Description
Ina Garten’s carrot cake cupcakes deliver ultimate comfort with classic spices and cream cheese frosting. Moist, rich layers blend sweet carrots and warm cinnamon, promising a delightful dessert that brings pure bakery-style joy to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups (250 grams) grated carrots
- 250 grams plain flour
- 150 grams raisins
- 150 grams chopped walnuts
Wet Ingredients:
- 400 grams caster sugar
- 320 milliliters vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Spices and Leavening Agents:
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
Frosting Ingredients:
- 340 grams full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 225 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 450 grams icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F fan/gas mark 6) and prepare the muffin tin by lining it with 22 paper cupcake liners, ensuring even spacing.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and pure vanilla extract using an electric mixer until well blended. Incorporate eggs individually, beating thoroughly after each addition to create a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
- Sift flour, ground cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, and salt into a separate bowl, ensuring no lumps remain and dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Gradually incorporate the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients using low-speed mixing. Gently coat grated carrots, plump raisins, and chopped walnuts with the remaining dry ingredients, then carefully fold into the batter until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Distribute the batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each approximately three-quarters full to allow room for rising during baking.
- Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F fan/gas mark 4) and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until a testing skewer inserted into the center emerges clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack, allowing them to cool completely to room temperature.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
- Once cupcakes have cooled completely, generously spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake, creating elegant swirls or peaks as desired.
Notes
- Maximize flavor by selecting crisp, bright orange carrots directly from the produce section for maximum sweetness.
- Plump up raisins by soaking them in warm water or apple juice for 10 minutes, then gently pat dry before folding into batter.
- Unlock deeper nutty undertones by lightly toasting walnuts in a dry skillet for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Create a silky, well-incorporated batter by allowing eggs, butter, and milk to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before mixing.
- Prevent dense, tough cupcakes by using the spoon-and-level method when measuring flour, avoiding packed or compressed measurements.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg