Introduction
Forget those sad, dry “healthy” carrot muffins from the grocery aisle. You deserve a cupcake that’s ultra moist, warmly spiced, and crowned with a swoosh of tangy cream cheese frosting. These Carrot Cake Cupcakes pack shredded carrot for natural sweetness, crushed pineapple to lock in juiciness, and a whisper of toasted pecan crunch. Bake a batch, and watch them vanish faster than your phone’s battery on launch day. 😉
Ingredient Line Up (Makes 12 standard cupcakes)
| Wet Team | Amount | Notes |
| Neutral oil (avocado, canola) | ½ cup | Keeps crumb tender |
| Brown sugar, packed | ½ cup | Caramel depth |
| Granulated sugar | ¼ cup | Balanced sweetness |
| Large eggs, room temp | 2 | Better rise |
| Vanilla extract | 1½ tsp | Flavor lift |
| Crushed pineapple, drained | ⅓ cup | Secret moisture weapon |
| Dry Team | Amount | Notes |
| All purpose flour | 1 cup | |
| Whole wheat pastry flour* | ½ cup | *or more AP flour |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Baking soda | ½ tsp | |
| Fine sea salt | ½ tsp | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | ½ tsp | |
| Ground nutmeg | ⅛ tsp |
| Fold Ins | Amount | Notes |
| Finely shredded carrots | 1 ½ cups (~2 med) | Pat excess moisture if very wet |
| Toasted pecans, chopped | ½ cup | Sub walnuts or raisins if you must |
Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz full fat cream cheese, room temp
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Beat butter + cream cheese until fluffy; add sugar ½ cup at a time, then vanilla & salt. Chill 20 min for pipe able texture.
Step by Step: From Batter to Bakery Level
- Prep. Heat oven to 350 °F / 175 °C. Line a 12 well muffin tin with paper liners.
- Whisk wets. In a bowl, whisk oil, both sugars, eggs, vanilla, and pineapple until glossy.
- Combine dries. In a separate bowl, whisk flours, powders, salt, and spices.
- Marry bowls. Fold dry mix into wet just until streaks vanish over mix = tough crumb.
- Add veggies & nuts. Gently fold carrots and pecans into batter.
- Fill & bake. Divide batter evenly (≈ ¼ cup each liner). Bake 18–20 min; tops spring back when lightly poked.
- Cool. Set pan on rack 5 min; transfer cupcakes to rack until room temp.
- Frost. Pipe or spoon frosting; sprinkle extra chopped pecans or a dust of cinnamon for flair.
Pro Tips & Variations
- Super fluffy hack: Swap 2 Tbsp oil for unsweetened applesauce; adds lift.
- Coconut twist: Replace half pecans with shredded coconut + ¼ tsp coconut extract in frosting.
- Gluten free: Use 1 ½ cups 1:1 GF baking blend; add ½ tsp xanthan if blend lacks it.
- Make ahead: Unfrosted cupcakes freeze perfectly wrap & store 1 month; thaw, frost, serve.
Nutrition Snapshot (1 frosted cupcake)
| Calories | Carbs | Protein | Fat |
| ~285 | 32 g | 3 g | 17 g |
Treat yourself to a bike ride later. 🚴♂️
Final Bite
These Carrot Cake Cupcakes hit every note: spice forward, fruit sweet, nut crunchy, and finished with luscious cream cheese clouds. Bake once and you’ll retire every boxed mix in your pantry. Grab that whisk, dessert glory awaits! 🥕🧁
