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Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins. Better than you could get at any coffee shop, these muffins melt in your mouth. Soft carrot cake made with shredded carrots, sweetened with maple syrup, swirled with cream cheese, topped with sweet cinnamon sugar, and served warm. Enjoy these just as they are, or serve with a smear of sweet butter and sea salt. Perfect for all of the spring weekends, especially Easter Sunday!
I probably have well over a dozen cookie recipes, multiple pumpkin muffins, many types of banana breads, and far too many blueberry muffins. But carrot cake? I think I have 2 or 3 variations of carrot cake.
I’m sure I’ve shared this before, but I didn’t grow up with carrot cake. Everything sweet in my house was chocolate-focused. Well, other than my dad’s cinnamon toast that he’d often make us for breakfast.
Everything was CHOCOLATE.
Zero complaints, of course, but this means I missed out on every other type of sweet. We definitely did not venture over to carrot cake territory.
In the 10+ years of creating new recipes daily (that’s not too many, right?) I’ve occasionally strayed away from chocolate treats. I certainly have a decent amount of fruit-based desserts. But still, I haven’t really gotten into carrot cake.
So when I had this idea for a carrot cake muffin, I was excited to test it out. Especially after my cousin Abby confirmed she’d definitely be into a carrot cake muffin.
I am so glad I made these!! We’ve been loving them, and they’ll be great for upcoming spring gatherings, and then, of course, Easter!
Here are the details
This is all made in one bowl. Simply mix the wet ingredients with the dry and that’s it. Use avocado oil or melted coconut oil, then mix in maple syrup as the sweetener. Mostly because I LOVE the warming flavor that the maple syrup adds to baked goods. Now mix in the eggs and lots of vanilla.
And then the carrots! I used a good amount of freshly shredded carrots, which keep the muffins sweet and moist.
For the dry ingredients, you’ll need whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and then the spices. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg for a touch of cozy flavors.
Mix everything together, then divide the batter between muffin cups. Add a cube of cream cheese to each muffin. If you don’t love cream cheese, you can omit it, but I think it works well with the flavors in the carrot cake.
And then, the secret to these muffins, a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar over each unbaked muffin.
As the muffins bake, oh my gosh, your kitchen will smell incredible. It’s the cinnamon that always does it. Just like your favorite bakery. A little butter and sea salt on top is the perfect way to enjoy these muffins. It melts deliciously into every nook and cranny.
Of course, it’s not needed, but it sure makes every warm bite just that more delicious.
Looking for other sweet recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Blender Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Giant Double Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Bakery Blueberry Vanilla Crunch Muffins
Blueberry Swirl Coffee Cake Muffins
Baked Chocolate Fudge Glazed Doughnuts
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Lastly, if you make these Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins 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!
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories Per Serving: 255 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 avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 cubes
- 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Stir in the shredded carrots. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until just combined. 3. Divide the batter among the prepared pan. Push 1 cube of cream cheese into each muffin, using a spoon to cover the cube. It's OK if not all the cream cheese is covered. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until just set. Serve with butter and sea salt (if desired) on top.
This recipe is the bomb!!!
So moist and tender;
I made it exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Perfection!
Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Sarah,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
What wizardry is this! I just tried this today and am blown away. Easiness-to-results ratio is off the charts! I love carrot cakes, and firstly its difficult to find a good one. Either too dense, or too sweet or too moist (yes, I’m one of those who loves cake on the drier side. I’m sure there are more of you out there!), something’s always a little off. It’s even harder to find a good recipe for it. Often it requires more steps than I’d like to venture into. But a wet / dry mix with NO BEATING involved?! I had to try it, and have absolutely no regrets.
I hate recipe tweakers, maybe because I am one myself. I’m the one who rolls her eyes at comments like ‘oooooooh this recipe was soooo amazing. I wouldn’t change a thing except for a few minor alterations. I just swopped the AP flour for almond flour, and used honey instead of the castor sugar and grated some turmeric in because I just had some lying on my kitchen counter’. But because I made this with my 19-m in mind, I halved the amount of maple syrup and left out the cinnamon sugar (sorry!!!). I was afraid it would taste like boring baby cake, but man, it was still good. Next time I’m definitely not skipping the cinnamon sugar!
Sorry. I got a little ahead of myself. Bottomline is. This recipe is DA BOMB. Tieghan, you’re cake goddess.
Hey Joanne,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it was a hit! Thanks so much for your kind message and all of your notes!! xx
It is freaking addictive. I made 12 cupcakes and I have been going for seconds.
Hi Gabby,
Happy Monday!!⛅️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I was expecting them to be a little bit sweeter. I would also whip the cream cheese next time instead. I would make them again but would love a recommendation on what to add to the recipe for a sweeter taste!
Hey Jenny,
Happy Monday!!⛅️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:) You could use some sugar in place of the maple syrup! xx
Hi,
Half a cup of cinnamon sugar seemed like a lot for just a sprinkling on top of the 12 muffins. I used about half of that and it seemed like plenty. Is the amount listed in the recipe correct?
Hi Ellen,
Yes, the recipe is correct, but totally feel free to adjust to your liking:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Was so looking forward to these. The batter was dry at first so I had to add more moisture, and there was no sweetness to these. Only made half the batch so I’m going to try to save the second half.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear these were not enjoyed! Please let me know if I can help in any way! xx
Love love love! Wonderful cupcakes that I made for my friends birthday drink-gathering. I added a cream cheese frosting with cinnamon taste also and it was a good match. Thank you for your inspiration on food and sweets making me happy and putting a silver lining on my families weekly “menu”. Big fan from Sweden but living in Cambodia
Hey Camilia,
Happy Sunday!😃 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xT
Hi! The video shows what looks like a whipped cream cheese but the recipe calls for cubes. Do you have instructions for the whipped cream cheese? Thank you!
Hey Heather,
If you would like, you can just quickly whip the softened cream cheese, but totally optional! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Could you make this as a loaf and not muffins?
Hey Emily,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I was out of maple syrup so used 1/2 c brown sugar. I guess I should have added some liquid because batter was very thick and the bake muffins were too dry.
Hi Claire,
Thanks for trying this recipe! So sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you, let me know if you give them another try with the maple syrup! xx
Hi! Should these be refrigerated? Thank you for sharing! 💙
Hey Liz,
These are great kept in an airtight container on the counter:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
What can I suppstitute the 2 oils with I can’t use avocado or coconut. This recipe looks so good!!!
Hi Maya,
Another neutral oil like olive oil will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Can you substitute honey for the maple syrup?
Hi I was also wondering if honey could be used in the place of maple syrup. (I didn’t maple syrup on hand)
Yes, that should work well for you!
Hi Ashtyn,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Can you use ground nutmeg in place freshly ground? If so, how much?
Thanks!
Hey Erika,
You would just use the same amount:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Made these n they are very good
Hey Joyce,
Wonderful!!🍀 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out:)
These are outstanding and I love that they’re only sweetened with maple syrup! And so easy to make. How long do you think these will last in the fridge?
Hey Taylor,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was a winner! These are good for up to 1 week.🌞 xx