This is a recipe for carrot cake cupcakes made with pureed carrot baby food, to take the work out of grating and blending, seasoned with cinnamon and allspice, and topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s sure to quench your sweet tooth craving!
Carrot cake is so delicious and I absolutely love cupcakes. So, combining the two was an absolute no-brainer for me.
Is it Easy to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting?
In short, yes!
This is not a traditional carrot cake recipe. I’m going to have you skip the time it takes to shred your carrots and puree them. Instead, you’ll use a secret ingredient – pureed carrot baby food!
I know what you’re thinking. Baby food? Really? Yes, hear me out.
It’s the same thing as peeling or dicing carrots, cooking them until tender, and then pureeing them. This lets you skip those steps (and approximately 15-20 minutes) and get straight to mixing the cupcake batter together. It allows you to finish faster and still get rave reviews!
See, I told you it’s easy!
This recipe has a combination of allspice and cinnamon and reminds me a lot of my pumpkin cupcake and apple butter cupcake recipes that I also make with these warm spices.
Carrot cake and pumpkin cupcakes are actually very similar. I feel that carrot cake is to Easter dessert as pumpkin bars are to Halloween desserts.
Check out my cupcake baking guide that answers all of your questions about baking, ingredient substitutes, and decorating the perfect cupcakes!
Carrot Cake Cupcake Ingredients
Cupcakes
- Butter
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Buttermilk
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Pureed Carrot Baby Food
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Powdered Sugar
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Milk
Tips For This Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe
Carrot cake cupcakes are not like vanilla cupcakes, it has a few extra ingredients, and you will need to take extra care. Here are some tips for the best results when making this recipe.
- Leave your butter out to soften up. Mixing in hard butter straight from the fridge can be a real pain and leaves chunks of butter in the batter. Leave your butter out for at least half an hour prior to mixing or microwave for about 10-15 seconds until it’s soft.
- Be careful with portions. Always accurately measure carrot cupcake ingredients because one thing that ends up being too much may make it taste odd. Do not scoop your flour; add it in with another smaller cup and level it out with a knife.
- Don’t overmix the carrot cake. If you leave your electric mixer on too much, it can create a chewier texture that is not soft or moist like cupcakes should be.
- Don’t have buttermilk? Mix together ⅔ milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, and let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
How To Make Homemade Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a whisk, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.
- Next, add in the buttermilk.
- Sift together all dry ingredients, then blend well into the mixing bowl.
- Add in carrot puree and mix.
- Fill cupcake liners approximately ¾ full (about 3 tablespoons.)
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
How to Make Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
The cream cheese frosting in this recipe is lighter, but oh so delicious. If you are looking for a rich cream cheese frosting try my melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting recipe.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla.
- Slowly add powdered sugar.
- Add 1-2 tablespoon Milk until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
How to Decorate Carrot Cake Cupcakes
To decorate these cupcakes, I used a Wilton 2A tip to pipe the white cream cheese frosting onto each cupcake. I simply pressed the frosting onto the center of the cupcake to make a dome, then lifted up.
After that, I took a small metal icing spatula and spread the frosting to the edges and so that the top was more flat.
I mixed some of the cream cheese frosting with green and orange icing gel. The green has a #67 leaf tip and the orange has a #2 round decorating tip to make the carrots.
How Do You Know When Cupcakes are Done?
There are a few easy ways to tell if cupcakes are done. One is by inserting the toothpick into the middle of each cupcake, and it should slide out clean.
If your cupcake is still soupy in the middle they need extra time.
Another way is by lightly pressing the top of the cupcake and seeing if it springs back when touched. If it does, it is done. If it leaves a slight indentation, it needs more time.
Carrot Cake Cupcake Variations
There are a variety of additions that can be added to carrot cupcakes. Some find them delicious with diced fresh pineapple, orange zest, or by adding apple sauce to the mixture.
Others also sprinkle coconut or chopped pecans on top of the frosting for added flavor and texture.
How to Store Cupcakes
Any cake or cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting should not be left at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
They need to be refrigerated and should be eaten within 5 days for the best quality.
I actually prefer my frosted cakes and cupcakes to be refrigerated, but if you do not like the coolness, allow them to sit at room temperature for 8-10 minutes prior to serving.
They also freeze well. They can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months for best quality.
To thaw, remove them from the freezer and allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Final Thoughts
If you have yet to try this fantastic carrot cake cupcake recipe, now is the time! It is easy to follow and takes less time than the average carrot cake, thanks to the carrot puree. The spice mixed with the cream cheese frosting will leave you floating and in bliss.
Recommended Cupcakes
- 24 Karat Gold Cupcakes
- Apple Butter Cupcakes
- The Best Cherry Chip Cupcakes
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Starbucks Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino Cupcakes
- The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes
Enjoy!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- ¾ cup White Sugar
- ¾ cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Allspice
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3-4 ounces Containers of Gerber, or other brand Pureed Carrots Baby Food (or 1 ⅓ cups Pureed Carrots)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 cups Confectioners’ Sugar
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add buttermilk. Sift together all dry ingredients, then blend well into the mixing bowl. Mix pureed carrots into the batter.
- Fill cupcake liners approximately ¾ full (about 3 tablespoons.) Bake for 16-18 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar. Add 1-2 tablespoon Milk until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
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