin needed for 428 g of carbohydrate you would definitely end up in the ER if not dead! The difference is ABOUT (depending on your dosage) 3 units of insulin versus 43 units of insulin! Thanks for listening and please don’t take this as a negative comment! :-)
Christina Lane says
Yes, Robin. The nutritional calculation on my recipes is done via a plugin that isn't very accurate right now. They're constantly updating it and trying to make it better. I hear it will be perfect soon :)
Christina Lane says
Hi Robin.
So, I can assure you it was a glitch in my nutrition calculator. It's not actually possible to cram 3000 calories into a single cupcake. It's fixed now, and each cupcake has 504 calories. However, I'm not a medical doctor, so use a nutritional calculator online that you like and double check before eating.
Izzy M says
Hi! How would I go about adding crushed pineapple? Making these for my Ma and she loves the pineapple in carrot cakes! I'll be leaving the coconut out :-)
Christina Lane says
Not exactly sure, but I do have a different carrot cake recipe that uses crushed pineapple: https://www.dessertfortwo.com/small-carrot-cake-with-caramel-cream-cheese-frosting/
Natalie says
These are the Best! All spices & freshly grated Nutmeg. (Huge fan/fresh nutmeg. Only 10 Tablespoons flour!! Wow so easy! I have had this recipe saved for weeks on my phone. Daughter arrived from LA. So this was weekend for indulgence. Made in morning & after whisking all dry ingredients I realized not grated but julienne carrots had been stirred in. Thought it would b a flop but No. couldn’t even tell with finished product. Icing turned out top notch.
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Taste fabulous Thanks
Cassandra says
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe! I made it 5 times and even used it to win my school baking competition!
brandi park says
I don't have sour cream or a suitable replacement, can I leave the sour cream out?
Christina Lane says
No, don't leave it out.
Svet Tour says
pinning this because I have been looking for the perfect carrot cake cupcakes and I know your recipe will be delicious, as usual ??