Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These super moist carrot cake cupcakes are airy and soft, with a light hint of cinnamon and grated carrots baked right in. Topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting and finely chopped walnuts, they're a perfect springtime dessert!

Other springtime favorites include my Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs, Easter Bunny Cut-Out Sugar Cookies, and Single Layer Carrot Cake, all loved around Easter and this time of year! Today I'm sharing these carrot cake cupcakes, which blend the earthy sweetness of grated carrots with warm spices and a tender crumb. Topped with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of nuts, each bite feels like a cozy treat!

What You'll Need

Here is what you'll need to make these super moist carrot cake cupcakes:

1. All-Purpose Flour
2. Baking Soda
3. Ground Cinnamon. I used Vietnamese ground cinnamon from King Arthur Baking.
4. Salt
5. Vegetable Oil. This is what gives the cupcakes their soft, moist texture.
6. Granulated Sugar
7. Unsweetened Applesauce. Adds another layer of moisture to these super moist carrot cake cupcakes.
8. Eggs. You'll need two large ones.
9. Carrots. I used two bigger carrots that I scrubbed clean and finely grated. 3 medium carrots work just as well. You'll need 1 1/2 cups in total.
10. Chopped Walnuts. These are an optional topping only. To mix them into the batter, use 1/2 cup and fold them in along with the grated carrots. You can use chopped pecans instead, as I did in my Carrot Cake Cookies!

For amounts and instructions, check the recipe card below.

What Goes in the Frosting

For the cream cheese frosting, you'll need these:

1. Unsalted Butter. Let it come to room temperature so it blends smoothly with the cream cheese.
2. Cream Cheese. Choose the block kind, not the tub style, and let it soften to room temperature as well.
3. Vanilla Extract
4. Powdered Sugar. Sifting is optional, but it helps prevent lumps in your frosting. It also makes piping the cupcakes easier!

Steps for Making the Recipe

Here is a quick look at how to make these super moist carrot cake cupcakes. For the full recipe, including the cream cheese frosting, see the recipe card below.

1. Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together. Combine the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, unsweetened applesauce, eggs, and finely grated carrots. For grating the carrots, I like my Microplane grater.
3. Combine the dry and wet mixtures.
4. Divide the batter and bake. For easier transfer, use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop. I used this medium OXO cookie scoop. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake at 350ºF for 20-22 minutes. The tops should have a slight dome.
5. Cool, then frost. Let the cupcakes cool all the way on a wire rack, then spread or pipe on the cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula or a decorating tip and piping bag.

Decorating Ideas

An offset spatula works well for decorating your carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, or you can use these tools.

• Large Piping Bag. A 14 or 16-inch piping bag works fine.
• Large Open Decorating Tip. The Wilton 1A piping tip matched the amount of frosting in this recipe perfectly.
• Offset Spatula

Other tools for carrot cake cupcakes to consider:

Common Questions

I used these wavy cupcake liners from Wilton. I've also used them for my small-batch chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and black bottom cupcakes. Unfortunately they're getting harder to find, so standard cupcake liners work too.

I used the Wilton 1A decorating tip with a large piping bag. The Wilton 1A is also called the open tip or open circle tip.

Yes! For best results, freeze them unfrosted in a tightly sealed container. If you plan to frost and serve them within 4-5 days, they can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

More Cupcake Recipes to Try!

If you make this Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe or anything else on my site, please leave a star rating and tell me what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!