Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Bite-Size Recipe)
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 orange cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 70 Mini Cupcakes
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
Storage
- 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.