These carrot cake cupcakes are loaded with classic flavor but served in a bite-sized package. Moist, tender mini cupcakes loaded with the sweet flavors of carrots, coconut, and pineapple are topped with a rich, creamy, sweet cream cheese frosting for the ultimate poppable carrot cake experience.
Carrot cake is one of those iconic desserts that you’ll always find at any special occasion or potluck. A moist, tender carrot cake with pineapple and coconut is easy enough to make for a weeknight dessert and fancy enough for any gathering.
Maybe that’s why so many people make them. We can’t get enough of it, and we’ve even transformed the classic cake into carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a fun twist that we love serving at birthday parties. And maybe sometimes just because we get a craving. Hey, we’re adults. We have that power.
Now, we’ve taken the classic flavors of carrot cake cupcakes and made them even more festive by packing all the flavor and frosting into a poppable, fun-sized version that always has everyone coming back for more. We never have leftovers!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: This recipe only takes a few ingredients found in most kitchens or in any grocery store.
- So Easy: These cupcakes only take a few simple steps and about 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Classic Flavor: Every bite of these cupcakes is loaded with the classic flavors of carrot cake and orange cream cheese frosting.
- Customizable: You can easily tweak this recipe to make it your own.
- Versatile: These are perfect for brunch, an afternoon snack, dessert, or potlucks.
- Great for Meal Prep: You can freeze these cupcakes with or without their frosting, making them perfect for making extra for later.
Ingredients
You’ll find a complete list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Variations
- Chocolate Chips: Add chocolate chips for pops of chocolaty flavor.
- Chopped Nuts: Chopped nuts like pecans and walnuts add even more flavor and texture.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: For an extra sweet version, use buttercream frosting in place of cream cheese frosting.
- Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour to make a gluten-free version that tastes exactly the same but is perfect for large gatherings where people may have different dietary restrictions.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Step 1: Whisk the dry batter ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Beat the wet batter ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Then, fold in the carrots, coconut, and pineapple.
Step 4: Fill the lined wells of a muffin pan ¾ full and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 5: Transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then, add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes with a spatula or a piping bag with an open tip.
Tips
- Mix your wet and dry ingredients until just combined, meaning all the dry ingredients are moistened. Overmixing creates tough, dense cupcakes.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then, fill it to the 1 cup line with regular milk. Wait for 5 to 10 minutes, and you have buttermilk!
- Be sure your baking soda is fresh. Expired baking soda can result in cupcakes that don’t rise.
- For the prettiest crown, let your batter rest for about 10 minutes before baking the cupcakes.
- Be sure your cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cupcakes will cause the frosting to thin and slide off them.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes FAQ
Overmixing the batter is the most common mistake people make for any cupcake. The batter should be mixed until the ingredients are just combined, not until smooth. Overmixing causes the cupcakes to become tough and dense.
To prevent your grated carrots from turning green, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ingredients. Doing this ensures the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the batter, limiting the likelihood that the shredded carrots will change color.
Unfrosted carrot cake doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It will stay fresh for up to 4 days at room temperature. However, cream cheese frosted carrot cake must be refrigerated for freshness, flavor, and food safety.
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Bite-Size Recipe)
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
- ¾ cups vegetable oil
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 ounce crushed pineapple, drained
- 3 ½ cups carrots, grated
- 1 ½ cup coconut, flaked
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350º and prepare a muffin pan with liners.
- In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on low until combined.
- Add flour mixture into the large bowl. Mix on low until combined with wet ingredients.
- Fold in grated carrots, coconut, pineapple, and stir.
- Fill up each liner ¾ full. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the center is fully cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla, powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice.
- Beat until smooth.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Wrap individual frosted cupcakes in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Mix your wet and dry ingredients until just combined, meaning all the dry ingredients are moistened. Overmixing creates tough, dense cupcakes.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then, fill it to the 1 cup line with regular milk. Wait for 5 to 10 minutes, and you have buttermilk!
- Be sure your baking soda is fresh. Expired baking soda can result in cupcakes that don’t rise.
- For the prettiest crown, let your batter rest for about 10 minutes before baking the cupcakes.
- Be sure your cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cupcakes will cause the frosting to thin and slide off them.
These are so cute! I love the classic flavor and the bite-sized presentation.
OMG, I love these! I made them last night to try them out, and the entire family has concluded that these have to be included in our Christmas feast.
We really enjoyed these. I don’t have a mini muffin pan, so I made regular cupcakes with them. So good!
How fun! They are so festive and so good. I have some major plans for these!
These carrot cake cupcakes look so incredibly moist and flavorful! I love the idea of having all that classic carrot cake goodness in a perfectly portioned treat. That cream cheese frosting looks like the perfect finishing touch!
I love carrot cake and these bite sized cupcakes are perfect for gatherings. So delicious!
These carrot cake cupcakes were delightful! Perfect texture and the flavor was unmatched!!!