Carrot cupcakes
Carrot cupcakes use oil instead of butter, so the crumb stays moist and soft, fragrant with cinnamon and the mellow sweetness of brown sugar. The finely grated carrot melts into the cake as it bakes, while the lightly tangy cream cheese frosting on top balances the sweetness and keeps you reaching for another.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Rising or chilling
- 40 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 39 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Cupcake batter
Cream cheese frosting
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a cupcake pan with paper liners before you start mixing. The batter contains baking soda, so it needs to go into the oven right after mixing to keep its rise. The oven is ready when an oven thermometer reads exactly 175°C.
Step 2
Peel and grate 180 g carrots on the small holes of a grater, and chop 50 g walnuts if using. Fine shreds of carrot bake soft and blend into the crumb instead of leaving hard bits. The carrots are ready when they're fine, moist shreds with no large pieces left.
Step 3
Whisk 100 g eggs with 160 g brown sugar until dissolved, then slowly pour in 120 g vegetable oil and 4 g vanilla extract while still whisking. Pouring the oil slowly helps the mixture emulsify evenly so the cupcakes don't turn greasy. The mixture is ready when it's thick and an even light brown with no oil floating on top.
Step 4
Mix 160 g all-purpose flour, 4 g baking powder, 3 g baking soda, 4 g ground cinnamon, a pinch ground nutmeg and a pinch salt, add them to the egg mixture, and finally add the carrots and walnuts. Fold just a few times so the gluten doesn't develop and make the cupcakes tough. The batter is ready when no patches of dry flour remain and the carrots are spread evenly throughout.
Step 5
Fill the paper liners about three-quarters full and bake at 175°C for about 20 to 24 minutes. Carrots hold a lot of water, so these cupcakes need a little longer than regular ones. They're done when the tops are golden brown and lightly cracked and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Step 6
After five minutes, move the cupcakes to a rack and let them cool completely, about forty minutes. Cream cheese frosting is very sensitive to heat, and even a slightly warm cupcake will turn it soft and droopy. They're ready when the center is completely cool when you break one open to test.
Step 7
Beat 225 g cream cheese with 75 g unsalted butter, both softened at room temperature, until smooth, then add 200 g sifted powdered sugar and 3 g vanilla extract. About three minutes on medium speed is enough, because overbeating makes the cream cheese runny. The frosting is ready when it's as smooth as thick yogurt and holds its shape on a spoon.
Step 8
Use a spatula or piping bag to spread a thick layer of cream cheese frosting on each cupcake, and sprinkle with a few walnuts or a pinch of cinnamon if you like. A generous layer of frosting balances its tangy richness with the sweet cake. They're finished when the frosting is smooth or evenly swirled and doesn't slide down the sides of the liners.
Equipment
- Oven
- Muffin tin
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Wire cooling rack
- Mixing bowl
- Piping bag
Tips
- Don't squeeze the juice out of the grated carrots, since that moisture keeps the cupcakes moist for days.
- Toast the walnuts at 160°C for about eight minutes before chopping them for a much crunchier, more fragrant result.
- If the cream cheese frosting is too soft, chill it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes before piping.
Storage
Because of the cream cheese frosting, keep the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within four days. Unfrosted cupcakes can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to a month; thaw them overnight in the fridge.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The cupcakes are dense and wet at the bottom.
- The carrots were grated too coarsely or the cupcakes weren't baked long enough. Grate the carrots finer and bake a few minutes longer, until a toothpick comes out dry.
- The cupcakes taste slightly bitter and are unusually dark.
- Too much baking soda was measured or it wasn't mixed evenly with the flour. Use an accurate scale and mix the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding them to the eggs.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
