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–+ servings
Square image of a single cupcake with frosting on top and a bit taken out

Soft Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

My soft carrot cake cupcakes are moist, soft, tender and topped with a creamy, pipeable cream cheese frosting. Perfectly spiced and packed with flavor.
Author: Nick Makrides
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep 25 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Cool 1 hour
Total 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 879 kcal

Ingredients

Fondant Carrots (optional)

  • 100 g orange fondant
  • 30 g green fondant

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

  • 220 g all-purpose flour plain flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
  • 200 g brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature (55g each)
  • 14 g vanilla extract
  • 170 g vegetable oil
  • 1/4 tsp white vinegar
  • 100 g Greek yogurt room temperature
  • 200 g grated carrot about 2 large carrots (see notes)
  • 150 g walnuts chopped + extra to decorate (can use pecans instead)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 180 g unsalted butter softened (see notes)
  • 250 g full-fat cream cheese block not spreadable, softened
  • 7 g vanilla extract
  • 50 g milk powder see notes
  • 300 g powdered sugar sieved

Instructions
 

Fondant Carrots (optional)

  • Carrots - Roll the orange fondant into 12 even balls. Take one and roll it between your palms to shape it into a small cone, about 2 to 3cm long. Use the handle of a thin paintbrush, bamboo skewer, or metal cake tester to poke a hole in the top, about 2 to 3mm wide. This is where the green shoots will go.
  • Green Shoots - Divide the green fondant into three equal parts. Roll one into a thin rope, about the thickness of a toothpick, then cut into 2cm pieces. For each shoot, group four pieces and pinch them together at one end. Lightly brush the hole in the carrot with water, then insert the pinched end. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and repeat.
  • Finishing touches and drying time - Press small indents into each carrot using the tip of a table knife to add texture. Lightly dust with cocoa powder using a dry paintbrush to give them a just-picked look. Let them dry for a couple of hours. They can be made up to a week in advance and stored flat in an airtight container in a cool spot.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

  • Preheat your oven to 170C / 340F (fan off), 150C / 300F (fan on). Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • Combine dry ingredients - To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine.
  • Mix sugar and eggs - To a separate large bowl, add the brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, white vinegar and Greek yogurt and use a whisk until smooth.
  • Add dry ingredients - Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until no dry ingredients are showing. Some lumps are ok.
  • Add carrot and walnuts - add the grated carrot and walnuts and use a spatula to fold through. The mixture will be quite thin compared to other cake batters.
  • Scoop into liners - Scoop the batter into the cupcake tin lined with cupcake liners. Fill just over half way.
  • Bake - Bake them for 20-30 min or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. I like to gently press a middle cupcake and if it bounces back, they’re ready. Once they’re baked, transfer to a cooling rack to cool down to room temperature.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Cream butter and cream cheese together - Add the cream cheese and butter to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Start on low speed to break up the cream cheese, then mix on high for a couple of minutes until smooth and well combined.
  • Add sugar and milk powder - Scrape down the bowl, then add the powdered sugar, milk powder, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until no dry ingredients are showing, then switch to high speed and beat for 3-4 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and pale. Scrape down the bowl again and beat for another 2 minutes.
  • To decorate - Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe low, flat swirls of frosting on top. Carefully roll the sides of the frosting in crushed walnuts, or gently press the walnuts onto the sides using the palm of your hand. Top each cupcake with a fondant carrot. Tip: if it’s a warm day, chill the frosted cupcakes in the fridge for 3 minutes before adding the walnuts to stop the frosting from sliding off.

Notes

Fondant decorations - these are completely optional but they give the cupcakes a bit of a cute factor. Kids will love them! I used vanilla flavored fondant that I bought from my local cake supply store. Any brand fondant will work for these.
Carrots – Peel and grate them using a standard box grater. I tested different methods:
  • Regular cheese grater - does the job and you can see the carrot if that’s what you like!
  • Regular cheese grater + chopping - the idea here is that the smaller the pieces the more surface area of carrots which releases more moisture into the cupcakes.
  • Fine cheese grater (the kind you use for parmesan cheese) - great for adding more moisture. You’ll actually see a small pool of carrot juice as you do this but it’s so fine you can’t see the carrot in the cake.
Use whichever of these methods you like based on your preference.
Eggs - I used large eggs which measure 50-55g each out of the shell.
Butter - It’s important to use butter that is high in fat and softened. Something that has a butter fat percentage of at least 82%. You also want to make sure your butter is softened. I have a full guide on how to soften your butter properly and easily on the blog! 
Cream Cheese - 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.
Milk Powder - is what people used to use to make milk before fridges were widely used in kitchens. It can be found in the long-life milk isle of your supermarket. Skim or full fat can be used. I haven’t tested this recipe without it. I assume the frosting would be softer and not as pipeable.
Storage - cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days.
Nutrition – is an approximate and is based on per cupcake.
A note on measurements – This recipe uses weight measurements for the most accurate results. Cup measurements can vary depending on where you are, which affects the precision needed for a recipe like this. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition

Calories:879kcal | Carbohydrates:104g | Protein:13g | Fat:47g | Saturated Fat:21g | Polyunsaturated Fat:12g | Monounsaturated Fat:11g | Trans Fat:1g | Cholesterol:133mg | Sodium:480mg | Potassium:400mg | Fiber:3g | Sugar:77g | Vitamin A:5287IU | Vitamin C:2mg | Calcium:205mg | Iron:2mg
Keyword Carrot, carrot cake, Cupcakes
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