Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Warmly spiced carrot cake flavors, perfectly balanced by tangy cream cheese frosting.
Texture: Ultra moist and tender cupcakes with a slight crunch from the walnuts, topped with that luxuriously smooth, rich, and creamy frosting.
Ease: Beginner-friendly recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: All the cozy flavors of classic carrot cake in a perfectly moist, bakery-worthy cupcake. It’s impossible to eat just one!
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes are adorable little treats with HUGE flavor, ready to steal the show!
As if these flavorful, moist, tender cupcakes weren’t already amazing, add a tangy, silky-smooth cream cheese frosting, and you have the most delicious Easter dessert ever.
The flavor combination of carrot cake + cream cheese frosting is magical – but it only works if the cake is moist, spiced, and not too sweet. Luckily, these cupcakes check ALL those boxes.
And yes, they totally count as your daily dose of veggies 😉
Whether you’re making my favorite Classic Scone Recipe for Easter Brunch, or my from-scratch Green Bean Casserole and go-to Ultimate Dinner Rolls for Easter Dinner, these cupcakes are the perfect dessert.
And for those who think that raisins should be banned from baked goods (me!), there are no raisins in this recipe! (but you can add some if you insist).
Tessa’s #1 Tip: Grate Fresh Carrots!
Avoid using packaged pre-shredded carrots! Freshly grated carrots add more flavor and moisture, making your cupcakes extra tender and delicious.
If you have a food processor, the grating attachment makes it super easy, but a simple box grater works, too!
Key Recipe Ingredients
The Spices: This recipe includes the perfect amount of spice for a well-balanced Carrot Cake Cupcake. If you prefer a more spice-forward cupcake, feel free to add more cinnamon.
- Note: older spices carry less flavor than fresh spices, you may need a little more to prevent your cupcakes from being bland. Check that your spices are not expired before using.
Applesauce: A little applesauce in this recipe provides moisture, helps create a tender texture, and adds more wonderfully fresh flavor. Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce.
Nuts: I love using walnuts in the batter and as a topping for extra crunch and flavor, balancing the sweetness beautifully. Toasting the walnuts isn’t necessary, but if you like, you can toast them and let them cool before adding them to the cupcakes. Pecans work well, too! Or, skip the nuts altogether.
Can I Add Raisins? I’m not a raisin fan but feel free to add a few tablespoons of raisins along with (or instead of) the walnuts.
Sprinkle of Science
This Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe uses oil for beautifully tall cupcakes with a coarser crumb and more spongy texture. I used canola oil, but other neutral oils (such as vegetable or avocado) work great. Give your oil a sniff before using, and don’t use it if it has any off odors, as this will flavor your cupcakes.
I don’t recommend using butter instead, as this will change the texture of the cupcakes. Learn more in my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article here.
This also means that these cupcakes are dairy-free! If you or someone you’re serving is allergic to dairy, simply use your favorite dairy-free frosting on top!
The Cream Cheese Frosting
The shining star of any Carrot Cake Cupcake! This recipe makes enough cream cheese frosting to generously frost 12 cupcakes.
For the best and creamiest frosting, be sure your cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature, and be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl often to prevent lumpy frosting. More tips in my Best Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
Don’t like cream cheese frosting? Use my Easy Buttercream Frosting Recipe instead!
How to Decorate Carrot Cake Cupcakes
I used a disposable piping bag and a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe the cream cheese frosting in a pretty swirl on top of the cupcakes.
Feel free to use a different piping tip, or check out my How to Make Decorative Carrots post for an adorable Easter dessert.
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Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons (174 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (42 grams) finely chopped walnuts, divided
- 1/4 cup (47 grams) neutral oil (like canola or avocado oil)
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (148 grams) finely shredded carrots* (about 2 medium carrots)
For the frosting:
- 3/4 stick (85 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (67°F)
- 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (don’t skip sifting!)
- 6 ounces (170 grams) full-fat cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature (brick-style, not spreadable)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
Make the cupcakes:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and 1/4 cup (30 grams) of the walnuts.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, and eggs until well combined. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop to divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full, for a total of 12 cupcakes. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 19 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sifted powdered sugar on low, then gradually increase to medium-high to prevent a sugar cloud. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth. (It may look dry at first, but it will come together like magic!). Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and paddle, then add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high for 1 minute until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 30 seconds until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again as needed.
- Frost cupcakes and decorate with remaining chopped walnuts, if desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Brown Butter Carrot Cake (a layer cake version of this recipe, but made with brown butter!)
