Servings: 12
Calories: 452kcal
Equipment
- hand or stand mixer
- food processor or blender
- mixing bowls
- Rubber Spatula
- ice cream scooper optional
- offset spatula optional
- piping bag optional
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- ¾ cup peeled/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/blended or applesauce
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup pecans or any nuts chopped
Walnut Crumble
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup heavy whipping cream cold
Decorations
- orange/green food coloring optional
- rosemary sprigs optional
Instructions
- Peel and shred carrots using a food processor, box grater, or knife, ensuring they are chopped into small pieces and set aside. Roughly chop pecans or any nuts (if using) and set that aside. Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Add liners to cupcake/muffin tray.¾ cup peeled/shredded carrots, ½ cup pecans or any nuts
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, oil, sour cream, pineapple, and whisk until well combined. It's common to see visible small lumps of pineapple.2 large eggs, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil, ¼ cup sour cream or plain/greek yogurt or buttermilk, ¼ cup pineapple, mashed/blended
- In another mixing bowl, combine and whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.1¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon*, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Add half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and whisk gently until combined. Add in the carrots and the remaining dry ingredients. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir gently until no more flour is visible. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in the pecans.
- Using a standard ice cream scooper or large spoon, fill cupcake liners ¾ of the way full. It measures out to approximately one leveled ice cream scoop.
- Bake for 18-20 mins until toothpick inserted in center comes out fairly clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
- Reduce oven temperature to 320°F (162°C).
- To make the walnut crumble, combine walnuts, flour, brown sugar, and salt and pulse in a food processor. Add cubed butter and pulse ONLY until consistency feels like slightly damp loose sand. Do not over-mix. Spread crumble onto baking sheet and bake for 20 mins or until golden, stirring halfway. Set aside and allow to cool completely.½ cup walnuts, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ tsp kosher salt
- To make the cream cheese frosting, whip together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until well combined using a hand or stand mixer. Pour in the heavy cream and mix until thick and reaches stiff peaks.8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar , 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon, dollop frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Swirl inward towards the middle of each cupcake to create a somewhat flat crater by drawing a "C".
- While rotating the cupcake with one hand, press the cooled crumble firmly all around the sides of the frosting with the other hand. Repeat for all the cupcakes. Using any leftover frosting, mix in small streaks of orange food coloring in a small bowl until you reach desired shade. Add to a small piping bag and draw a carrot. Feel free to do the same with green coloring to draw carrot tops or simply add rosemary sprigs.orange/green food coloring, rosemary sprigs
- Chill cupcakes in fridge for 30 minutes minimum before serving.
Notes
For best results, use a kitchen scale. Especially for baking recipes where measuring ingredients accurately gives you the best chance for success, a scale is a vital and essential tool in helping you achieve consistent results.
* Add ground nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, or cloves for more spiced flavor
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2221IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1mg
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