Carrot Cupcakes
Studded with shredded carrots, walnuts and raisins, these spring time carrot cupcakes are sure to elevate any dessert table.
The best kind of desserts are ones that hide your veggies, right?! Baking with vegetables brings a whole different kind of satisfaction, especially when they are grown in a home garden. Whether it be zucchini bread, or these moist and fluffy carrot cake cupcakes, these kinds of desserts make spring time special.
What Makes These Carrot Cupcakes Special?
These carrot cupcakes boast a lovely cinnamon-based batter, traditional ingredients like walnuts and raisins, and a deliciously creamy, cream cheese icing, They have a melt in your mouth texture that is achieved by creaming butter, sugar and oil together for several minutes. Most of my cake recipes call for a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour, but this recipe is an exception— all-purpose flour alone yielded a delightful crumb that didn’t require a low protein flour, like cake flour.
Some carrot cake recipes are a “throw it in one bowl” kind of recipe, and while I’m sure those cakes are delicious in their own right, I prefer my carrot cake to be prepared with the same care as my other cakes. The recipe is still approachable, but there are a few tips and tricks to help achieve carrot cake success.
Carrot Cake Tips and Tricks
1.) Shred the carrots small. By shredding the carrots with the small side of the grater, the carrots will evenly distribute and bake. I don’t personally like a crunchy carrot cake.
2.) Finely chop the walnuts. By chopping the nuts small, they will distribute in the batter evenly, and further, won’t weigh the batter down—goal being, nuts not sinking to the bottom of the cupcake while baking. Further, by chopping them small, it gives an earthy nuttiness with each bite, which nicely rounds out the cupcake flavor.
3.) Measure the flour properly. I’ve said it a million times, and I will say it again, properly measuring flour is the best way to ensure the bake will turn out properly. Too much flour leads to a dry and dense bake; one that falls short of its full potential.
4.) Don’t be impatient creaming the butter and sugars. Following the noted mixing times will ensure ample air is beaten into the batter, yielding the correct crumb.
5.) Use the whisk attachment to make the cream cheese icing. This is just a suggestion, but I have found using the whisk attachment to gives the most delightfully fluffy, and irresistible cream cheese icing.
Final Tip
Feel free to add ½ to 1 teaspoon of white rice to the bottom of the cupcake tins. This is a handy hack. By adding rice, it absorbs grease from the cupcakes, making it less likely that the liners will start to ebb away from the cupcake. This is entirely optional, but a helpful hack if desired.
Carrot Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set Aside.
- In a mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed for 3 minutes. Drizzle the oil into the bowl on medium-low speed. Once incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium speed for another 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, briefly mixing batter on medium speed until smooth, scraping the bowl after each egg addition. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Spoon and level the flours for an accurate measurement.
- Add buttermilk into a glass measuring cup. Alternating between the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, add 1/3 of flour into the mixing bowl on low speed. Immediately follow with 1/2 of the buttermilk, followed by another 1/3 of the flour and the second 1/2 of the buttermilk. Finish with the remaining flour mixture. The mixer should be kept on low speed, so the flour and liquid don't splash out of the bowl. Add the carrots, nuts and raisins into the bowl and mix until just incorporated. Give the bowl a final scrape, making sure any dry ingredients trapped at the bottom are brought to the top, and briefly mix one more time.
- Scoop batter into the pans, about 3/4 to the side of each tin. Place pans into oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes have nicely browned and slightly spring back when pressed. Remove cupcakes from the tin and allow to fully cool on a wire wrack before icing.
- With an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until there are no lumps, and the consistency is smooth. Add vanilla and mix briefly.
- Add sifted powdered sugar to the bowl, 1 cup at a time, mixing first on low speed to prevent splashing, then turning the mixer to medium-low until it's incorporated. Scrape the bowl and briefly mix one more time to complete the icing.
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