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Spiced Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Dense, moist, warmly spiced carrot cupcakes topped with a classic cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time16 minutes
Total Time26 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French
Servings: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Spiced Carrot Cupcakes

  • 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup of brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon of all spice
  • 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • a pinch of black pepper
  • a pinch of cardamom
  • 1 1/2 cups of fresh finely grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts, finely chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  • Prepare your cupcake tin by buttering or lining the cups and set aside for now
  • In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 2/3 cups of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce, 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth
  • In a separate bowl, whisk 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of cardamom until fully incorporated
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined
  • Fold the grated carrots and finely chopped nuts into the batter
  • Divide the batter between 12 cupcake tins (each tin should be around 3/4 of the way full)
  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for around 16 minutes or until they are lightly golden and a toothpick will come out of the center of a cupcake clean
  • Transfer the pan onto a cooling rack and once the cupcakes are cool enough to touch, transfer them directly onto the cooling rack
  • Make the cream cheese frosting by whipping 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with 1/4 cup of room temperature butter until combined
  • Gradually add 2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat until smooth and creamy
  • Frost fully cooled cupcakes generously with cream cheese frosting
  • Garnish with additional finely chopped walnuts (optional)
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature or the refrigerator