The Best Carrot Cupcake Recipe

When I was at the Peter Rabbit press junket a few years ago there was a pretty common theme: carrots!

The centerpieces on the tables were full of carrots and other delicious vegetables. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the designers made vegetables look!

We had a photo opp with a wheelbarrow full of carrots (probably from Mr. McGregor’s garden!).

I had a delightful carrot cupcake with a super cute bunny decoration on it.

That carrot cupcake was a perfect treat to celebrate Peter Rabbit. It was delicious. But it really wasn’t the best carrot cupcake I’ve ever had. Honestly, the best carrot cupcake recipe I’ve ever had has been my own.

I’m bragging, I know. But I love to bake, and these carrot cupcakes are so much fun to make. They’ve baked up perfectly every time I’ve made the recipe, and I love topping them with a big dollop of cream cheese frosting.

I don’t have the artistic skills to make beautiful fondant carrots or a piece of chocolate molded into a rabbit, but I appreciate having a delicious carrot cupcake more than the decoration on top. (on the flip side, my kids are all about the decoration!).

When you think about it, carrot cake is an interesting dessert. First, it’s a cake — or cupcake — with carrots in it. And not just a hint of that flavor. There’s a lot of carrot in there! Second, there’s a variety of other ingredients that don’t seem complementary. It’s ok, I can help with that!

• Pineapple? – how does that go with carrots? Well, it really doesn’t. But that’s ok! You honestly can’t taste the specific pineapple flavor in my carrot cupcake recipe. It’s there to add a lot of moisture and texture without adding more fat to the recipe.
• Raisins? Ok, raisins can go with carrots, but raisins and pineapple? Again, don’t worry – the pineapple flavor just isn’t there. I promise!

Questions about this carrot cupcake recipe

I’m a rule-follower, which seems to make baking easy for me. I truly believe baking is only as hard as following the directions.

If you like to do your own thing when you’re baking something, you might want to step away from this particular recipe. Carrot cake has a fairly precise balance of moisture, fat and dry ingredients.

I can help with two very common questions for changing this carrot cupcake recipe, but take caution if you want to make changes beyond that. There. You’ve been warned.

Can I make this carrot cupcake recipe without raisins?

Yes. The raisins are soaked in boiling water for a few minutes to give them a better flavor and to keep them from sucking up the moisture in the cake. If you don’t want raisins in your carrot cake make sure you also eliminate the boiling water from the top of the recipe when you also cut out the raisins.

Can I substitute something for pineapple in this carrot cupcake recipe?

If you’re allergic to pineapple or if you just don’t want to put it in your carrot cake, you’ll need to substitute something else for it. Here are a few things you can substitute for pineapple in carrot cake:

• Peeled, grated apple
• Peeled, grated pear
• finely diced mango
• applesauce

Use the same amount of the pineapple substitute as the recipe calls for. In my carrot cupcake recipe you’d use 3/4 cup of any of the above.

The best Carrot Cupcake Recipe

Carrot cupcake recipe ingredients:

• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained very well
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped or whole for a garnish

Carrot cupcake recipe directions:

1. Pour the boiling water over the raisins and set aside. Mix the carrots with the brown sugar and set aside. Both should sit for 30-60 minutes. Drain the liquid from raisins before adding to the cake batter. Do not drain the liquid from the carrot brown sugar mixture.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake wrappers.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves together in a bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the drained pineapple. Slowly add the flour mixture, stirring in just until combined. It can be a little lumpy.
5. Gently fold in the chopped pecans, drained raisins and the undrained carrot and brown sugar mixture. Mix as few times as possible to get them incorporated without over mixing them.
6. Scoop the carrot cake batter into your muffin tins, each one should be about 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 14 -20 minutes. Check them at 14 minutes. The tops should be golden brown and they should feel springy when you lightly press down on the center.
8. Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pecan.

Watch Peter Rabbit today!

Watch the Peter Rabbit trailer here:

Peter Rabbit, the mischievous and adventurous hero who has captivated generations of readers, now takes on the starring role of his own irreverent, contemporary comedy with attitude.

In the film, Peter’s feud with Mr. McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) escalates to greater heights than ever before as they rival for the affections of the warm-hearted animal lover who lives next door (Rose Byrne).

James Corden voices the character of Peter with playful spirit and wild charm, with Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, and Daisy Ridley performing the voice roles of the triplets, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail.