Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Look how moist these delicious cupcakes are! Scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, and spiked with a hint of applesauce, these cupcakes are decidedly sweet and warm. And when topped with my buttery cream cheese frosting, it’s a match made in carrot cake heaven!
This is the best carrot cake batter you will ever make! It’s perfectly sweet (not overly sugary) with flecks of carrot in every cinnamon-and-nutmeg laced bite. And the cream cheese frosting delivers the perfect balance of tangy and sweet (which a touch of vanilla for good measure).
Use fresh carrots! As convenient as store-bought shredded carrots are, they’re often dry. Too dry for this cake. Grab a few fresh carrots for these cupcakes – it makes all the difference in the world.
Pro tip for the carrots! To ensure you have little flecks of carrot equally dispersed in the batter, grate the carrots and then chop the shreds. I used my food processor to shred the carrots, and then chopped the shredded carrots on my cutting board. I promise you, this one simple step will change your carrot cake game.
I used cinnamon and nutmeg, but you have options. I love the warming nuance of cinnamon and nutmeg in these carrot cake cupcakes because they partner beautifully with the carrots and applesauce. If you want to swap allspice in for the nutmeg, feel free; allspice will add a little more spice. You can also use pumpkin pie spice to replace both the cinnamon and nutmeg.
The sweetness of applesauce partners beautifully with carrots! Plus, using applesauce adds moisture and eliminates the need to extra oil! If you don’t have applesauce, you can also use Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Start with room temperature ingredients! Room temperature ingredients blend better, making a flawless carrot cake batter!
Can you make a carrot cake instead of cupcakes? Absolutely. Simply pour the batter into a lined (or sprayed) 13×9-inch baking pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup applesauce, or sour cream, or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups peeled, shredded, and coarsely chopped carrots, room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered, confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or coat with cooking spray, oil, or butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in the carrots. Add the dry ingredients to the carrot mixture and stir until just combined (stir just until the flour mixture is incorporated; do not over-mix).
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it.
- Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack (cool completely before frosting; at least 1 hour).
- Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, in a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar – one cup at a time – and mix until blended and creamy. Beat on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to frost the cupcakes (chilled frosting spreads better, especially if you plan to pipe it onto the cupcakes).
- Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.
- Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.