Find a Recipe!

Just a Little Bit of Bacon

where comfort food meets the farm stand

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • beverages
    • desserts
    • grilling and bbq
    • main courses
    • quick dinners
    • side dishes
    • soups and stews
  • mediterranean recipes
    • italian recipes
      • italian comfort food
      • italian antipasti
      • fundamentals of italian cooking
    • spanish recipes
      • spanish tapas
    • french recipes
      • french comfort food
    • greek recipes
  • holiday favorites
    • christmas
    • easter dinner
    • thanksgiving feast
  • resources
    • dinner and party menus
    • farmers’ market
      • ingredient spotlight
    • roundup post
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

March 16, 2016 By justalittlebitofbacon 20 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Click here for details.

It doesn’t seem right to have Easter without a recipe for carrots. 🙂 Luckily, I have this great recipe for carrot cake cupcakes that is so moist and so tender and so yummy that even people who don’t like carrots won’t be able to resist eating one. Or two. And of course I top them with cream cheese frosting! That’s the only way to go.

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

It had been a while since I had made a carrot cake, so I needed to think about exactly what I wanted from these cupcakes.

  • First of all, I wanted the carrots to be fully incorporated in the batter. This meant they needed to be very, finely minced. I did try to shred them, but cupcakes should be a little more refined. A quick whirr in the food processor later and I had the texture I wanted.
  • Second, I wanted them to be moist and tangy and tender. Brown sugar and sour cream took care of those needs.
  • And last, I wanted the flavor of butter in the mix. That one was easy – use butter instead of oil, and by creaming the butter with the sugar, I could also make the cupcakes lighter, so bonus.

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

I also tried a reverse-creaming method to make these. (I believe in full service testing! 🙂 )

Reverse-creaming is when you put the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix the butter into them and then add the eggs and other liquids. You don’t get the aeration of creaming, but you also don’t have to worry so much about gluten formation. And I almost went with it for the finale recipe. It was really good and so tender! However, since this was my first time, I decided to wait until I have a few disasters under my belt so can tell y’all what not to do. Yeah, when I say ‘don’t do that’ in one of my recipes, it’s because I did that. I’m sure I’ll have a reverse-creaming recipe up here in the future, since it’s definitely on my list of things to practice.

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Once my cupcakes were perfect and awesome, it was time to refine the frosting recipe. This part was pretty easy. I wanted a strong cream cheese flavor, a little butter so it wouldn’t be too thick, and just enough sugar to be frosting without being too, too sweet. I started with a 1:1 ratio of butter and cream cheese and just kept adding cream cheese until I was happy and then added sugar a bit at a time until the balance was just right. A quick zesting of an orange over the frosted cupcakes and I had the final touch I needed.

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Oooh, before I go, I should mention something!

The instructions for softening the butter are for grain-fed butters, which is the standard butter that most US cooks are going to use. However, if you want to use a grass-fed butter, such as my favorite KerryGold, they are naturally softer. For that type of butter, get everything else ready before you take out the butter, because the few minutes you are going to take to slice it up into chunks is all it will need to be soft enough for creaming. If you have a super cold fridge, it may take a smidgen longer, but not much.

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. | justalittlebitofbacon.com
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 325kcal
Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 10 tbsp (5 oz) unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups (7 oz) finely minced carrots

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tsp orange zest optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Take out a standard sized muffin tin and fill each well with a liner or grease them with butter.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a mixer on medium, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the down the sides of the bowl with a spatula a few times. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl again and add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix for 30 seconds more. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the carrots. Then add the flour mixture and mix until just combined with a few white streaks remaining. Give the batter a stir with your spatula and divide it among the twelve wells of the muffin tin.
  • Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the cupcakes are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let them rest for 2-3 minutes, then carefully take them out of the muffin tin and let them cool on a cooling rack. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
  • Once the cupcakes are cool, it's time to make the frosting. Whip the cream cheese and butter on high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix in. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low until combined, then increase the speed to high and beat together until smooth.
  • To decorate the cupcakes, either spread or pipe frosting onto them and then sprinkle the tops with a little orange zest.

