Ingredients (~18 cupcakes)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Tbsp unsulfured molasses
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ~2 1/4 cups freshly grated carrots, lightly packed
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese, cold
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix the Dry Ingredients and Preheat Oven
Preheat your oven to 350F and line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.
Combine Wet Ingredients and Carrots
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs, molasses, and vanilla until smooth.
Stir in the grated carrots – they’ll seem like a lot but they shrink during baking.
Add the flour mixture and fold everything together until just combined; don’t overmix or the cupcakes will be tough.
Bake the Cupcakes
Fill each muffin cavity about 3/4 full – this is roughly 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake.
Bake for ~16-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
The tops should spring back lightly when touched.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cold cream cheese and softened butter together at medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
The cold cream cheese prevents the frosting from getting too soft.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, then continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
The frosting should be thick enough to hold its shape when piped or spread.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Ingredients (~18 cupcakes)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 Tbsp unsulfured molasses
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ~2 1/4 cups freshly grated carrots lightly packed
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese cold
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs, molasses, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in grated carrots.
- Fold in flour mixture until just combined.
- Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
- Bake 16-20 minutes until toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Beat cold cream cheese and softened butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, mix until combined.
- Frost cooled cupcakes.
