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Sweet, simple, and delicious, vanilla Carrot Cake Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Light and fluffy carrot cupcakes made simply with freshly grated carrots, sweet brown sugar, and the real secret – double the vanilla. Each light carrot-filled cupcake is generously frosted with whipped cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are nothing short of delicious. Each sweet mini-cake can be decorated as desired for spring, Easter, Mother’s Day, or really any occasion!
There was a time a couple of years ago when I loved to bake and decorate layer cakes. Or at least I loved the idea of baking and decorating them. And don’t get me wrong, I still adore a layer cake, but they require more time than say, a cute personal-size cupcake.
This is the year I’m focused on cupcakes. They’re a bit easier, and sometimes even cuter. They taste just the same, but they’re fun – everyone loves a cupcake!
Which brings me to the carrot cake cupcake. When it comes to carrots I’m much more familiar with the classic 2-layer, rather dense, overly sweet cake. It’s not something I’ve ever been overly excited about. And when I create a recipe, I want to be overly excited!
For that reason, I don’t have many carrot cake recipes. But do you all remember the carrot cake muffins I made a month or so ago? I ended up loving every last crumb of those muffins. Which got me thinking.
How could I create the perfect carrot cake cupcake? One that’s light, fluffy, and not too sweet, but just sweet enough.
A cupcake with no walnuts, no coconut flakes – just carrots. Simple and great with lots of wonderful vanilla flavor. That’s what I wanted. And of course a thick whipped cream cheese frosting was a must.
I kind of got excited. And when I’m excited, I usually go for it and don’t stop until it’s perfect. Yes, I’ve got the perfect carrot cake cupcakes! Well, they’re perfect through my eyes anyway, because this is not a classic carrot cake. These are not dense, and honestly, bland. They’re made with delicious flavors that help highlight the sweetness in the carrots.
The details
The cake batter is all made in one bowl. Simply mix the wet ingredients with the dry and that’s it. I prefer to use melted coconut oil for these. Then mix in brown sugar as the sweetener. I LOVE the rich depth of flavor brown sugar adds to baked goods. Now mix in the eggs, lots of vanilla, and plain Greek yogurt for extra moisture.
For the dry ingredients, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda. And then the spices, cinnamon plus ginger.
Mix everything together, then divide the batter between the cupcake molds. Fill these up about 3/4 the way, then bake until fluffy and rounded on the top. They’re going to smell so wonderful in the oven.
It’s the cinnamon with the vanilla that always does it for me, it’s the sweetest scent.
To make the frosting
Cream cheese, butter, sugar, and a splash of both vanilla and milk. Beat that all together and you’ll have one of my favorite cake frostings.
No one ever knows there’s cream cheese in the frosting. But it’s what makes this frosting extra special and leaves everyone wanting more. And don’t forget the salt, it balances the fats.
When cooled, frost each cupcake. I like to decorate these with crushed dried strawberries, matcha powder, and fresh chamomile flowers. Sometimes I’ll do crushed chocolate cookie crumbs too (like an Oreo). My favorite combo though is the strawberry powder and matcha powder with a few chamomile flowers on top.
What I love most is how cute these turned out with minimal effort. They’re the perfect cupcakes to bake for both spring and summer and especially for upcoming Easter and Mother’s Day!
Looking for other spring recipes? Here are some favorites:
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins
Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream
Lastly, if you make these Carrot Cake Cupcakes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories Per Serving: 425 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups grated carrots
- 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup warm milk
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cupcake molds with paper liners.2. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix in the carrots. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix until just combined.3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set, and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool.4. To make the frosting. In a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese until whipped. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, then slowly stream in the milk until your desired consistency is reached, you may not use it all.5. Frost each cupcake and decorate as desired. I love to dust the cupcakes with matcha powder, strawberry powder, and/or edible flowers.
How would you convert this to a cake? Bake at same temp, but for ~50mins?
Hi Jacquelyn,
I would use a 9 inch square pan and starting checking for doneness at 40-45 minutes. I haven’t tested this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you! Let me know how the recipe turns out:) xT
Another winner recipe!!! These are so easy to whip up and I started just making these without the frosting as a sweet muffin treat! I sometimes add flax seed and chia seeds for some extra protein 😉 I’ve also sprinkled some walnuts/pecans and coconut flakes on top.