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Easter Blondies
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Check out ALL my Easter Recipes here!
Carrot Cake Cupcake FAQs
Sure! Simply halve all ingredients to yield 6 cupcakes, or double all ingredients to make 24 cupcakes. No other modifications needed.
1. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. If you don’t have a digital kitchen scale (my preferred method), use the spoon and level method explained here.
2. Don’t overmix the matter. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined.
3. Don’t overbake the cupcakes. Bake just until a cake tester inserted comes out clean to avoid over-browned, dry cupcakes.
Yes! The completely-cooled cupcakes can be stored inside an airtight container at room temperature for one day. The frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature and beat until light and fluffy again before piping.
Frosted Carrot Cake Cupcakes can be left at room temperature for up to 8 hours since the sugar in the cream cheese frosting acts as a preservative. After that, I recommend refrigerating inside an airtight container for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Store cooled, unfrosted cupcakes inside an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for about 1 to 2 hours before frosting and serving.
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with recipe improvements, additional Baking Science tips, and new photos. Photos by Joanie Simon.
Made these today to serve at our Easter dinner tomorrow! They were super simple to make and even though I know we shouldn’t taste raw batter… It was great so I can’t wait to frost and enjoy tomorrow!
My husband goes into the office about once a month and each time I bake treats for his coworkers. This time I had a bunch of carrots on hand and stumbled upon this recipe when searching online. I made it exactly as written and the cupcakes were absolutely delicious! They were a huge hit, and everyone loved them. Super easy to make and absolutely delicious. Would definitely make again and highly recommend you try too. You will not be disappointed.
I use this recipe everytime I make carrot cake. These cupcakes come out super moist and fluffy and taste absolutely delicious. I’ve even made as a loaf cake and just adjusted the cooking time. Highly recommend this recipe.
Delicious cupcakes! I used pecans instead of walnuts. Allergies. Plus, instead of frosting the cupcakes, I added 5 white chocolate chips on top of before baking. My husband and I will be enjoying these for our 25th wedding anniversary.
II gave your post 4 stars because the adds made it difficult to open the recipe. I ended up googling your website so I could open it without adds.
Hi Jean! I’m so sorry to hear that you’re experiencing so many ads! This is something we’re currently working to improve! There should be a small “x” to close some of the ads. If this happens again, please take a screenshot of what you’re seeing and email me at [email protected] so I can share it with our tech team. In the meantime, if you click on the print icon for any of our recipes, it will “reformat” the recipe without ads. Here is a link for the Perfect Carrot Cake Cupcakes in the ad-free, printable format. I hope that helps!
That’s extremely lame to rate the recipe lower bc you don’t like ads… they have zero to do with it.
You’re right, absolutely perfect! Wonderful texture, almost bouncy! My only change, if you can call it that, was that I made my own applesauce by cooking a thinly sliced apple in a little water, then mashing it up. Well, and I am always a little generous in measuring spices. The little sprinkle of walnuts on top is great. It looks good, and helps to identify the cupcakes when mixed with others.
Can granuled brown sugar be used instead of packed brown sugar
We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! Let us know how it goes if you do.
Is no baking powder needed for this recipe?
Nope, just baking soda as the leavener! Check out the pink tip box above this recipe for a link to our article about the differences between baking soda vs. baking powder 🙂 I hope you give this recipe a try!
Could I somehow reduce the amount of sugar for a childrens party and will it still taste good?
We havne’t tried that, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Sugar isn’t in recipes just to add sweetness, reducing it can actually affect the outcome as it helps to create a tender and moist texture and it assists in leavening your baked good (lift and rise for a taller shape and lighter texture), among many other things. Tessa actually goes into detail of the importance of sugar and other common ingredients in our Magic of Baking course, which you might find helpful. Feel free to experiment, but I’d recommend making this recipe at least once as written so you have something to compare to.
Hello!
Would this recipe work as a cake if doubled?
Thanks!
Hi Marie! We haven’t tried that, but I would imagine so! Check out this article on How to Convert Cake into Cupcakes (and Cupcakes into Cake!). You could also check out our delicious Brown Butter Carrot Cake recipe if you’re interested 🙂 Enjoy!
Tessa, can I substitute crushed pineapple for the applesauce?
We haven’t tried that! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
I’d love to make these, but there are so many videos and ads, my tablet keeps crashing and the recipe won’t stay on screen long enough for me to read it.
I’m so sorry to hear of your poor ad experience and have already brought this up to our team. Please check your email, I just sent you an email from [email protected]. Thank you!