Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Super moist carrot cupcakes with deliciously smooth cream cheese frosting. There is a reason these Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are my most popular cupcakes!

These are hands down my most popular cupcake recipe. I am repeatedly asked to make these Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting by family and friends. 

I thought for many years that I didn’t like carrot cake. It was the walnuts that a lot of people put in their carrot cake that was putting me off. But when a friend brought in their carrot cake, I finally tried it and realised what I have been missing out on all of these years!

Like I said, the majority of recipes have walnuts and raisins in them, but this is where I am controversial – I don’t include either of these in my recipe.

I know some carrot cake purists may think this is awful and all carrot cakes should have walnuts and raisins, but I don’t really like walnuts.

I also know a lot of people aren’t keen on raisins so I leave these out too. That’s the great thing about recipes, you can adapt them to your taste.  

These Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting also keep really well due to the oil keeping them moist. Unlike other cupcakes, these will keep really well for at least 4 days.

You can also freeze them before they are frosted wrapped up tightly in cling film. Just defrost them thoroughly before adding the frosting. 

Cream cheese frosting is my favourite type of frosting. I find buttercream to be quite sweet and taste too buttery for me (yes I realise I am strange). Cream cheese frosting is so delicious and creamy I could eat it straight from the bowl! 

This is not a recipe where you can look to reduce the calories and use low fat cream cheese. You need the fat in the cream cheese to help create the thickness in the frosting.

If you were to use low fat cream cheese, the frosting would be too runny and you wouldn’t be able to pipe it onto the cupcakes at all. 

This frosting is a runnier than others like buttercream, so because of this it is slightly harder to pipe. Therefore I always use a large round nozzle instead of trying to pipe with any type of patterned nozzle.

This is because there is always the risk that it will spread slightly and lose any distinction there may have been in the pattern in the first place. 

For a gluten free version, check out my Gluten Free Carrot Sheet Cake. 

5 from 3 votes

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Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Super moist carrot cupcakes with deliciously smooth cream cheese frosting. There is a reason these Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are my most popular cupcakes!

Course Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Keyword Carrot, Cupcakes, Cream Cheese, Frosting, Vegetables

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 18 cupcakes

Calories 444 kcal

Ingredients

• 150 g light brown sugar
• 150 g dark brown sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 300 ml sunflower oil
• 300 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon heaped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 300 g carrot grated

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 75 g unsalted butter softened
• 200 g cream cheese full fat
• 450 g icing sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (fan assisted, 190ºC non fan). Line cupcake tins with cupcake cases
2. Mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. I like to do this in a large jug
   
3. In another bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together
   
4. Gradually add the dry mix to the wet mix stirring as you go. Add the carrots and keep stirring until thoroughly mixed. Don’t worry, the mix will be quite wet
   
5. Fill each cupcake case two-thirds full and bake for 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack
   
6. Once completely cool, make the frosting. Beat the softened butter until smooth
   
7. Add the cream cheese and icing sugar and mix until completely combined and smooth
   
8. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and decorate each cupcake. Add any sprinkles or decorations you want
   

Recipe Notes

Break up any lumps that may have formed in the sugar before adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Nutrition Facts

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Amount Per Serving

Calories 444 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Polyunsaturated Fat 11g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 21mg7%

Sodium 207mg9%

Potassium 86mg2%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 42g47%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 3050IU61%

Vitamin C 1.7mg2%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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