The best Carrot Cake Cupcakes are moist ‘n tender, with irresistible crumb bursting with sweet spiced flavor and carrot goodness! Topped with dreamy, supple and thick cream cheese frosting, this homemade carrot cupcakes recipe is perfect for Easter, birthdays, and dessert.
Why You’ll Love These Carrot Cake Cupcakes
The best carrot cake cupcakes are homemade, moist, easy to make, and perfectly spiced. Once you bite into the lightly crisp top, your teeth will sink into the bouncy yet tender crumb with juicy carrots and raisins bursting on your tongue.
This perfect Easter carrot cake cupcakes recipe is complemented with crunchy walnuts and the dreamiest velvety-soft cream cheese frosting. (Which also goes oh-so well with pumpkin cake.) You’ll simply love this epically-good carrot cake cupcake!
Carrot Cake Cupcake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – no need to use anything fancy like cake flour; just simple all-purpose flour!
- Spices – ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt altogether create a carrot cake cupcake flavor paradise in your mouth
- Canola oil – or vegetable oil will do
- Unsweetened applesauce – make sure to use room temperature
- Brown sugar – light or dark brown works
- Large eggs – use room temperature for even mixing and melding of the ingredients
- Vanilla – as always, use pure vanilla extract and avoid imitation for the best flavor
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Start this Easter carrot cake cupcake recipe by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with 16 liners.
Next, whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: oil, applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in carrots, walnuts, and raisins until every bit is coated.
Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way, then bake carrot cake cupcakes for about 24 minutes.
Cool the best carrot cake cupcakes completely. Meanwhile, make a batch of Pinterest-viral, super creamy ‘n delish cream cheese frosting.
Once cooled, frost your homemade carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting using an Ateco 808 (smooth like in my photos) or Ateco 844 piping tip (makes ridged swirls like you see on most cupcakes). Enjoy!
Tips & FAQs
- How long to bake carrot cake cupcakes? Bake carrot cake cupcakes about 24 minutes, until you have a lightly crisp top and moist and bouncy interior.
- Measure the carrots & grate them yourself: Use a scale to ensure you get exactly 160g of carrots. Also avoid using store-bought grated carrots, which are too long, sharp, and dry!
- Hand grate carrots into delicate shreds: Erik is a pro at this and hand grates carrots thinly so they aren’t stiff like carrot matchsticks; they’re soft and feathery which allows them to almost melt into the carrot cake cupcakes.
- Use room temperature applesauce and eggs: cold ingredients will get in the way of your cupcake batter mixing properly and baking up right.
Recommended Cream Cheese Frosting
Use my cream cheese frosting recipe, which makes exactly enough to generously frost 16 cupcakes (the amount this carrot cake cupcake recipe makes). This frosting recipe is creamy and thick, but soft and velvety when you bite into it.
For more delicious recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it!
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
More Recipes
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with 16 liners. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: oil, applesauce, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined.
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Transfer the wet mixture into the dry ingredients bowl, scraping the bowl clean. Whisk until combined, being careful not to overmix.
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Using a rubber spatula, fold in carrots, walnuts and raisins until fully incorporated.
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Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling about ¾ of the way. Do not overfill to avoid a mess.
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Bake for 21-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Mine took 24 minutes, I like mine with a crispy top.*
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Cool cupcakes in the pan for 7 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to completely. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.
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After cooling completely, frost with this Ateco 808 piping tip. Optionally, top with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts (use a little of the walnut “dust”—the crumbly bits, it’s pretty!)
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★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Storing Instructions: Carrot cake cupcakes can stay at room temperature for 1-3 hours with cream cheese frosting. After, they’ll need to be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Freezing Instructions: Store cupcakes in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for 1-3 months in the freezer.
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