Yield: 6 carrot cake cupcakes // Total Time: 50 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
These small batch carrot cake cupcakes are super tender and moist. Filled with crushed walnuts, topped with a cream cheese frosting, and decorated with cream cheese carrots. If you are looking for a small batch Easter treat, these are perfect for you!
Quick and important notes
Measuring the ingredients
My recipes are all written in grams because it is a more accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
Room temperature ingredients
It is important that the ingredients in the cream cheese frosting are at room temperature so that they incorporate properly together. Take out the cream cheese and butter at least 30 minutes before starting the frosting. If you are in a hurry and need some tricks to getting room temperature ingredients quickly, you can check out this post here!
Ingredients and substitutions
All purpose flour: for structure.
Baking powder: for making the cupcakes rise.
Ground cinnamon: for flavoring.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cupcakes. We will add a touch of salt to both the cupcakes and the cream cheese frosting
Vegetable oil: for making the cupcakes moist and tender. You can use any other neutral oil, such as canola if that is what you have on hand.
Light brown sugar: for sweetening the cupcakes, adding moisture, and adding depth of flavor thanks to the molasses in brown sugar.
Egg: for binding the batter, adding moisture, and leavening.
Carrot: for making carrot cupcakes!
Crushed walnuts: to add some texture to the cupcakes. If you don’t like walnuts, you can feel free to do a 1:1 swap with a different nut, raisins, pineapple, or just leave it out!
Cream cheese: for the cream cheese frosting.
Unsalted butter: for thickening up the cream cheese frosting. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the frosting!
Powdered sugar: for sweetening and thickening up the cream cheese frosting.
Vanilla: for flavoring the frosting. My favorite extract is this one here!
Food coloring (optional): If you would like to decorate the tops of the cupcakes with little carrots, you will need some orange and green food coloring. I absolutely love this set of food dye and use it every time I dye my foods.
Small batch carrot cake cupcakes Q&A
Can I double this recipe?
Yes of course! Simply double all of the ingredients and distribute the batter evenly between 12 muffin pans.
How do I store these cupcakes?
Because these cupcakes have a cream cheese frosting, they do need to be stored in the fridge once frosted. If possible, I would wait until you are ready to serve them to frost the cupcakes. The cupcakes can be stored unfrosted at room temperature.
Tools and ingredients
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make these small batch carrot cake cupcakes?
If you made these carrot cake cupcakes I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Small Batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- 105 g all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 90 g vegetable oil
- 105 g light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 90 g carrot peeled & shredded
- 55 g crushed walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 90 g cream cheese room temperature
- 40 g unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 130 g powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- green and orange food dye optional
Instructions
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with six parchment liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Wash and peel the carrots. In another small bowl or in a small food processor, grate up the carrots. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until combined. Then, whisk in the egg until very well combined.
- Whisk in the shredded carrot.
- Whisk in the flour mixture until almost all of the flour is incorporated. Add in the walnuts and continue whisking just until no flour streaks remain.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the six parchment liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- With a hand mixer or with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt until light and fluffy (~1 minute)
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar in multiple additions until all of it has been combined. Add in the vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
- Optional: if you want to make little carrots on the cupcakes, remove ~3 tbsp of frosting and put into one small bowl, and place ~1 tbsp of the frosting into another bowl. Dye the 3 tbsp. orange and the 1 tbsp. green. Put each color into a piping bag and decorate after frosting. Serve and enjoy!