Notes

To finely mince the carrots, peel them and roughly chop them. Then put them in a food processor with the metal blade and process until no large pieces remain, about 1 minute.
If you want to really pile on the frosting as I show in the pictures, double the frosting recipe. The amount I call for in the recipe provides a moderate amount of frosting per cupcake.
The butter should be soft, but not too warm. If you are scientifically minded, 60F is the temperature you want. Or you can press on the butter - it should give but still be cool. Also, to soften butter quickly, cut it into 1/2" chunks and it should be soft enough in 10-15 minutes.
For the eggs, if you didn't take them out ahead of time, no worries! Just put them in the some warm water for about 10 minutes.
Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - Grinding up the carrots packs more carrots into each cupcake and makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious! Creaming the butter and sugar together provides an extra tender crumb and a mostly flat top which is perfect for the lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Save

Related Posts:

  • Fresh Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
    Fresh Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
    Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
  • Creamy Cheesy Potato Carrot Soup
    Creamy Cheesy Potato Carrot Soup
  • Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Muffins
    Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Muffins
  • Simple Cranberry Apple Pecan Cake
    Simple Cranberry Apple Pecan Cake
  • Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
    Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Filed Under: cakes, desserts, easter dinner, holiday favorites, recipe, spring, sweet treats, vegetarian Tagged With: carrots, cream cheese

« Easy Spinach Manicotti
Leftover Lamb Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce »

Follow me on:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Don’t miss a post!

Get new recipes in your inbox every week!

Disclosure:

Justalittlebitofbacon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Comments

  1. simonacallas says

    May 1, 2019 at 2:57 pm

    5 stars
    These cupcakes are not just wonderful but also delicious 🙂 I know carrot cake goes perfect with cream cheese frosting. I love very much the photos. Congratulations! ❤❤❤❤

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      May 1, 2019 at 7:58 pm

      Thanks! Decorating is not my strong suit, but I was real happy with how these came out. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Angie says

    April 11, 2018 at 4:10 am

    5 stars
    Hands down best carrot cake I’ve ever had let alone made! Even my husband loved it and he usually doesn’t eat carrot cake! Definitely going to be a new family favorite. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:26 am

      Thank you for trying them and letting me know how you liked them! And I’m glad these can convince even carrot cake abstainers. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Adeeba says

    November 28, 2017 at 5:19 am

    5 stars
    Can I use buttermilk in place of sour cream?

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      November 28, 2017 at 12:27 pm

      I have often substituted buttermilk, sour cream, and yogurt for each other in cakes and other baked goods, so I’m thinking…probably. I have not used buttermilk in this recipe, however, so I can’t say for certain. If you do want to sub, switch out for the same volume and it should work. Please let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  4. Lucy says

    June 27, 2017 at 8:52 am

    5 stars
    Love these cupcakes! Great flavours. Thanks for sharing. ?

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      June 27, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      Thanks! I love carrot cake and I’m glad you did too.

      Reply
  5. Sara says

    March 21, 2016 at 10:30 am

    These are so classic and perfect for Easter! Pinning and sharing!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 22, 2016 at 5:57 pm

      Thank you! They seemed perfect for Easter to me too.

      Reply
  6. Momina says

    March 17, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    Grinding up the carrots seems like a great idea. I’ve been meaning to make carrot cupcakes, so will def give this a shot! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 18, 2016 at 9:23 am

      Thanks! It was a small change, but it really made a big difference.

      Reply
  7. Jessie says

    March 17, 2016 at 10:54 am

    PERFECT. I mean, you could put cream cheese frosting on a piece of carpet and I’d probably try to eat it, but these cakes look like a perfect flavor and texture complement to the luscious frosting.

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 17, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      I’m with you on the cream cheese frosting! But I don’t like it too sweet, so homemade is best. And thanks!

      Reply
  8. Ilona says

    March 16, 2016 at 11:07 pm

    Your cupcakes are so adorable. I add less sugar always to my baked treats. Sweet enough but not over sweeten. This is how I love. Very yummy cupcakes. Pinning!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 17, 2016 at 12:01 pm

      Thank you! I’ve been practicing my decorating skills. 🙂 And thanks for the pin!

