These Carrot Cake Cupcakes are perfectly moist and super easy to make from scratch. They're perfect for Easter, spring gatherings, or anytime you want to enjoy carrot cake in convenient and portable cupcakes. Topped with a simple, yet decadent cream cheese buttercream that makes decorating easy.
1 hand grater or food processor for grating the carrots
1 muffin pan for making 12 cupcakes
12 parchment liners
1 hand or stand mixer optional, but preferred
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cake Cupcakes
1 ¼cupsall-purpose flour
½cupgranulated sugaruse granulated erythritol sugar for lower-carb
½cuplight brown sugar packeduse brown erythritol sugar for lower-carb
¾teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonsalt
1teaspooncinnamon
¼teaspoonnutmeg
¾cupscanola or baking oil
2largeeggsroom temperature
2tablespoonsmilk
1 ½teaspoonsvanilla extract
1 ½cupsgrated carrots
½cupchopped walnuts or pecansoptional
Buttercream Frosting
½cup(1-stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
8ouncescream cheeseat room temp
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2cupspowdered sugaruse powdered erythritol sugar for lower-carb
Chopped nuts and/or marzipan carrotsas a garnish
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 º F. Line a muffin pan with 12 parchment or silicone liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined.
Stir in the oil. Stir in the eggs one at a time, mixing completely between each. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract.
Stir in the carrots and mix until well combined. The batter should be thick and easy to scoop with a spoon.
Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners, filling each to about ¾ full. Bake in the middle rack for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. A bit of crumbs is fine, but if it’s still moist batter, bake an additional 2-4 minutes.
Cool the cupcakes completely at room temp before frosting
Buttercream and Decorating
Combine butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until well combined. For best results, beat with a hand or stand mixer.
Mix in vanilla extract and salt until combined.
Slowly beat in sugar with a mixer until combined. Place buttercream frosting into a frosting pipe and decorate cooled muffins.
Optional: Garnish cupcakes with chopped nuts and/or marzipan carrots. Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Grate the carrots as fine as possible for the best flavor and texture.
Substitute matching erythritol sugars for any of the sugars in the recipe to reduce the carbs and sugar.
Use parchment liners to prevent sticking and for easy storage and serving. No need to grease the pan when baking.
Be sure to bring the butter and cream cheese to room temp before mixing for the correct consistency.
Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting to prevent melting.
Store prepared cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to serve.