Description
These Ultimate Moist Carrot Cupcakes are a delightful treat featuring shredded carrots, a blend of warm spices, and a luscious cream cheese frosting topped with a crunchy walnut crumble. Perfectly moist and flavorful, they combine the natural sweetness of pineapple and the crunch of nuts for a balanced texture. Finished with a decorative carrot design or rosemary sprigs, these cupcakes make an impressive dessert for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes:
- ¾ cup peeled and shredded carrots (chopped)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk (room temperature)
- ¼ cup pineapple, mashed or blended (or applesauce)
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup pecans or any nuts (chopped)
Walnut Crumble:
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream (cold)
- Orange and green food coloring (optional)
- Rosemary sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare carrots and nuts: Peel and shred the carrots finely using a food processor, box grater, or knife, then set aside. Roughly chop pecans or chosen nuts. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃) and line a cupcake or muffin tray with liners.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, neutral oil, sour cream, and mashed pineapple until well combined. Some small lumps of pineapple are normal.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly mixed.
- Combine batter: Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and whisk gently to combine. Add shredded carrots and the remaining dry ingredients, then switch to a rubber spatula and fold gently until no flour streaks remain. Carefully fold in the chopped pecans, avoiding over-mixing.
- Fill cupcake liners: Using a standard ice cream scooper or large spoon, fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full, approximately one leveled scoop per cupcake.
- Bake cupcakes: Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Reduce oven temperature: Lower the oven heat to 320℉ (162℃) to prepare for the walnut crumble baking.
- Prepare walnut crumble: In a food processor, pulse walnuts, flour, brown sugar, and kosher salt. Add cubed cold butter and pulse just until the mixture resembles slightly damp loose sand. Avoid over-mixing. Spread the crumble evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden brown. Cool completely.
- Make cream cheese frosting: Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth and fully combined. Gradually add the cold heavy whipping cream and continue whipping until thick and stiff peaks form.
- Frost cupcakes: Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon, dollop a generous amount of frosting onto each cooled cupcake. With a swirling motion, draw a ‘C’ shape inward toward the center to create a shallow crater on the frosting’s surface.
- Add crumble and decoration: While gently turning each cupcake, press the cooled walnut crumble firmly around the sides of the frosting until evenly coated. For decoration, mix a small amount of orange food coloring into leftover frosting to your desired shade, place in a piping bag, and pipe carrot shapes onto each cupcake. Optionally, add green food coloring to pipe carrot tops or place a small rosemary sprig as a carrot top alternative.
- Chill before serving: Refrigerate the decorated cupcakes for at least 30 minutes to set the frosting before serving.
Notes
- For best results, use room temperature eggs and dairy ingredients to ensure even mixing.
- Do not over-mix the batter to keep cupcakes tender and moist.
- Adjust sweetness by varying the amount of brown sugar to taste.
- The walnut crumble can be substituted with any nut crumble or omitted if preferred.
- Optional food coloring and rosemary sprigs enhance the visual appeal but can be omitted for a natural look.
- Store cupcakes refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting to avoid melting the frosting.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Carrot cupcakes, Moist carrot cake, Cream cheese frosting, Walnut crumble, Homemade cupcakes, Dessert recipes
