Carrot Cake Cupcakes with warm spices is chocked full of pineapple, coconut, pecans and of course lots of shredded carrots. Maybe it should be called loaded carrot cupcakes as this recipe has all the traditional ingredients. Warm spices like ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and tiny bit of ground cloves adds richness to flavor.
Carrot cake cupcakes with warm spices is frosted with softened whipped cream cheese. The cream cheese frosting has vanilla bean as an extract which did not darken the frosting. Cream cheese mixed with softened butter whipped for about minutes ensured a creamy consistency. Once the cream cheese was whipped confectioners sugar was added gradually without the assistance of cream or other liquids for blending purposes. Made the perfect cream cream cheese frosting and it was the best balance of sweetness for the carrot cupcakes.
In addition for a sassy garnish, part of the cream cheese frosting was divided into small batches and tinted orange and green to create a mini carrot with leafy greens on each cupcake. So easy and so much fun to create, this carrot cake cupcake is a keeper for any occasion. Could be call it a healthy cupcake? Maybe as it is full of carrots, carrot puree, coconut, pineapple and pecans.
Why You Will Love These Cupcakes!
These are my kind of cupcakes! Moist, loaded with softened carrots, crushed pineapple, sweetened coconut, plump raisins and toasted pecans of course the cream cheese frosting balances the sweetness of these mini cakes.
Easy to make, once you gather your ingredients. They are firm so they hold their shapes once you remove the cupcake liner
Warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves make the cupcakes cozy and comfy to eat. These cupcakes are an afternoon treat with a cup of hot ginger tea.
How to Make Carrot Cupcakes with Warm Spice
When making a recipe with a lot of ingredients like this one, I like to gather all the ingredients and prepare them for adding to the batter. For example, sift together your dry ingredients, assemble the wet ingredients, prepare the carrots. In addition, set out the eggs, cream cheese and butter so they will come to room temperature. If you are not planning to frost the cupcakes right away, keep cream cheese and butter chilled until ready to make the frosting.
For more delicious cupcake recipes try my from scratch dark chocolate mocha, tiramisu, or cherry vanilla.
The Best Way to Grate Carrots
I use a food processor with the the grated disc but you can use a box grater. The food processor makes it fast and easy to grate the large batch of carrots.
You can purchase grated carrots but I find they are dried out, in this case you will need to microwave a few seconds to soften before adding to the cupcake batter.
For best results use fresh organic carrots, as they are the sweetest and a beautiful bright orange color.
Mixing the Carrot Cake Cupcake Batter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.
In food processor with grate attachment or use box grater, grate 4-5 large carrots, you will need 1-1/2 cups. Shred carrots, place in medium bowl and cover with wet paper towel, microwave for 3 minutes to soften. Set aside.
In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add eggs, sugars, vanilla, butter and oil whip until blended about 3 minutes. Add shredded carrots and pineapple blend to combine but do not over beat.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, raisins, coconut, and pecans.
Using 2″ scoop fill cupcake liners with carrot cake batter.
Bake cupcakes for 15-19 minutes or until done when cupcake springs back when touched.
Allow to cool before frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting and Mini Carrot Garnish
Cream cheese frosting covers the baked carrot cake cupcakes in rounds around the top. I used an off set spatula to smooth out the frosting before I piped the mini carrot garnish. This recipe is the right consistency for piping.
Cream cheese frosting is simply softened cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners and vanilla. I like to use half cream cheese and half butter with less confectioners sugar as not to make it too sweet. You can use whipped cream cheese for even more of a creamy textured frosting. There is no added cream or milk to the frosting, vanilla is the only liquid added.
Making the Mini Carrots Garnish
After making the cream cheese frosting, separate in two bowl about 1/4 cup for each bowl. Tine one with orange food gel and one with green. Stir to blend and fill a piping bags with each color. Use Tip # 233 for the leafy greens and # 12 round tip for piping the carrots.
After a piped cream cheese round using tip # 12 on top of cupcake, flatten frosting a bit to smooth the top, then with orange piping bag with # 12 tip (round) hold bag vertical pipe a small dollop and as you pipe turn the bag 45 degrees down the cupcake to form a carrot shape. With tip # 233 ( its a grass tip) pipe the leafy greens.
Practice a bit before piping your cupcakes so the carrots look the way you want them and you have your technique.
Just pipe away. If you don’t want to pipe your own carrots, you might be able to find candy carrots or simply grate a few carrots to add to the top of your cupcakes. You could also coat the sides of the cupcakes with toasted pecans and skip the mini carrots.
How to Serve Cupcakes
Keep your cupcakes uncovered in refrigerator until serving time to firm up the frosting and keep fresh. To serve, allow cupcakes to come to room temperature then serve on a pretty plate or cake stand. Great little cupcakes for picnics, and really an occasion. Store in refrigerator in covered container.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Warm Spices
Super moist carrot cupcakes filled with shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, raisins, coconut and toasted pecans frosted with cream cheese frosting. Tinted cream cheese frosting makes cute mini carrots as a cupcake garnish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 19-20 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes +frosting 30 Minutes
- Yield: 14–16 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Desserst
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1–1/2 cups peeled & grated or shredded carrots ( about 4–5 large carrots) *
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1–1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Warm Spices
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 /2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Cream Cheese Frosting
1– 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
3–1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange and green food gel for Mini Carrot Garnish
3-disposable piping bags and tips # 233 for leaves, # 12 round for piping frosting base and carrot garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- In food processor with grate attachment or use box grater, grate 4-5 large carrots, you will need 1-1/2 cups. Shred carrots, place in medium bowl and cover with wet paper towel, microwave for 3 minutes to soften. Set aside.
- In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add eggs, sugars, vanilla, butter and oil whip until blended about 3 minutes. Add shredded carrots and pineapple blend to combine but do not over beat.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, raisins, coconut, and pecans.
- Using 2″ scoop fill cupcake liners with carrot cake batter.
- Bake cupcakes for 15-19 minutes or until done when cupcake springs back when touched.
- Allow to cool before frosting.
Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- In medium mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese, and butter, cream until smooth about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup confectioner’s sugar beat until well combined, add vanilla, and repeat with remaining confectioner’s sugar. Whip on medium speed until desired consistency and frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Set aside 1/2 cup frosting to tint 1/4 orange and 1/4 green with food gel. Stir to blend each to desired color for carrot and leaf of carrot garnish.
- Fit piping bag with Tip # 12 round. Fill piping bag with cream cheese frosting, pipe around outer edge of cupcake to the center to make nice rounded slightly flat base for your carrot garnish. Frost all cupcakes.
- Fit 2 piping bags one with tip # 233, and one with # 12 round. Fill Tip # 233 with green frosting, and # 12 with orange for carrot.
- Pipe orange carrots first in center of frosted cupcakes, add green leaves to carrots.
- Serve the cupcakes at room temperature.
Storing Cupcakes: Keep cupcakes chilled until ready to serve in covered container as not to mess up your beautiful carrot garnish.
Notes
*Grate carrots with box grater, or shred carrots with food processor using grate attachment.
Other Ideas You Might Like to Try:
