Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Published February 27, 2016. Updated February 11, 2019

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes are one of my all time favorite cupcake recipes! They’re soft, tender, and perfectly moist, and their sweet, spiced flavor is absolutely perfect. The cream cheese frosting and crunchy chopped pecans is the perfect finishing touch. A must have recipe!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Making These Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Spring is in the air! Okay, I know we’ve still got a ways but it’s been starting to warm up, and did you know Easter is in March this year? So what does that mean for me?? Time for carrot cake cupcakes!

I’ve already shared this recipe before (2 years ago) but I just decided to update things and add a new spin on the decoration to them, because I’m just now realizing how amazing Marzipan is! It’s ready to go, as in you don’t need to mix anything up, just tint it the color you’d like. Plus, it’s not made of nasty ingredients, just almonds, sugar or honey and wheat starch and the taste reminds me of macarons.

So these tiny little carrots are made out of Marzipan, a little food color, the faintest amount of cocoa powder and some fresh parsley.

Here is a video on how to make the shapes if you find the directions confusing. Make smaller than listed in the video though, and dip the toothpick in cocoa before rolling over carrots.

I hope you love these carrot cupcakes as much and my family and I do! I’d live on them if I could. 

Carrot Cake Cupcake Ingredients

For the cupcakes: 

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda and baking powder
  • Salt
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Finely shredded carrots
  • Granulated sugar and brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • Unsweetened applesauce
  • Vanilla extract
  • Vegetable oil

For the cream cheese frosting: 

  • Cream cheese
  • Butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar
  • Chopped pecans (for decorating)

Marzipan Carrots for carrot cake cupcakes

How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Whisk dry ingredients.
  • Mix sugars and wet ingredients.
  • Mix in half the dry ingredients.
  • Toss carrots with remaining dry ingredients then blend into batter.

Showing how to make carrot cake cupcakes.

  • Divide mixture among paper lined muffin cups and bake until set.
  • Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting | Cooking Classy

  • Once cool make cream cheese frosting.
  • Pipe or spread frosting over cooled cupcakes.

Adding cream cheese frosting to carrot cake cupcakes.

  • Decorate as desired. I like to add chopped pecans around the edges of the frosting and finish with a marzipan or fondant carrot.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting | Cooking Classy

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Whip together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
  • Slowly add in the powdered sugar with the mixer on a low speed. Continue whipping the homemade cream cheese frosting until fully combined.

Can I Decorate the Cupcakes With Another Type of Nut?

Yes, of course. Feel free to use any crushed nuts you have on hand. Walnuts and pecans would both complement the cream cheese frosting.

How to Store Cupcakes

Because of the cream cheese frosting, I recommend storing these carrot cake cupcakes in the refrigerator. Then enjoy chilled or let rest at room temperature before serving.

Tips for the Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes

  • If the frosting is slightly runny after making it, freeze it for a few minutes to help it solidify.
  • To ensure that the cream cheese frosting whips up properly, the butter and cream cheese should both be almost room temperature.
  • Double check that your applesauce is unsweetened. Otherwise these cupcakes will be too sweet!

More Carrot Cake Recipes You’ll Love:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting | Cooking Classy

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

4.91 from 10 votes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes are one of my all time favorite cupcake recipes! They're soft and tender, perfectly moist, their sweet, spiced flavor is absolutely perfect and the cream cheese frosting and crunchy chopped pecans is the perfect finishing touch. A must have recipe!
Servings: 12
Prep35 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Cool1 hour
Ready in: 55 minutes

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Frosting

Optional carrots for decoration

  • 50 g Marzipan (about 1/4 cup)
  • Orange gel food coloring
  • Cocoa powder (I used Dutch processed)
  • 12 small curly parsley stems

