Please welcome Garrett McCord as he shares his carrot cake cupcake recipe. I swear these are the best carrot cake cupcakes I’ve ever eaten. ~Elise
I find that you can tell a lot about someone based on the type of carrot cake they make. I find that those who enjoy pineapple and coconut in their carrot cake are a bit more flamboyant and unpredictable than the average baker and, likely, have a tiki shirt in their closet.
Those who prefer heavy amount of cloves and raisins are traditionalists; they have a penchant for nostalgia and reminiscing over their fragrant and fruity carrot cakes that encapsulate their childhood.
Others prefer orange juice – modernizing the classics and stirring up cocktails to pair with them.
I like to see myself as inventive, strange, and maybe even quirky – my carrot cake is a carrot cupcake (I like to think I’m a wee bit adorable, too). Toasted walnuts add a certain bittersweet and earthy taste to the cupcakes. Cinnamon and a good dose of cardamom give it a faraway newness, which is only made more intriguing with the floral and citrusy finish from the orange zest.
Dolloped with some cream cheese frosting, it’s a carrot cupcake that emulates old times from way back when with a bit of a contemporary twist. A funky cupcake that anyone’s personality can appreciate.
So then, what does your carrot (cup)cake say about you?
Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe
- Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup of chopped walnuts (100 g)
- 1 pound (450 g) of carrots (about 3 1/2 cups, grated)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) of buttermilk (or add a teaspoon of lemon juice to regular milk and allow to stand for 10 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups (400 g) of sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of orange zest
- 3 cups (400 g) of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 16 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
Method
1 Toast the walnuts: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast the walnuts in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
2 Line 2 12-well cupcake pans with cupcake liner papers.
3 Mix wet ingredients and carrots: Place the buttermilk, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest together in a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Then stir in the grated carrots.
4 Mix dry ingredients: In another bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon.
5 Fold dry ingredients into wet, add walnuts: Fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture, being sure not to over-mix. Fold in the toasted walnuts until evenly incorporated.
6 Bake: Scoop the batter into cupcake papers about 1/2 to 3/4 full and bake for 19-21 minutes at 350° F, rotating the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking.
Cool for 5 minutes before taking the cupcakes out of the cupcake tin and allowing them to fully cool on a wire rack.
7 Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and mix. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
