These carrot cake cupcakes taste just like carrot cake but in miniature form, plus they are easier to make than a classic carrot cake. Topped with lemony cream cheese frosting, they make a special treat for Easter celebrations, bake sales, backyard cookouts, and potlucks.
Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These carrot cake cupcakes taste just like carrot cake but in miniature form, plus they are easier to make than a classic carrot cake. Topped with lemony cream cheese frosting, they make a special treat for Easter celebrations, bake sales, backyard cookouts, and potlucks.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons McCormick ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon McCormick ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon McCormick pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups finely grated carrots
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon McCormick pure lemon extract
- 1 16 ounce box confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or as needed
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with liners.
- To make the carrot cake cupcakes: Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined.
- Add oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Add carrots; mix until well blended.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes briefly in the pans on a wire rack. Remove cupcakes from the pans; cool completely.
- To make the lemon frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and lemon extract together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in milk.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.
