Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting | Easter Recipe

I absolutely love the combination of lightly spiced carrot cake, and cream cheese frosting. In my homemade version of this recipe, you can use these ingredients to make an actual carrot cake, however, I am making cupcakes for a festive Easter treat. My recipe for this classic Carrot Cake uses pineapple for an added sweetness. This soft and tender cake goes perfectly with the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. I have been making this for years now, and it’s always a hit with everyone! Please enjoy my Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe, and if you would like to see the video and how I made these click HERE!

Ingredients for the Cake:

2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Cups Finely Shredded Carrots
1 Cup Flaked/Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1 Can Crushed Pineapple (with juice) 540ml or 19floz
1/2 Cup chopped Walnuts (or your favourite nut)

3 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Unsalted Butter (Melted)
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting:

If you are making the 12 like I did in my video:

1 8oz or 250g Package of Cream Cheese (Room Temp)
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Room Temp)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3 1/2 Cups of Icing Sugar (approx.. can add less)

*If you are making a cake, or baking off all 24 cupcakes,
here is the cream cheese frosting recipe doubled:

2 8oz / 250g Package of Cream Cheese (Room Temp) = 16oz / 500g
1 Cup Unsalted Butter (Room Temp)
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
6 Cups of Icing Sugar (approx… can add less) *I tend to like my actual cakes a bit less sweet, so I don’t exactly double the sugar, I often even add less (taste it around the 5 cup mark)

Carrot Cake Directions:

Set oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, add shredded carrots, coconut, pineapple, and walnuts. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract. Mix well.

Slowly add in flour mix, maybe 1/3 at a time until well incorporated.

Add the carrot mixture to the batter, and fold in well using a pad attachment, or spatula.

Line a cupcake baking sheet with cupcake liners. Fill the cupcakes almost to the cupcake liner rim with batter. (Should make 24 Cupcakes)

Bake for aprox 25 minutes (more or less, depending on your oven) or until toothpick comes out clean – at 350 degrees F, If making a cake, bake for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean (this depends on how many cake pans you use to bake – more info in this later…). Allow to fully cool (at least 30 minutes before frosting), they should feel cool to the touch. Do not attempt to frost while your cakes are warm!

Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:

In a stand mixer (or using hand mixer), whip the room temperature butter, cream cheese, and salt until soft, about 2/3 minutes on medium/high. If they are not room temperature, you can microwave them for 20 to 30 seconds.

Add in vanilla extract, and whip for another 30 seconds until combined. The vanilla extract is the only liquid you need for the frosting, that way the frosting stays thick and easy to pip into designs later. If you are omitting the vanilla extract, add a liquid of your choice, with the same measurements (ex. 1 tsp of milk).

Now with everything combined, add in the powdered sugar, a bit at a time (about 1 cup at a time), until fully incorporated and smooth. I usually whip on low, and once everything is combined, whip for a few seconds on a medium to high speed.

You can place plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate for about 20 minutes (if over night, re-whip in mixer the next day). I usually do this while waiting for the cupcakes to cool after they come out of the oven.

Add frosting to a piping bag, or using your method of choice, and frost the cupcakes, or cake. If making a cake, I usually double this frosting recipe.

For this recipe I also added toasted coconut and mini-eggs to make Easter nest looking cupcakes. To see how I did that, watch my YouTube video HERE!

If you would like to toast coconut, you can add about 1 cup of shredded coconut to a pan, on a medium heat. Once the coconut starts to brown, lightly toss your coconut around in the pan, and lower the heat. Remove from the heat shortly before you think it’s ready, as coconut tends to burn quickly. Quickly transfer the coconut to a plate so that it stops cooking, and allow it to get to room temperature. You can then sprinkle some on the cupcakes or cake if you desire.

In the video I made 1/2 the batter into cupcakes (which made 12), and the other half, I baked into a little loaf cake to give away. If you use the whole batter, you should get about 24 cupcakes, two 9inch cakes (I usually use this recipe to make a layered carrot cake, or you can do what I did and make 12 cupcakes, and a little cake 🙂

Here is my little cake that I made with the left over batter & frosting, I baked this for about 1 hr:

Here is a past-photo of when I turned this recipe into a layered carrot cake (if you do, I bake this in 2 -9inch cake pans for 45 to 50 minutes… check with toothpick):

I hope you enjoy these sweet, slightly spiced, and moist carrot cake cupcake recipe. It is a great recipe any time of the year (since it is Easter you can then decorate or top your cupcakes with cute candies, or chocolate mini-eggs to keep the Easter theme alive)!

If you make this recipe, let me know by leaving me a comment, and if you have Instagram, and your page is open, tag me @ladolcelisa or by using #LaDolceLisaRecipe so that I can see your beautiful and delicious creations. Enjoy & Happy Easter if you are celebrating, or else Happy Baking! 🙂

– Lisa