      Reply
  9. Janice Lawandi says

    March 16, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    This is such a great post, not only because of the recipe itself, but also because of your tips about softening butter (I didn’t know that!) and because you talked a little about the reverse-creaming method. I’m currently struggling with some yellow butter cake issues, namely when I cut open the cakes to frost/layer them, I’ve been seeing some rather large holes in the crumb. And even though I try not to overmix, I still think I am stirring too much once the flour is added. The reversed method might help me get rid of my “cake defects” (if we can call them that). Thanks!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 17, 2016 at 12:01 pm

      Thank you! I try to include different things I’ve learned about the recipe and any info I think might be useful. And I already love the reverse creaming method. The cupcakes I made with that method were so finely textured and beautiful. I’ve been reading up on it, and it doesn’t work for all cakes, but it’s worth a try and it should help with the large holes in the crumb.

      Reply
  10. Mary says

    March 16, 2016 at 11:57 am

    Love these cupcakes they look like the perfect ratio of sweetness without being too rich!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 16, 2016 at 1:48 pm

      Thanks! I didn’t try to make them too healthy, but I do want to keep the sugar a littler lower these days. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

Don’t miss a post!

Sign up here to have new recipes delivered to your inbox every week.

Follow me on:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Spring Flings

Chilled strawberry soup is a great cold summer appetizer. It's full of ripe fruit, Greek yogurt, and just enough mint to be tangy, sweet, and refreshing.

Chilled Strawberry Yogurt Soup

Swiss Chard Chips - Don't know what to do with chard? Family won't eat it? Try this recipe where Swiss chard leaves are tossed in bacon fat and baked to crispness to make addictively yummy chard chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Swiss Chard Chips

Easy to make, this homemade rhubarb syrup has so many uses! Rhubarb simple syrup can be poured over pancakes, made into cocktails and drinks, served over ice cream, added to pound cake, and more. | justalittlebitofbacon.com #rhubarb #springrecipes #dessertrecipes #syrup #simplesyrup

Homemade Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Use only a skillet in my one pot chicken and orzo dinner! Juicy thighs, pasta, and plenty of vegetables in this easy, weeknight meal. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

One Pot Chicken and Orzo with Mixed Vegetables

Layered Frozen Strawberry Lime Daiquiri - This frozen strawberry daiquiri is all about intense fruit flavor from frozen strawberries pureed with rum and lime juice. For an extra festive touch make some lime daiquiri too and layer it on top of the strawberry daiquiri. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Layered Frozen Strawberry and Lime Daiquiri

Want some ideas for fresh strawberry desserts? I have six amazing recipes from simple to elegant and all are packed full of sweet, juicy strawberries. Berry crumble pie, rustic strawberry tart, shortcake with a twist, easy strawberry dip and more!

Fresh Strawberry Desserts for Spring

Reader Favorites

Dinner comes together in a flash with this recipe for kid-pleasing, one-pot ground beef pasta skillet topped with pesto and ricotta. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Ground Beef Skillet Pasta with Pesto and Ricotta

Zucchini cheddar biscuits are soft, tender and full of shredded zucchini and sharp cheddar. Just drop them onto the baking tray and go. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Soft and Tender Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb - Butterflied lamb is rubbed overnight with a flavorful herb and garlic mixture and then quickly grilled for a perfect dinner. It takes just 15 minutes to bring this roast to a beautifully seared outside and medium rare inside. Great for Easter dinner or for any cookout get-together. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with a Herb Rub

These gluten-free Italian pignoli cookies, adapted from Lidia Bastianich, are a great holiday cookie full of almonds and pine nuts! A great addition to a Christmas cookie tray. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Lidia’s Italian Pignoli Cookies

Throw out everything you know about making pie crust to make the best easy flaky pie crust you've ever made. Simple, all butter, no fail! | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Easy Flaky Pie Crust Recipe

Parmesan Truffle Fries - Use frozen, bagged fries to have tasty truffle fries, covered in truffle oil, parmesan, and parsley on the table in less than 15 minutes. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Quick and Easy Parmesan Truffle Fries

Copyright © 2022 — Just a Little Bit of Bacon • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy • Disclaimer

Genesis Framework • Foodie Pro Theme • by Shay Bocks