The classic carrot cake is a dessert that never grows old. This recipe for Carrot Cake Cupcakes is loaded with freshly grated carrots and spiced with cinnamon and ginger. These tender, moist cupcakes get topped with the ever-popular cream cheese frosting.This recipe makes 12 jumbo cupcakes, 24 standard cupcakes, or 80 mini cupcakes.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time35 minutesmins
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, carrot cupcakes, jumbo carrot cake cupcakes, mini carrot cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place cupcake wrappers into the cavities of a muffin pan. Spray the wrappers with non-stick cooking spray, and set them aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with either a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until fluffy.
Reduce the mixer to low and add the flour mixture. Blend until all the flour mixture is incorporated, do not over mix.
Stop the mixer and stir in the carrots and walnuts by hand with a rubber spatula.
Spoon the batter into the prepared wrappers to about 3/4 full.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes for mini cupcakes, 20 to 23 minutes for regular-sized cupcakes, or 30-35 minutes for jumbo cupcakes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift the cupcakes out and set them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Frosting:
Place the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined.
Notes
If you want to pipe the frosting in a swirl as it looks in the photos, you will need to double the recipe if you make jumbo cupcakes.
Let the cream cheese and butter soften up at room temperature before you begin. If they are cold when you start then you will get lumpy frosting.
To soften butter quickly, grate it with a cheese grater.
To soften cream cheese quickly, cut it into small cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. The smaller you cube the cream cheese, the quicker it will soften.
When you add the powdered sugar, stir it in slowly at the beginning and increase the speed gradually. If you start the mixer at high speed then the powdered sugar will fly out of the bowl.