Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

December 19, 2011


Since my previous attempt at a layered carrot cake failed, I decided to make cupcakes instead. Unlike other pans, the muffin tin rarely throws batter-filled fits over issues like depth and diameter. (Yes, cake pans, I'm eyeballing you.)

Cupcakes have kind of become the baker's pet of my cake world.

They're adorkable.


This recipe is deliciously chunky and clunky. It's bursting with walnuts, carrots, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and raisins. (Even I couldn't deny how fabulous the raisins performed in this one!)

Aside from the show-stopping cream cheese frosting, I've always loved the texture of carrot cakes. They're not delicate or girly, they're bold, spicy, and sassy...and they don't apologize for it.

I wish I could be more like a carrot cake. :p


If you're not feeling up to baking 24 cupcakes, this recipe will make a 9-inch layer cake. My only advice is to be sure that your cake pans are 2-inches deep. I tried to make it using pans that were only about 1 1/4-inches deep (I'm too clumsy with a tape measure to be accurate), and I ended up with cake batter all over my oven. (And no paper towel!)

Whatever you decide to go with, I promise that you'll be happy with the results. This is a classic carrot cake recipe with a dreamy cinnamon-maple cream cheese frosting. And everyone knows that cream cheese frosting is, and always will be, the Queen of all frostings.


Carrot Cake Cupcakes (adapted from smitten kitchen) Print

ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking Soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots (about 1lb, or 6-8 large carrots)
1 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 24 cupcake molds. [Note: If you prefer, you can make a 9-inch layer cake using this recipe. If making a cake, butter two 9x2-inch deep cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, butter and flour the paper, and then gently tap out any excess flour.]

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking Soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. (Whisk for about 1 minuter per egg.)
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, stir until well blended. [Note: This is not a delicate cake, so don't worry too much about over-mixing.]
Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners (about 3/4 full for each cupcake). If making a cake, divide the batter evenly among the two pans.

Bake the cupcakes for 14-18 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into one of the center cupcakes comes out clean. Since this recipe makes a lot of cupcakes, rotate the pans half-way through, to ensure even baking.
If you're making a layer cake, bake the layers for 36-40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to rest in the muffin pans before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
For the cakes: Remove the pans from the oven and allow them to rest for about 15 minutes before turning them onto a cooling rack and carefully removing the parchment paper. Cool before frosting.


Maple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting [Note: This recipe is more than enough for a 9-inch layer cake, so go crazy on that middle layer!]

ingredients
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

method
In a large mixing bowl (fitted with the paddle attachment, if using a stand-mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter together until light, creamy, and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar (I used about 1/2 cup increments). Beat well after each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, beat in the salt, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Beat on high speed until well combined. If the frosting looks too runny to pipe or spread, cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
Frost cupcakes (or cakes) as desired.


Makes 24 cupcakes, or one 9-inch layer cake

17 comments:

  1. I'd love to eat one for dessert! Those cupcakes must taste divine.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. They are adorable..I won't deter from our 100 yr old recipe:) for the actual cake..but that icing sounds divine w/ any carrot cake!

    They are totally photogenic!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A 100 year-old carrot cake recipe!
    Monique, I'm so intrigued. :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. That frosting sounds amazing and your icing job is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are beautiful cupcakes! Can you teach me how to pipe perfect frosting like this? LOL. I'm serious!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Je n'ai encore pas essayer aux carottes mais je vois des recettes partout il va falloir que je m'y mette
    Elles sont très gourmandes
    Je te souhaite un bon mardi
    Valérie.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You can't beat a good carrot cake..it just really hits the spot. Unforunately I don't have a "go to" recipe yet, so I look forward to testing this one out.

    ReplyDelete
  8. These sound divine. As if I needed one more sweet to covet over the holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  9. @ Jen, As far as piping out frosting is concerned, I've learned that quick and light beats slow and methodical. Just squeeze, lift, and twirl. (Until I figured that out, it took a ridiculous amount of time to frost just one cupcake.) :P

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ciao Valerie! How lovely these beauty must be !!! Baci

    ReplyDelete
  11. These look delicious! and @Valerie thanks for the tip, I always struggle with frosting cupcakes!

    ReplyDelete
  12. As much as I like carrot cake, I like cinnamon cream cheese frosting more. Thanks for this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi, I'm so excited to make this! Saw the frosting on Pinterest and decided was a must-have. Just one question: when you say 24 cupcakes, what size do you mean? I love to make mini cupcakes, so it's a need-to-know. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi JannJann,
    This recipe will make 24 Regular-size cupcakes. I don't have a mini-muffin tin, I'm guessing that it would probably make 48 mini cupcakes (give or take a few).

    I hope that helps. Thanks for visiting! I love Pinterest too. :D

    ReplyDelete
  15. I don't know how I missed these cupcakes, but I'm in love with them! The frosting sounds (and looks!) heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Just found this recipe via Pinterest today. Made them right after I found it. Cakes are divine!!! I omitted the raisins and nuts, per the recipients request, but otherwise, left the recipe as is. I also made the frosting. I had some issues with it.... Very runny, even after refrigerating for about 1 hour, and adding an extra cup of powdered sugar. I am not a novice baker, so I am not sure what happened... The flavor is amazing though, so I did the best I could to pipe the frosting on the cakes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Jessica T: I'm sorry about the frosting consistency. It's been so long since I made this recipe, I can't remember if I ran into any snags...I just know it was a very cold day in December and my kitchen, as always, reflects the weather outside - I doubt anything would be too runny.

    Hopefully the frosting still tasted wonderful. Glad you like the cakes! (:

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

une gamine dans la cuisine © All rights reserved · Theme by Blog Milk · Blogger