Instructions

  • For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, set aside.
  • In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and brown sugar, then add eggs and using an electric hand mixer, blend mixture on low speed 30 seconds, until slightly pale. 
  • Mix in applesauce and vanilla extract. With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in vegetable oil and mix until combined, then mix 20 seconds longer. 
  • Mix in half of the dry ingredients, then pour the shredded carrots into the bowl with the remaining flour mixture and toss in flour mixture to coat carrots (they'll clump together a bit but that's fine). Pour carrot mixture into the batter and blend until evenly combined.
  • Pour batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean, about 19 - 21 minutes. Cool in muffin tin several minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
  • For the frosting: Using an electric mixer whip together butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract. 
  • With mixer running on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar and beat until well blended and smooth*. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting then immediately roll edges of frosting in chopped pecans.
  • For the optional carrot decoration: Tint marzipan with orange gel coloring and knead to evenly incorporate color. Separate small pieces at a time (I did 4g carrots) then roll into carrot shapes (roll a tapered log shape).
  •  Dip a toothpick lightly in cocoa powder, shaking of excess then gently roll carrot across toothpick (in random places) while slightly rotating to make slight indentations (to give it that natural look).
  • Poke a small hole in the top of each carrot and insert parsley. Gently press carrots into frosting on tops of cupcakes. 
  • Store in an airtight container in refrigerator. Allow to rest at room temperature until no longer cold before serving.

Notes

  • *If frosting is slightly runny freeze in 3 minute increments then mix again and repeat if needed. 
Nutrition Facts
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Amount Per Serving
Calories 540 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 187mg8%
Potassium 165mg5%
Carbohydrates 67g22%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 53g59%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 3240IU65%
Vitamin C 1.1mg1%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

 

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119 Comments

  • Paul

    The recipe says to shred the carrots as directed in the notes below, but I can’t seem to find it. I’ve read the recipe about five times and cannot find it. I’m assuming I have to wring out the excess water after shredding?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      You don’t need to wring out excess moisture. Sorry for any confusion. Hope you love these!

      • Paul

        Ok, thank you! I’m made these before and lived them but it’s been awhile so I couldn’t remember. Thanks again!

  • Cristina

    Hi, I’ve tried looking for marzipan, but I cannot find it. Do you know where I might be able to find it? Thanks!

    • Loren

      Cristina – you can usually find it in any supermarket in the baking aisle – it’s usually high up on the shelf as not a lot of people buy it. I would ask someone who works at the store where it is. It’s in a small box (not refrigerated.

      Thanks for this recipe!!!! I’m making them again tomorrow!

  • Brittany

    You say to “Shred carrots as directed in notes below”- however, I do not see any notes. Please advise the direction to shred the carrots. Thanks so much!

  • AE

    The frosting is delicious. But it droops and looks melted once piped. Do you have any tips on how I can fix this?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I like to freeze the frosting for a few minutes then return to the mixer and mix then freeze again for a few minutes and mix, then pipe it. It also helps to start with butter and cream cheese that’s nearly room temp – not fully warm. I’ve just found the key with cream cheese frosting is to keep it cool.

  • Ivy

    I always come across recipes where there are several comments on how beautiful pictures or how they can only imagine how great said recipe will taste. So it’s nice there are several who’ve commented about actually making this recipe.

    I pinned this a few weeks back because it’s been a long time since I made carrot cake anything. Family came out this past weekend so it made for perfect timing to treat them to a dessert. Thankfully I have a food scale so getting the exact gram measurements came with ease. The cupcakes, frosting and marzipan carrots were a big hit with my family. We didn’t have a lot of frosting left over since I used my 1A tip and swirl the frosting on. Definitely a keeper in our book.

  • Pam B

    I just made these a second time. They are great! The first time I substituted oil for the apple sauce and they kind of sunk in the middle so I wouldn’t recommended that. This time I used the apple sauce and they were perfect. I doubled the batch and it made 24 full sized cupcakes and 20 minis! I froze the first batch and they thawed wonderfully.

  • Juliana Ramsey

    I absolutely love the way these look! I will make these for my sister soon she loves Carrot Cake so thanks for the recipe!