Nothing is better than a perfectly made carrot cake cupcake. The moistness of the sponge, the balance of the spices, the tartness of the cream cheese frosting? I mean COME ON! A perfectly made carrot cake cupcake is one of the top desserts of all time. And for those of you who have never had carrot cake before because you’re scared of vegetables or something, get over yourself. Carrot cake cupcakes are just as “unhealthy” as all other desserts and equally (if not more) delicious. I pinky promise you, take one bite of these bad boys, and you will have a new favorite dessert. I think these came out beautifully, and I truly hope you and your loved ones enjoy them as much as I do!
How should I prepare my carrots for these carrot cake cupcakes?
If you are so lucky to own a food processor, then you barely have to do any carrot preparation. On the other hand, if you do not own a food processor, my the lord help you. Okay, joking aside, its really not that bad if you don’t own a food processor. A simple fine grater will work just fine. What you want to make sure of though is that you buy the BIG, FULL-SIZE carrots. If you buy the baby carrots you will be kicking yourself (trust me, I did it once). Just grate the full-size carrots until you have a cup and a half’s worth. Or if you’re using a food processor, use the grater attachment, and grate the carrots that way.
Why do these cupcakes use oil?
These carrot cake cupcakes use oil and yogurt to keep them moist. Often times, cakes made with butter are actually the most dry. I think it has to do with the water in butter being evaporated during baking, leaving less volume of moistener, and creating a dry cake. Regardless, the oil and yogurt in this recipe will be sure to make your cupcakes as moist and delicious as possible all while creating a gorgeous crumb and fluffy cupcake.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ cup Canola Oil
- ⅓ cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1½ cups Grated Carrot
For the Frosting:
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk thoroughly to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the oil and yogurt. Use a whisk and mix together until they come together. Add the sugars and whisk to combine.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to incorporate each before adding the next. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix together with a whisk until just a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add the grated carrot and use a rubber spatula to fold the carrot into the batter.
- Distribute the batter evenly amongst the cupcake pan, and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) beat your cream cheese and ROOM TEMPERATURE butter together until combined. The butter MUST be room temperature if you want them to combine without getting gross lumps of butter.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low to combine.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes using your preferred method and enjoy!
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