These Super Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes are light and fluffy with a nice hint of cinnamon and grated carrots inside. Paired with this smooth cream cheese frosting and topped with finely chopped walnuts, they're the perfect springtime dessert!
Table of Contents
What's In These Carrot Cake Cupakes?
You'll need the following ingredients to make these carrot cake cupcakes:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Ground Cinnamon. I used vietnamese ground cinnamon from King Arthur Baking.
- Salt
- Vegetable Oil. Gives these carrot cake cupcakes that nice moist texture.
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsweetened Applesauce. Helps to add another level of moisture to these super moist carrot cake cupcakes.
- Eggs. You'll need 2 large-size cupcakes.
- Carrots. I used 2 larger size carrots that I cleaned and finely grated. 3 medium-size carrots will work just as well. You'll need 1 ½ cups total.
- Chopped Walnuts. They're only used as an optional topping for this recipe. If you'd like to add them to the cupcake batter, use ½ cup and fold them in when you fold in the grated carrots.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
For the cream cheese frosting, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter. Make sure this is at room temperature so it blends well with the cream cheese.
- Cream Cheese. Use the block type of cream cheese and not the tub style. And make sure it's at room temperature as well.
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar. While not required, it's a good idea to sift the powdered sugar to avoid any lumps in your frosting. It helps when piping your cupcakes too!
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Below is a brief overview of how to make these super moist carrot cake cupcakes. For the full detailed recipe, including the cream cheese frosting, see the recipe card below.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Includes all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients together. Add together the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, unsweetened applesauce, eggs, and finely grated carrots. For the carrots, I like using my Microplane Grater.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet.
- Divide evenly and bake. For easier transfer, use a 1 ½ tablespoon-size cookie scoop. I used this Medium Size OXO Cookie Scoop. Fill the cupcakes ¾ full, then bake. 350ºF for 20-22 minutes. The cupcakes should have a slight dome to the tops.
- Let cool, then frost. Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack, then add the cream cheese frosting with either an offset spatula or decorating tip and piping bag.
How to Decorate Your Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
You can either use an offset spatula to decorate your cupcakes or you can use the following tools.
- Large Piping Bag. A 14 or 16 inch piping bag will work fine.
- Large Open Decorating Tip. The Wilton 1A piping tip worked perfectly with the amount of cream cheese frosting used in this recipe.
- Offset Spatula
Other carrot cake cupcake baking tools to consider:
Recipe FAQs
What cupcake liners did you use?
I used these wavy cupcake liners from Wilton. I've used them with my small-batch chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and black bottom cupcakes recipes. Unfortunately, they're seemingly getting more difficult to find, so you can also use standard cupcake liners.
What decorating tip was used for the cream cheese frosting?
I used the Wilton 1A decorating tip with a large-sized piping bag. The Wilton 1A tip is also known as the open tip or open circle tip.
Can I make and freeze carrot cake cupcakes in advance?
Yes! It's best to freeze them unfrosted and stored them in a well-sealed storage container. If you plan to frost and serve them within 4-5 days, you can keep them stored in the refrigerator in a well-sealed container.
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Super Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Author:These Super Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes are so light and fluffy with a nice hint of the cinnamon, they will be devoured as soon as you slather on the cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients
carrot cake cupcakes
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups Carrots (finely grated)
- ½ cup Chopped Walnuts (optional topping or can be folded into the cupcake batter with the carrots)
cream cheese frosting
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 cup Powdered Sugar (sifting optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
carrot cake cupcakes
- Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.1 cup All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- In a separate bowl, finely grate the carrots. You'll probably be good using either 3 medium or 2 large-size carrots.1 ½ cups Carrots
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and granulated sugar. Add in the unsweetened applesauce and eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.¼ cup Vegetable Oil, 1 cup Granulated Sugar, ¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce, 2 Large Eggs
- Fold in the whisked dry mixture until almost blended, then add in the finely grated carrots. Make sure not to overmix the batter.
- Using a 1 ½ tablespoon-size cookie scoop, fill each cupcake liner ¾ way full and place the cupcake tins side-by-side in the oven. The second cupcake tin will only have 2-3 cupcakes.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the cupcake tins. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Frost cooled carrot cake cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula or a piping bag and a Wilton 1A decorating tip. Top with optional chopped walnuts.Please note: Using this decorating tip and a thick layer of frosting, you will have plenty of frosting for all the cupcakes, plus some extra. If you plan to frost or pipe them with a thinner layer of frosting you can go ahead and half this recipe.½ cup Chopped Walnuts
cream cheese frosting
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat together the unsalted butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until well blended, smooth, and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract.½ cup Unsalted Butter, 8 oz Cream Cheese, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Reducing the mixer speed to low, add in the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until completely mixed. If you feel the frosting needs to be thicker, add a little bit of powdered sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.4 cup Powdered Sugar
Recipe Notes
1 ½ cup of finely grated carrots equals about 3 medium- to large-size carrots.
Using the Wilton 1A decorating tip and a thick layer of frosting, you will have plenty of frosting for all the cupcakes, plus some extra.
If you plan to frost or pipe them with a thinner layer of frosting you can go ahead and half this recipe.
This recipe is adapted from the 2001 Taste of Bedminster Elementary recipe book. It was updated on March 30, 2022.
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Tori says
Super easy recipe to make and makes just the right amount! It was very quick to make as well. And Of course, they taste amazing!
Margaret says
This recipe is super easy to make and the results are amazing! This cupcakes are super tasty and perfectly moist. The icing is creamy and delicious. I highly recommend this recipe if you have extra carrots laying around and love carrot cake as much as I do!
Bianca Kros says
Just made these cupcakes and they were amazing! Super easy, light, moist and not overly sweet. Thank you for sharing!
Jennifer says
I'm so glad you loved them, thank you!