Description
Ina Garten’s carrot cupcakes deliver pure comfort with their moist crumb and luscious cream cheese frosting. Packed with warm spices and chopped walnuts, these cupcakes offer a delightful balance of sweetness that will make you crave another bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound / 1.36 kilograms)
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (480 milliliters)
- 1 cup raisins (240 milliliters)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (240 milliliters)
Liquid and Binding Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar (480 milliliters)
- 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil (320 milliliters)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- ¾ pound cream cheese, at room temperature (340 grams)
- ½ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature (227 grams)
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar (454 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) and prepare muffin pans with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to blend granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and pure vanilla extract until smoothly combined.
- Gradually incorporate eggs into the sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly until the batter becomes uniform and slightly fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together ground cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and all-purpose flour to create the dry ingredient mixture.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using low-speed mixing, ensuring no flour pockets remain.
- Gently fold grated carrots, chopped walnuts, and raisins into the batter, stirring until evenly distributed.
- Carefully fill each muffin cup approximately 3/4 full with the prepared batter.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) after initial 10-minute baking, then continue baking for an additional 30 to 35 minutes.
- Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin – it should emerge clean and dry.
- Allow muffins to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually incorporate powdered sugar into the frosting mixture, mixing until well combined and silky.
- Once muffins are completely cooled, generously spread cream cheese frosting over the top of each cupcake.
Notes
- Elevate texture by grating carrots super fine, ensuring a silky-smooth cupcake bite.
- Transform raisins from dry to juicy by soaking them in warm water, adding bursts of sweetness.
- Unlock deeper nutty flavors by gently toasting walnuts before chopping and folding into batter.
- Patience pays off when letting cupcakes cool completely, creating the perfect frosting canvas.
- Chill frosted cupcakes briefly to set the cream cheese topping and intensify flavor melding.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 548 kcal
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 66 mg