Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These Carrot Cake Cupcakes have a secret ingredient that makes them easy to make and moist. They are a must-make for your Easter holiday dinner.

What if I said you could have deliciously moist carrot cake cupcakes without the hassle of shredding carrots? You won’t need to look for another recipe when you see how easy these Easter cupcakes are to make.

It’s not Easter or springtime at our house until we indulge in some homemade carrot cake. We love it, and these cupcakes are just the perfect way to celebrate the holiday and the spring season.

The Secret to the BEST Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I use my favorite carrot cake recipe to make these cupcakes, and, while I love them both, the cupcakes are always famous because of the frosting-to-cake ratio. It’s perfect.

I got the recipe from my cousin, Amy, years ago and have made it so many times I’ve lost count. They are so good and always get rave reviews. When I spill the beans on the secret ingredient, people are always surprised – who knew carrot baby food would make the best carrot cake cupcakes?

It’s true, friends, and using it also saves you some work – there’s no need to grate carrots for this recipe. Just mix up the batter and bake.

These are great all year round, but at Easter, we love to decorate them with colorful eggs and coconut. They’re so cute and say “spring” don’t you think?

You will love this recipe – you only need one bowl, and it takes just a few minutes to make the batter. Oh, and once they’re cooled, frost them with cream cheese frosting. I’m sharing my easy recipe for that, too.

Cupcake Ingredients

• Carrot baby food, or you can use carrot puree, but I use baby food every time.
• Large eggs
• Canola oil
• Flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Baking soda
• Maple syrup
• Cinnamon

How to Make Them

Mix all of the ingredients listed above together until smooth and there are no clumps.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners into a baking pan. You should get 24 to 30 cupcakes, depending on the size of the molds.

Place the pans in preheated oven and bake them at 350°F for 18 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove them from the oven and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Softened butter
• Softened cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Milk

In a large bowl, mix the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.

With the low-speed mixer, slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Chill the frosting in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

When cupcakes are completely cooled, spread or pipe frosting on the tops of each cupcake.

You can serve them plain or sprinkle some toasted coconut over the frosting and decorate the tops with chocolate eggs.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

You can make and bake the cupcakes a day in advance. Keep them tightly wrapped at room temperature until you frost them.

You can store the cream cheese frosting in the fridge for up to three days before you use it. Just let it soften at room temperature before you pipe it onto the cupcakes.

Frosted cupcakes will be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days.

Enjoy these wonderful carrot cake cupcakes and check out more ideas for your holiday dinner in my Easter recipes post – there is so much inspiration!

Soft, moist, and perfectly spiced cupcakes with that rich cream cheese frosting… you are going to love them. Enjoy! xoxo San

Try these Easter dessert recipes, too!

• Chocolate-Covered Easter Strawberries
• German Chocolate Carrot Cake
• Soft Carrot Cake Cookies

Don’t forget to pin this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.