Warmly spiced muffins packed with freshly grated carrot and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, everything that makes carrot cake so beloved in individual muffin form.
About This Recipe
Carrot cake muffins deliver the complete carrot cake experience in individual portions that bake in twenty minutes rather than the forty-five of a full layer cake. They are among the most visually distinctive muffins available, the orange flecks of carrot visible through the sides of the case and the swirl of white cream cheese frosting creating an immediately appealing image.
Freshly grated carrot is essential. Pre-grated carrot from a packet is too dry and lacks the natural juice that makes carrot cake so characteristically moist. A box grater produces the fine shreds that distribute evenly through the batter and cook through completely in the baking time. Two large carrots, finely grated, provides the right quantity for twelve muffins.
The cream cheese frosting should be generous and properly piped or swirled rather than simply dolloped. A piping bag or a zip lock bag with a corner snipped off produces a swirl that photographs well and provides the right proportion of frosting to muffin. The frosting must go on cold muffins. Warm muffins melt the cream cheese frosting and it runs down the sides rather than sitting in a neat swirl on top.
History and Origins
Carrot cake has been made since medieval times when carrots were used as a sweetener during periods of sugar scarcity. The modern cream cheese frosted version became popular in America in the 1960s and 1970s. The muffin format made the recipe more practical for everyday baking, producing individual portions that are easier to serve and transport than a whole cake.
Carrot Cake Muffins
Course: Cupcakes12
servings18
minutes20
minutes3360
kcalIngredients
•t240g plain flour
•t200g brown sugar
•t2 tsp cinnamon
•t1 tsp ground ginger
•t0.5 tsp nutmeg
•t1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
•t0.5 tsp baking powder
•t0.5 tsp salt
•t3 large eggs
•t180ml neutral oil
•t1 tsp vanilla extract
•t300g carrots finely grated
•tFor frosting: 225g cream cheese, 80g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp butter softened
Directions
- Preheat oven to 190C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin.
- Whisk flour, sugar, spices, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt.
- Whisk eggs, oil and vanilla together. Stir in grated carrot.
- Fold wet into dry until just combined.
- Divide between cases filling three quarters full.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
- Beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Pipe or swirl onto cooled muffins.
Notes
- Grate the carrots as finely as possible on a box grater or food processor. Coarse shreds produce an uneven texture and do not distribute through the batter as well as fine shreds.
Do not squeeze moisture from the grated carrot before adding it to the batter. The natural juice in freshly grated carrot is what makes these muffins moist and it should be retained.
The muffins must be completely cold before frosting. Even slightly warm muffins will melt the cream cheese frosting immediately and it will run down the sides rather than sitting as a neat swirl.
Refrigerate the assembled muffins in warm weather. The cream cheese frosting is perishable and will become unpleasantly soft if left at room temperature for more than a couple of hours in a warm kitchen.
For the neatest frosting swirl use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. A zip-lock bag with one corner snipped off works as an adequate substitute. Apply with confidence in one continuous circular motion.
The frosting can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove it 20 minutes before piping to allow it to soften to a workable consistency.
Adding a tiny pinch of salt to the cream cheese frosting balances the sweetness and makes the tangy cream cheese flavour more pronounced, which is the characteristic that makes cream cheese frosting so different from plain buttercream.
Make Ahead Tips
Unfrosted muffins keep at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. Cream cheese frosting keeps refrigerated for 5 days. Frost on the day of serving.
Storage and Serving
Frosted muffins should be refrigerated due to the cream cheese content. Eat within 3 days. Bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Unfrosted muffins keep at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
Variations and Substitutions
Add 80g of raisins or sultanas to the batter for a more traditional carrot cake flavour. Add 80g of toasted walnuts or pecans for extra crunch and a classic nutty element. Add crushed pineapple drained of juice for extra moisture and a subtle tropical sweetness that is a classic carrot cake addition. Replace cream cheese frosting with a simple orange glaze for a quicker, lighter alternative. Add the zest of an orange to both the batter and the frosting for a citrus carrot cake version. Use maple syrup in the frosting in place of icing sugar for a more complex, less sweet topping that pairs beautifully with the warm spices. Add 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut to the batter for a coconut carrot cake muffin that is particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand.
