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These carrot cupcakes have all the nostalgia of a traditional carrot cake. They are ultra moist, full of warm spice, and topped with the most luscious orange-spiced cream cheese frosting. With a tender crumb and just the right balance of sweetness, they’re guaranteed to become a favorite.
And if you love the flavor of classic carrot cake, you’ll also enjoy my carrot sandwich cookies and my carrot cake banana bread.
Reasons to Make This Recipe
If you’re looking for the perfect carrot cupcake recipe, you’ve found it. Here’s why these stand out:
- No fillers, just carrots – No pineapple, apples, or nuts – just pure, sweet shredded carrots for the best flavor and texture. You can make things extra fun by using different colored carrots.
- A bakery-style texture – Using cake flour and the right amount of oil ensures a soft and tender crumb.
- Orange spice frosting – The combination of cream cheese, butter, orange zest, and warm spices takes these cupcakes to the next level. I use a similar frosting when I make my pumpkin cupcakes.
How to Make Carrot Cupcakes
These cupcakes come together easily, and the extra step of starting with a high oven temp helps create a bakery-style rise. The full recipe with ingredient quantities is listed below, but here is a summary.
- Mix the dry ingredients – Whisk together cake flour, pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon), baking soda, and salt.
- Beat the wet ingredients – In a stand mixer, whip eggs, sugar, and oil until light and fluffy. Mix in almond extract.
- Combine – Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then stir in the shredded carrots.
- Bake – Start at 425°F for five minutes, then lower to 350°F and bake until golden and set.
- Cool and frost – Let the cupcakes cool completely before adding the orange-spiced cream cheese frosting.
The Secret to the Best Frosting
This frosting isn’t just any cream cheese frosting. It has a subtle citrusy warmth from the orange zest and pumpkin pie spice. The combination of butter and cream cheese creates the perfect balance of richness and fluffiness.
For an ultra-smooth texture, beat the butter and cream cheese for a full five minutes before adding the sugar. This step makes all the difference in getting a light, airy frosting that’s easy to pipe or spread.
Variations to Try
Want to mix things up? Here are a few ways to customize these carrot cupcakes:
- Nutty crunch – Stir in ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for extra texture.
- Coconut twist – Add ½ cup of shredded coconut to the batter for a tropical spin.
- Classic vanilla – Swap almond extract for vanilla if you prefer a more traditional flavor.
- Extra citrus – For even more orange flavor, add a teaspoon of zest to the cupcake batter.
- Lighten them up – Some or all of the oil can be replaced with applesauce and/or crushed pineapple.
Storage Tips
Just in case you don’t eat all of them at once and need to keep your cupcakes fresh and delicious.
Make ahead – The frosting can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Just give it a quick whip before using.
Refrigerate – Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Let them sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Freeze – Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap them tightly and thaw overnight in the fridge before frosting.
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Equipment
Ingredients
To make the cupcakes
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon I used pumpkin pie spice instead
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots packed
To make the frosting
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon I used pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line 12 cupcake wells with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 cup cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup canola oil and 1 cup sugar. Mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and mix until combined. Add flour mixture and fold together just until mixed. Fold in 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots.
- Fill all 12 paper liners with batter. Bake at 425 F for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and back until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes total. As soon as you remove them from the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the frosting, blend 4 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons cream cheese together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape sides, add 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and mix until combined. Add 2 cups confectioners sugar incrementally, blending slowly to combine and then on high speed to really mix. You can frost 12 cupcakes with a thin layer or 8 cupcakes with a big mound of frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I am wondering if I can use a store bought bag of shredded carrots or is it better to put carrots in a food processor to get shredded carrots? I wouldn’t want to take away the moisture of the cup cakes but it sure would be easy to use a store bought bag of shredded carrots.
You can absolutely use store bought shredded carrots, but I’m a huge fan of peeled and freshly shredded carrots. I just think they have the best taste and texture.
These are super moist yet have enough structure to hold a huge mound of frosting. Love them!