Carrot Cake Cupcakes – Delicious spiced carrot cake cupcakes topped with smooth cream cheese buttercream.
I promised last week, when I shared my recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream, that I would come back with my recipe for carrot cake cupcakes, so here it is!
I’ve made cupcakes as recipe testing is so much simpler using mini cakes than full-sized ones. It means I can make lots of small batches with little tweaks without ending up with far too much cake to eat. I made at least ten different versions of these cupcakes before settling on this as the perfect recipe.
I tried:
- Plain v self-raising v wholemeal flour
- Caster sugar v brown sugar
- Cinnamon v mixed spice
- Different ratios of each ingredient to get the balance just right.
Can these cupcakes be made as a full-sized carrot cake?
Yes.
If you’d prefer one big cake then take a look at my carrot cake recipe.
Should you have raisins or nuts in a carrot cake?
I’ve made my carrot cake cupcakes with raisins, as this is what I prefer. I like to soak the raisins in water before adding them to the cake mixture as this ensures they are nice and juicy in the cake and also prevents any on the top from burning when the cake is cooking.
If you prefer you could substitute in the same weight of chopped walnuts or pecan nuts, or use a combination of raisins and nuts if you like both.
Some carrot cake cupcake decorating inspiration
I couldn’t decide how to decorate my cupcakes for this recipe post, so I tried two ideas. This first uses little sugar carrots from Cake Angels. Be warned they look quite a bit redder in colour than they appear in these images, a slightly odd shade for a carrot in my opinion. Carrot shaped toppers are available in the baking section of most supermarkets.
For the other decoration, I’ve cut a thin slither of carrot and made it into a curl and then added the tips of the carrot leaves.
I asked in my Instagram stories which you preferred, and the result was pretty much 50:50 so I thought I’d share them both on here.
If you want to help me in choosing pictures for my recipes, then do check out my Instagram stories as I ask for help on there quite often.
Can you freeze these carrot cake cupcakes?
Yes, they freeze very well.
The easiest way to freeze them is undecorated, as you can pile them up in an airtight container and defrost them when you want to eat them. The cream cheese buttercream can also be made in advance and frozen, then used to decorate the cupcakes once defrosted.
If you realise you’ve made and decorated too many cupcakes and want to freeze them, then this is also possible. To keep your buttercream looking pretty I recommend putting them onto a tray and freezing for two hours. This will allow the buttercream to firm up so that it holds its shape. Then transfer them into an airtight container for longer storage. When you come to defrost them, remove them from the container so that as the buttercream softens you won’t find they all accidentally stick together.
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
For the carrot cake cupcakes
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g carrots - One medium carrot
- 165 g self-raising flour
- 135 g brown sugar - I use soft dark brown sugar, but light brown or muscovado would also work well
- 150 ml vegetable/sunflower oil
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅓ tsp ground mixed spice
- 100 g raisins
- Water - enough to cover the raisins
Extras
- 12 cupcake or muffin cases
For the cream cheese buttercream
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 125 g icing sugar
- 250 g cream cheese
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- A little milk - This may be needed to ensure the buttercream is the right consistency
INSTRUCTIONS
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan.Line muffin tins with 12 cupcake cases.
- Put the raisins (100g) into a small bowl or jug and cover with water. Leave to soak while you prepare the rest of the cake mixture.
- Coarsely grate the carrot (150g).
- Beat together the oil (150ml) and brown sugar (135g) until combined.
- Beat in the egg (2 large) until combined.
- Sift in the self-raising flour (165g), bicarbonate of soda (½ tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp) and mixed spice (⅓ tsp). Fold the dry ingredients into the egg, oil and sugar mixture until combined.
- Drain the water from the raisins and add the raisins and grated carrot into the cake mixture. Fold together until combined.
- Divide the mixture between the 12 cupcake cases. Bake for 20 minutes. Check the cupcakes are cooked through by inserting a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean they are ready, if not, pop them back into the oven for a couple more minutes.
- Move them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Cut the butter (125g) into cubes and beat (either by hand or using a mixer on a slow speed ) until soft.
- Sift the icing sugar (125g) and beat it into the butter until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the cream cheese (250g) and vanilla extract (¼ tsp) and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Check the consistency of your buttercream. It should be firm, but soft enough to pipe. If it is too firm, then beat in a little milk (no more than a teaspoon at a time) until you have the right consistency.
- Pipe your buttercream onto your cupcakes and serve.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary, and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Lupin-Free
The cupcake sponge is dairy-free, but there is dairy in the buttercream.
darian says
it is so yum
Claire says
Is this recipe suitable to add nuts? If so what types do you recommend and what quantity? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, you can substitute some or all of the raisins for nuts if you’d like. Whichever type you like really, but if it were me making the change I’d go for chopped walnuts or pecans.
Nimi says
Just made this for my colleague’s leaving do in the office. Really nice and fluffy, not oily though I used rapeseed oil. substituted mixed spice with nutmeg as I had run out of it. Taste really lovely. My husband has placed some orders to be frozen for him since he working from home hahaha.
Your recipes are just simple and easy to follow. 2nd time I am making my home bakes from your recipes.
my cakes always come out like a pro.
Debbie Newton says
omg I just made these, added walnuts, but they are so light and fluffy. one thing tho I couldn’t get the cream cheese frosting to an appropriate piping consistency even after adding more icing sugar. any tips?
Charlotte Oates says
What brand of cream cheese did you use? I find some can make a runnier frosting than others. I always use Philadelphia (the full fat version).
Debbie Newton says
Admittedly it was a cheaper brand as no philly available I’ll try with Philadelphia next time maybe even later this week as they’re all gone already lol
Lily says
OMG this is the best carrot cake ever. I Made cupcakes and they are light and fluffy and very tasty. Would definitely recommend
Kelly says
Hi Charlotte,
I forgot to ask when I posted my review, could I use this amount of batter in a 2lb loaf tin? Do you think it would work? The cupcakes I made using this recipe came out so beautifully, I’m being asked for them by all my family now!
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried it so I’m sure if it would work – sorry.
Kelly says
Made these today, didn’t add sultanas as I don’t like them, and they came out beautifully soft, just the right amount of spices, and I also used soft light brown sugar, so they are lighter in colour but still amazing!
I also added the recipe for vanilla buttercream and sprinkled some cinnamon on top, will definitely be making these again!
Grace Crisp says
Can I make these without the raisins or nuts?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, you can just leave them out.
Mary Catherine says
What is mixed spice? What spices are included in it?
Charlotte Oates says
I but it ready-made from the supermarket. There are a few different brands but they’re all similar. It’s a mix of cinnamon, ground coriander, caraway seed, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and ground cloves.
Suzy Kelsey says
Hi Charlotte, have you managed to make the full carrot cake version yet? I’m looking for a really good carrot cake recipe, & you are my go to site for great tasing and easy to make cakes
Suzy
Charlotte Oates says
Not yet – sorry. I got distracted by the school summer holidays!
I’ve put it right at the top of my to-do list so it shouldn’t be too much longer.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Suzy,
It’s finally done! You can find the recipe here https://charlotteslivelykitchen.com/easy-carrot-cake/
Sorry it’s taken so long.
Suzy Kelsey says
Thanks so much. I can’t wait to have a go at making it
Anth says
Thanks for the recipe! Have you managed to convert into a large cake yet?
Charlotte Oates says
Not yet – sorry
Nina says
Thanks for all the fab recipes! This is my go-to website for all things cake.
What would the recipe adjustments be for a large carrot cake?
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t worked them out yet, I’ll get to work on it this week and I’ll let you know once they’re done.
Sabina says
Love all your recipes. They have boosted my confidence and love of baking so thank you! have you been able to work this into a large cake as I’d love to make this as a cake for a special occasion.
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t had a chance yet, it’s on my list to do in the next couple of weeks.
Donna Rouse says
Thankyou Charlotte for sharing this recipe.
I made these cupcakes for my partners Birthday yesterday.
He was very impressed. So Thankyou
He hasnt got a big sweet tooth and these were just perfect.
Cheers Donna
Wendy says
Love this recipe thanks for sharing it, I tweaked it a little once by soaking the fruit in cold strong tea which I do for my fruit cake & once by soaking in orange juice then adding a little orange oil to buttercream both tasted amazing. Doesn’t improve this lovely recipe just compliments it.
Charlotte Oates says
I was in two minds whether to add a bit of orange when I developed the recipe as it’s a flavour that goes so well with carrot cake. I’m glad to hear it worked well for you.
Himalaya says
These cupcakes are looking so cute. Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe.
Cam says
Delicious cake recipe and perfect for leftover cream cheese icing! Check out “baked with love” carrot decorations at Morrisons which I thought were a great colour and shape.
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll take a look.
Corina Blum says
I think these cupcakes sound fantastic Charlotte – I love the ones with the little carrot curl! I really like raisins in carrot cake too as I think they really help keep the cake nice and moist.
Charlotte Oates says
They do, and they add a little burst of sweetness too.
I likes the carrot curl too, but the sugar carrot got ever so slightly more votes on Instagram so I made that the main image.
Ediith V says
The website is great. I have been subscribing for some time but really appreciate the ‘full’ details and the new print facility.
Mary says
Hi Charlotte would soaking the raisins in alcohol work
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, a great idea!
Janet Vyvyan says
Hi Charlotte
I love your recipes. Your vanilla and choc birthday cake recipes are real winners with my (large) family. However, my husband and step-son are both extremely gluten and lactose intolerant and I would fo4 you to create some sweet recipes that I can make for them. They would love carrot cupcakes with cream cheese topping (you can buy lactose free soft cheese) , vanilla cupcakes, fruit cakes, tray bakes etc. Finding an good equivalent to unsalted dairy butter is a problem.
I hope you can create a new range to suit the ever-growing GF & DF population.
Thanks Charlotte
Best of luck. Janet
Charlotte Oates says
I am trying, but it’s not really my area of expertise so takes me a while to get them right. If you take a look at my Halloween Meringues recipe there’s links in there to a number of really great “free from” bloggers who have lots of recipes he might like.