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Home » Recipes » Single Serving Desserts

By Joanie Zisk Published: Nov 28, 2022 · Updated: Nov 28, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links · Please read my disclosure

Small Batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Jump to Recipe
one frosted carrot cake cupcake on a white plate next to three cupcakes

A small batch of carrot cake cupcakes made completely from scratch with grated carrots and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. Extra moist and easy to make!

a carrot cake cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting on a white plate

If you've got 1 or 2 medium-sized carrots, you've enough to make a small batch of the best carrot cake cupcakes!

A while ago, we shared our absolute favorite recipe for a mini carrot cake. Since then, many of you have told us how much you love this single serving cake and would love to have a recipe for a small batch of carrot cake cupcakes. We modified our carrot cake recipe and came up with this fabulous cupcake recipe that features carrot cake cupcakes with a perfectly spiced flavor, a super moist crumb, and a velvety cream cheese frosting. If you love carrot cake, you will absolutely love these cupcakes!

Jump to:
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How To Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
  • Expert Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions
  • How To Decorate Carrot Cake Cupcakes
  • Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
  • Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

  • The tastiest way to incorporate vegetables into a sweet treat: Carrots are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, beta carotene, and vitamin K1 and there's no shortage of carrots in this classic carrot cupcake recipe. The cupcakes are filled with chopped nuts and they're generously spiced with cinnamon. We use chopped pecans, but walnuts add a nice crunch too. Not a nut fan? Leave them out.
  • Grated carrots guarantee moist cupcakes: The key to moist, carrot-filled cupcakes is grating the carrots yourself. Using a food processor or a box grater, the grated carrots retain lots of moisture, which means they become tender in the oven and add lots of flavor.
  • Perfect for add-ins: We like to add chopped pecans or walnuts to our carrot cake cupcakes but you certainly don't have to. If you're a fan of carrot cake with fruit, stir in some raisins.
  • A small batch carrot cake cupcakes recipe: This recipe yields 5 or 6 cupcakes. The recipe doubles well if you'd like to make more.
half of a carrot cake cupcake on a plate that rests on a silver tray

Ingredients

carrot cake cupcake ingredients on a kitchen counter
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Ingredient Notes

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

  • Sugar: Granulated sugar helps to make the cupcakes light, delicious, and moist.
  • Butter: I use salted butter which produces super moist carrot cake cupcakes. Although many recipes call for using unsalted butter in baked goods such as cookies and cakes. I almost always use salted butter in my baking. Using unsalted butter is often recommended so that the baker can have more control over the total amount of salt used in a recipe. Since the recipes I create and share are small batch and single serving recipes and we aren't using a whole lot of butter, whether or not you use salted or unsalted butter won't make much of a difference in our recipes. Use what you have or what you prefer. If you are on a low-sodium diet, by all means, use unsalted butter.
  • Egg: One large egg adds moisture and creates structure to the cupcakes.
  • Vanilla extract: A small amount of vanilla extract adds tremendous flavor to the cupcakes.
  • Flour: I use all-purpose flour. To make gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes, I recommend using King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour.
  • Baking powder: This ingredient helps the cupcakes rise.
  • Ground cinnamon and salt: These two ingredients are essential for great flavor. I'm keeping our cupcake recipe simple by only using cinnamon. Feel free to add ground nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can add small amounts of each spice or add a small amount of one or two of the spices if you'd like.
  • Milk: I use whole milk but you can use 2% instead. Milk makes the cupcakes taste like bakery cake!
  • Carrots: This small batch carrot cake cupcake recipe calls for using ½ cup (53 grams) of grated carrots. I like to use a mini food processor to grate my carrots but you can use a box grater instead, or purchase pre-grated carrots from the supermarket.
  • Pecans: Optional, but recommended. I love nuts in carrot cake but you can leave them out if you want. Feel free to use chopped walnuts, if preferred. You might also like to add a few tablespoons of raisins too.

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • Cream cheese: Use block-style full-fat cream cheese.
  • Butter: I recommend using softened salted butter. Softened butter should still be cool to the touch but when you press your finger into the butter, your finger will leave an indentation.
  • Powdered sugar: The finer sugar particles make powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar) perfect for creating a frosting that has a perfectly smooth consistency.
  • Vanilla extract: For flavor

How To Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (177°C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or lightly coat the insides with oil spray. This recipe yields 5 to 6 carrot cake cupcakes.
  2. Make the cupcakes: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until well mixed, about 45 seconds.
wet ingredients for carrot cake cupcakes in a mixing bowl
  1. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
dry ingredients for carrot cupcakes in a mixing bowl
  1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until combined.

Pro Tip: The secret to fluffy cupcakes is to make sure you don't overmix the batter. To bake fluffy, moist cupcakes you need to create air bubbles in the batter that expand in the oven. If you overmix the batter, you collapse those bubbles and end up with dense cupcakes. Stop mixing just as all ingredients blend.

  1. Add the milk and mix well.
  2. Fold in the grated carrots and chopped pecans.

Pro Tip: Although you can buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store, I prefer taking a few extra minutes to peel and grate the whole carrots yourself. Freshly grated carrots have more moisture which will lead to extra moist cupcakes. Grab a box grater or use a small food processor and grate the carrots yourself.

carrot cake batter in a mixing bowl
  1. Pour or spoon the batter into the liners, filling only about ⅔ full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for about 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5 unbaked carrot cake cupcakes in a muffin tin
  1. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
carrot cake cupcakes in muffin tins cooling on a kitchen counter
  1. Make the frosting: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and softened butter. Whip until well combined and smooth.

Pro Tip: The easiest and best way to soften cream cheese and butter is to simply allow them to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

  1. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined.

Pro Tip: Although cream cheese frosting is often considered to be the best frosting for carrot cake, we also like to use buttercream frosting.

  1. Spread over the top of the cooled cupcakes.
an unwrapped carrot cake cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting on a plate next to three other cupcakes

Expert Tips

  • Read through the entire recipe before beginning. These carrot cake cupcakes come together quickly. Be sure to read through the recipe and the Ingredient Notes and gather your ingredients before starting.
  • Be sure to use melted butter in this small batch cupcake recipe and softened butter in the frosting. You can easily soften butter by taking it out of the refrigerator and placing it on your kitchen counter for a half-hour before you want to use it.
  • Measure the flour correctly: To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup made for dry ingredients and slightly overfill it. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
  • You can grate the carrots ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to make the cupcakes.
  • Feel free to use chopped walnuts instead of pecans or add a handful of raisins to your batter.
  • Some people love chopped pineapples in their carrot cake cupcakes. If you do too, consider adding about a tablespoon or two of canned crushed pineapples. Keep in mind that pineapples will add moisture to the cupcakes, so be sure to drain the pineapple before adding it in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can This Recipe Be Doubled?

Yes. If you'd like to make more cupcakes, double the ingredient amounts.

Can I Add Nuts To The Top?

Excellent idea! Chopped walnuts or pecans would be delicious!

Can I Bake This Into A Cake?

Yes! The batter is the same for a carrot cake and cupcakes. Divide the batter into 2 lightly buttered 10-ounce ramekins that measure 4 inches in diameter and are approximately 1 ¾-inches tall. 

You can also use a 4x6-inch baking dish or a 5x5-inch baking dish.
These baking dishes can be viewed on our Store page.

If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions

  • Can Carrot Cake Cupcakes Be Made Ahead? Absolutely! Plain cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance. Cover the cupcakes and store them at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. If the frosting is thick or stiff after refrigerating, beat it with your mixer for 20-30 seconds to help loosen it before frosting.
  • Can Carrot Cake Cupcakes Be Frozen? Yes. I recommend freezing cupcakes unfrosted. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and frost if desired.

How To Decorate Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Recently, my frosting tool from Pampered Chef broke so I used a simple ziptop bag to make a frosting bag.

Here's how to make a homemade frosting bag:

  1. Spoon the frosting into a resealable ziptop bag, like Ziploc brand.
  2. Twist the top of the bag to push the frosting into one of the lower corners of the bag.
  3. With scissors, cut about a ½-inch hole in one of the corners of the bag.
  4. Squeeze the bag with the palm of your hand and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

You can see how I use a ziplock bag to add batter to a donut pan as we did in our apple cider donuts recipe. This is exactly how I decorate carrot cake cupcakes without a piping bag or frosting tool. The frosting comes out easily.

using a ziplock bag to pipe batter into a donut pan

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch carrot cake cupcakes recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes.

  • Carrots: Carrot Soufflé, Chicken Tortellini Soup, Roasted Carrots, Lentil Stew, Chicken Stew, Coq au Vin
  • Eggs: Mini Pecan Pie, Bacon, Egg and Cheese Cup, Pasta Carbonara, Sweet Potato Pie
  • Vanilla: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Banana Pudding, Boston Cream Pie, Coffee Cake, Flan, Sugar Cookies
  • Cinnamon: Snickerdoodles, Fried Apples, Mini Cherry Pie, Ham Steak, Apple Galette, Cranberry Jam
  • Pecans: Apple Muffin, Butter Pecan Granola, Breakfast Bread Pudding, Mini Hummingbird Cake, Pralines, Chicken Salad
  • Milk: Corn Casserole, Mini Spice Cake, Strawberry Milkshake, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuit with Sausage Gravy, Paneer
  • Cream cheese: Creamed Spinach, Icebox Cake, Hot Spinach Dip, Smoked Salmon Platter, Spinach Turkey Wrap, Peanut Butter Pie
  • Powdered sugar: Peanut Butter Fudge, Mini Texas Sheet Cake, Two Chocolate Cupcakes, Apple Fritters, Triple Chocolate Scones, Red Velvet Donuts

For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

If you’ve tried these carrot cake cupcakes or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!

Recipe

one frosted carrot cake cupcake on a white plate next to three cupcakes

Small Batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes

A small batch of moist carrot cake cupcakes made completely from scratch with grated carrots and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 cupcakes
Calories: 304kcal
Author: Joanie Zisk

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Electric hand mixer
  • muffin pan
  • box grater or food processor

Ingredients

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter , melted (½ stick/56 g)
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ½ cup grated carrots
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

For the frosting

  • 2 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup sifted powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F (177°C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or lightly coat the insides with oil spray. This recipe yields 5 to 6 carrot cake cupcakes.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until well mixed, about 45 seconds.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until combined.
  • Add the milk and mix well.
  • Fold in the grated carrots and chopped pecans.
  • Pour or spoon the batter into the cupcake holders, filling only about ⅔ full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for about 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the cupcake pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting

  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and softened butter. Whip until well combined and smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined.
  • Spread over the top of the cooled cupcakes.

Notes

Expert Tips
  • Read through the entire recipe before beginning. These easy carrot cake cupcakes come together quickly. Be sure to read through the recipe and the Ingredient Notes and gather your ingredients before starting.
  • Be sure to use melted butter in this small batch cupcake recipe and softened butter in the frosting. You can easily soften butter by taking it out of the refrigerator and placing it on your kitchen counter for a half-hour before you want to use it.
  • Measure the flour correctly: To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup made for dry ingredients and slightly overfill it. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
  • The secret to fluffy cupcakes is to make sure you don't overmix the batter. To bake fluffy, moist cupcakes you need to create air bubbles in the batter that expand in the oven. If you overmix the batter, you collapse those bubbles and end up with dense cupcakes. Stop mixing just as all ingredients blend.
  • You can grate the carrots ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to make the cupcakes.
  • Feel free to use chopped walnuts instead of pecans or add a handful of raisins to your batter.
  • Some people love chopped pineapples in their carrot cake cupcakes. If you do too, consider adding about a tablespoon or two of canned crushed pineapples. Keep in mind that pineapples will add moisture to the cupcakes, so be sure to drain the pineapple before adding it in.
Nutrition Facts
Small Batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Amount Per Serving (1 cupcake)
Calories 304 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 0.5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 71mg24%
Sodium 217mg9%
Potassium 91mg3%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 2311IU46%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 48mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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About Joanie Zisk

Joanie Zisk is the creator of OneDishKitchen.com, the number one go-to site for single serving recipes. The aim of One Dish Kitchen is to inspire individuals with access to single serving recipes that will enable them to enjoy the preparation of a meal that will nourish both body and soul. Her website is filled with hundreds of easy, flavorful recipes that are tailored for those cooking for one. Joanie is the author of "The Ultimate Cooking For One Cookbook" and her recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including, TODAY.com, Huffington Post, Real Simple, Self.com,Women’s Day, Buzzfeed, and others. Come say hello and follow Joanie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. J. Hegyi says

    November 28, 2022 at 4:52 pm

    Great recipe.

    Reply

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