Soft Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

These soft carrot cake cupcakes are everything I want in a handheld version of the classic cake. They’re moist, tender, perfectly spiced and topped with my velvety cream cheese frosting, which is smooth, fluffy and has just the right amount of tang. Nobodies ticking off their daily veg intake with these homemade cupcakes. The carrot boosts the moisture level in the cupcakes and adds natural sweetness. And those fondant carrots on top? Way easier to make than they look and aren’t they so cute?

Hey team! I can’t choose just one thing to love about these carrot cake cupcakes, there are so many things to love! They might look a bit simple, and they are really easy to make, but there’s so many things that make them special! The texture, the flavors and how they just melt in your mouth.

The method is super simple, and you only need a whisk to whip them up. The batter comes together with simple ingredients like grated carrot, oil and yogurt which keep the cupcakes soft, moist, and give them that light, bakery-style crumb. And the chopped walnuts add this crunch that cuts through each bite. It’s one of my favorite things about them.

Related → If you love these cupcakes, try my Carrot Cake next. It’s everything you love here in a layered version. And while we’re talking soft cupcakes, my classic vanilla cupcakes are a reader favorite for a reason.

By the way, these are a re-work of my old Cute Carrot Cake Cupcakes. The goal was a softer cake crumb, a bit more warmth from the spices and while I was at it I re-worked my cream cheese frosting to make it easier to pipe but just as creamy. That’s all thanks to my secret ingredient, milk powder. More on that later though.

Oh, and those fondant carrots, optional, but they’re so easy to make. I’ve got step by step photos of how to make these homemade cupcakes from scratch including the carrots.

Why You’ll Love These Carrot Cake Cupcakes

• Soft, moist crumb – They stay tender and moist thanks to the oil-based batter and the moisture from the carrot. I’ve also added a bit of Greek yogurt to take them up a notch, but not so much that it weighs them down—they’re still light and fluffy.
• Velvety cream cheese frosting – It’s smooth, fluffy, and lightly tangy. Oh, and it pipes like a dream thanks to a little milk powder, which helps stabilize it without affecting the flavor.
• Texture – One of my favorite things is the chopped walnuts. They’re creamy with a bit of crunch, and they cut through the soft crumb and frosting beautifully.
• Perfectly spiced – I gave these a gentle boost of cinnamon, and a touch of nutmeg for that warm, classic carrot cake flavor.
• Super cute – The fondant carrots on top are optional but they add so much charm to these cupcakes and they’re way easier to make than they look! Plus you can make them two weeks in advance!

Opinion: should carrot cake cupcakes have raisins in it? No. ok? Just… k?

What Carrots Do To These Cupcakes

Carrots do more than just add color, they bring moisture, natural sweetness, and help keep the crumb soft. As they bake, the water in the carrots releases into the batter, giving you that tender, moist texture without making the cupcakes dense or heavy.

I grated then chopped the carrot to make the batter less chunky and give the cupcakes a smoother top. Smaller pieces mean more surface area, which helps release even more moisture into the batter while keeping the texture light.

My Secret Ingredient to Dreamy Creamy Cheese Frosting

It’s all about the milk powder. Bit of an odd ingredient for frosting and I only use it in my cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese, especially block style cream cheese has a lot of moisture. Butter is mostly fat, so the two don’t mix well together. The milk powder helps absorb the water in the cream cheese to help the two mix more harmoniously.  It also helps stiffen up the frosting so that it’s stable enough to pipe and makes it really creamy.

Which milk powder should I use? You can find milk powder in the long-life section of your supermarket. Both full fat milk powder and skim milk powder will work.

Tips on how to get the best texture every time

• Use softened cream cheese and butter. They should be cool to the touch but soft enough to press with some resistance.
• Always mix on high speed – After you add powdered sugar and milk powder, mix on low until no dry ingredients are showing, then whip on high until fluffy and pale.
• Soft frosting? If the frosting feels too soft or jiggly, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
• On warm days, keep your cupcakes chilled and let them sit out briefly before serving.

How To Make Fondant Carrots (optional)

• Split your orange fondant into 12 pieces and roll each one into a small ball.
• Use your fingers to roll one side of the balls to form a cone shape. Repeat this until you have 12 of them.

• Use any tool like the end of a skewer or fondant tool to poke a hole in the end of the carrots. This is where the green shoots will go in.
• Divide the green fondant into three equal parts and then roll into long thin pieces about the thickness of a skewer.

• Cut it into 2cm long pieces and then pinch four of those pieces together. Repeat this until you have 12 of these.
• Use a brush dipped in a little water to add water to the hole in the top of one carrot and add the shoots in. Lay flat on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Repeat this with the remaining carrots and shoots.
• Use a table knife to indent lines into the carrots to give them a little texture. I like starting on the sides first, then adding some on the front of the carrots as they lay on the tray.
• Let them dry for a day before using. You can store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

How To Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

• Peel and grate your carrots using a regular peeler.
• Optional, but recommended, use a large knife to roughly chop the carrots into smaller pieces. Smaller pieces = smoother batter and a more moist cake crumb.

• Whisk your dry ingredients together.
• Whisk all your wet ingredients together.

• Add the carrots and chopped walnuts and mix using a spatula to combine.
• Evenly spoon the batter amongst 12 cupcake liners. I like using an ice cream scoop to do this. Bake for 30 minutes. Once they come out of the oven, transfer to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

TIP: Chop the walnuts into small pieces for a better texture and easier slicing. Smaller bits give you little pops of crunch without overpowering each bite.

Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

Which cream cheese should I use?

Use block-style cream cheese, not spreadable, for structure. In the UK, Philadelphia works well. Soften it by leaving it out for 30 minutes until it’s cool to the touch but leaves an indent when lightly pressed. You want to also make sure your butter is softened. I have a full guide on how to soften butter on the blog that you can check out!

Use a hand held electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar together. About 3-4 minutes.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk powder and beat on low speed until no dry ingredients are showing. Then back up to high speed for another 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beat for a final 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Why is my frosting melting?

Most frosting are made of a lot of fat. This one has butter and a lot of cream cheese which is already susceptible to melting in warm environments. The best way to avoid this is to make your frosting in a cool environment and to keep your cupcakes chilled until you’re ready to serve.

To Finish Decorating Your Cupcakes

Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe a low swirl on each cupcake. Then cover the sides with crushed walnuts. Finish by adding the carrots on top!

Why is this recipe in grams and not cups?

The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistency results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!

Tried this recipe and loved it? Awesome! Drop me a comment below and tell me about it! Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you! You can also keep up to date with me during the week by joining me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!