Easy Carrot Cupcakes
These Carrot Cake Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are perfect for Easter! They’re super moist, made with just the right amount of spice, and the not-too-sweet frosting is heavenly. An easy from scratch recipe that can be made ahead and comes with a cute Easter decorating idea.
These are the ultimate carrot cake cupcakes and a perfect holiday dessert! Simple and moist carrot cupcakes with a not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting that goes so well with the spiced cupcakes. Like my Easy Carrot Cake Recipe and my cute little Easter Bunny Rolls, this recipe makes a great addition to your Easter Brunch but also makes a great spring dessert.
Give these Carrot Cake Cupcakes an Easter upgrade by sprinkling the tops with toasted coconut to make little Easter nests and adding little chocolate eggs. A cute addition to every Easter table!
They get even more delicious after a day or two when the carrot cake’s flavors are fully developed, making this the perfect make-ahead recipe!
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES FROM SCRATCH
To make these carrot cupcakes you need 1 1/2 cups grated carrots, that’s about 3 large ones. Grate them by hand or use a food processor. Only use pre-grated carrots from the grocery store in an emergency because they are drier and won’t make your cupcakes as moist.
Start with creaming the sugars and the butter together. I use mostly brown sugar in this recipes because it adds flavor and moistness which is essential for a good carrot cake in my opinion. Then add the eggs, grated carrots, and unsweetened applesauce. Mix in the dry ingredients, pour the batter into your muffin pan (this
When the cupcakes are completely cooled make the frosting. My cream cheese frosting is not as sweet as many other cream cheese frostings because that’s how we like it. So it’s totally ok to eat more than one cupcake 🙂
The cupcakes keep well, covered in the fridge or at a cool place and, thanks to the almonds, will become even moister over the next day or two. Adding ground almonds to your carrot cake cupcakes guarantees a moist crumb because of the oil in the nuts.
How to decorate Carrot Cupcakes
The first option to decorate the Carrot Cake Cupcakes: My go-to way to frost cupcakes – roses! These are much easier to pipe than you think and they look impressive. All you need is a 1M tip
The second option is perfect for Easter: Making little Easter Nest Cupcakes! These are so easy to make, super cute and perfect for Easter. Pipe a little nest on top of the carrot cupcake, sprinkle with toasted coconut and top with little chocolate eggs
SOME MORE EASTER AND SPRING RECIPES YOU’LL ENJOY!
I have a lot of recipes to choose from if you want to take a look at my recipe index, but here are a few of my recent recipes.
These Brown Butter Maple Glazed Roasted Rainbow Carrots are the easiest and most delicious side dish ever! They make a perfect side dish for your Easter Sunday dinner! If you’re looking for a cozy soup you have to try this Instant Pot Carrot Soup Recipe, great for lunch but also fancy enough for guests. Why not serve this soup as an appetizer?
And if you’re more in the mood for something more indulgent, these Nutella Mousse Cookie Cups are so delicious. A chocolate cookie baked in a muffin tin and filled with Nutella mousse, these will be a hit at your next party! Or try this Carrot Pineapple Cake!
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes (with Easter Upgrade!)
The best Carrot Cake Cupcakes with a not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting on top! These carrot cupcakes are perfectly moist, lightly spiced and so flavorful.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots about 3 large carrots
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz cream cheese
Easter Topping (optional):
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 24-36 mini eggs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan (my favorite pan) with cupcake liners.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until slightly pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs, finely grated carrots, and unsweetened applesauce. Mix until well combined.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups, fill each about 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the muffin pan several minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
If you want to decorate the cupcakes for Easter, spread the shredded coconut on a baking tray and put in the oven (350°F) for about 5 minutes to lightly toast. Cool completely.
To make the frosting, beat together softened butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add vanilla extract and cream cheese and beat until blended. If the frosting is a little bit too soft, freeze for a few minutes.
Frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. If you want to decorate them for Easter then immediately sprinkle toasted coconut on top to roughly coat and Stick mini eggs into the middle of each cake.
Store frosted cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
Use brick-style cream cheese for the frosting. Not cream cheese spread.
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If you’ve tried this or any other of my recipes, don’t forget to rate the recipe and to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
Natalie
Hey there! Can’t wait to try these! This is the first carrot cake recipe I’ve found that uses butter instead of oil ❤️ What could I use if I don’t have ground almonds? Thanks!
Julia
Hi Natalie, you can use any other ground nuts like hazelnuts or pecans instead of the ground almonds or grind any whole nuts in a food processor 🙂 Happy Easter!
Victoria
These cupcakes are delicious and so easy to make! I made them this afternoon with my 3 year old son for an Easter playdate tomorrow. They are light and flavorful. I liked the addition of the ground almonds, which paired perfectly with the marzipan carrots we used for decoration on top. We followed the recipe except for adding some ground ginger and a scoop of greek yogurt to the batter. The frosting was perfect and not too sweet. Thank you 🙂