Hey May,
Happy Sunday!!☀️🧁 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
These were soooo tasty and easy to make! Very moist and the perfect balance of flavor. A huge hit with the fam – will definitely make again. 🙂
Thanks so much Julie!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you:) Happy Sunday! xT
These were delicious! I’ve made them with brown sugar and another time with coconut sugar and both were great! Thanks so much for the recipe 😍
Hey Steph,
Happy Sunday!! 🍉🍓🫐 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
Super delicious and easy to follow – as always ♥︎
Hey Chas,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review:)
cream cheese frosting for the carrot cake cupcakes—- how much salt in the frosting? I don’t see it listed on the recipe but you mention it in the directions.
Thank you,
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
You can just add a pinch of salt:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Carrot cake isn’t normally my first choice however this looked good and I’m so glad i gave it a go and made it! Both the cake and the frosting are very good and together, it’s just delicious! I added more carrot and played around with the sugar and spice amounts and found the recipe flexible – I will follow a recipe but also like to improv! I especially enjoyed the frosting as there was no overwhelming taste of cream cheese but rather a nice vanilla flavor that’s different from the typical buttercream. I saw this on the HBH stories on IG and saved the link-It’s the first time I’ve cooked one of these cakes/desserts and I will surely be back for more!
Hey Merissa,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xx
SO YUMMY! We loved these! I tweaked it and added a pinch of cardamom, a small pinch of allspice & nutmeg. It really gave it depth! I loved how mildly sweet these were.
I also only baked them for 20 ish minutes and they were perfect! I also had a ton of left over icing & would half it in the future!
Hey Megan,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I made these for Easter and they were a hit!! I added 1 cup of crushed pineapple and only cooked them for 20 mins. So moist and delicious. I cannot stop eating them!! Thanks for sharing! I’m obsessed with your recipes!!
Hey Tracey,
Happy Wednesday!! 🌞 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Made these over the weekend and they were delicious! Only thing is, my carrots turned green. I had no idea until my family went to eat them on Easter, it was actually pretty funny. I looked it up just to make sure I wasn’t feeding them “mold” as my husband said. Turns out I either put in too much baking soda, or it wasn’t mixed well enough. Either way, everyone ate them and loved them, and now I know that a wonky baking soda ratio can potentially turn carrots green 🙂
Hey Dana,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! Sorry to hear the carrots turned green, how strange!! Glad they at least tasted good:) Happy Wednesday! xT
These are perfect cupcakes!!! I used the leftover frosting for your Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls I made this past Sunday morning. Excellent
Thanks so much Colette!! Love to hear that these recipes were enjoyed! Have a great week! xT
Made these for Easter and they were delightful! The frosting is perfect and not too sweet. The only thing I noticed is that the cupcakes were down after about 22minutes had they baked any longer it would’ve been too much.
Seriously these were sooo tasty, and I don’t even typically like carrot cake! I made them for Easter. They were super moist and the frosting was not too sweet( which I prefer). I didn’t end up using any milk in the frosting and it turned out perfect. Most of all, they’re so pretty!
Hey Kelly,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Hey Haley,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
These are f*cking amazing. Period.
Hey Blaine,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
One tablespoon of vanilla is not a typo? Should it be 1 teaspoon? Making today!
I did 1 tablespoon and it was amazing! Not a typo
Hi Tracy,
Nope, no typo, I used 1 tablespoon:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
First time making a homemade carrot cake and it was such a hit. I did not have a cupcake pan at the ski condo so I baked it as a cake in an 8” Pyrex pan for 30 minutes. It was absolutely perfect anddd frosting was heavenly. Thank you for sharing your recipes and helping us host the perfect holiday.
Hey Amanda,
Wonderful!! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it:) xT
Made these for Easter, added 1 8oz can crushed pineapple/(drained) cause why not.. Hands down best carrot cake I’ve ever made/had!
Hey Kelly,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! Great idea to add pineapple! xx