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4.58 from 49 votes
Small Batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes for Spring. This recipe makes just 4 cupcakes. Perfect for making in a small toaster oven.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Small Batch Cupcakes for Spring)
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
17 mins
Total Time
37 mins
 

Learn how to make my Carrot Cake Cupcakes in a toaster oven or conventional oven. This is my best-ever carrot cake recipe and they are so easy to decorate!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
  • 1/4 cup (2oz/ 57g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of egg*
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup (2oz/ 57g) flavorless oil (coconut/ sunflower oil)
  • 1/3 cup (2oz/ 57g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup (2oz/57g) carrots, grated
  • ¼ cup (1oz/28g) raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 1/2 cup (4oz/115g) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (1oz/28g) butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (4oz/115g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
To Decorate the Cupcakes:
  • Green food dye
  • Orange food dye
  • 1/2 cup (1 ½oz/43g) coconut, shredded
Instructions
  1. Whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil until thick.
  2. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and whisk gently until well combined. 

  3. Lastly, add in the grated carrots and raisins and fold in.
  4. Pour the batter into 4 cupcake liners almost to the top.
  5. Bake at 350oF (180oC) for 15-17 minutes, or until they are firm in the middle and don’t appear damp. This recipe bakes fast.
  6. Once baked, take them out of the tin and cool on a baking rack until cold.
  7. To prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: In a bowl, using an electric mixer or a hand whisk cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Then slowly add in the powdered sugar and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy. Chill until needed. Color your cream cheese frosting with drops of orange and green food dye until you reach your desired color.
  8. For the green "grass": Place some shredded/desiccated coconut in a ziplock bag with a drop or two of green food dye. Work the dye into the coconut with your fingers outside of the bag and you will soon see the coconut turn green. Keep going until the coconut is totally green. Add more color if needed.
To Decorate the Cupcakes:
  1. With a large round nozzle pipe around the surface of your carrot cupcake with the green frosting.

  2. Scatter the green coconut "grass" on top to completely cover the cream cheese frosting.

  3. With your orange Cream Cheese Frosting in a piping bag and a large nozzle, pipe straight down into the center of the grass and bring the bag up as you pipe. Put more pressure on the bag when you are done to get a bigger top, just like a carrot.

  4. In a piping bag with green Cream Cheese Frosting and fitted with a star nozzle pipe the carrot top. 

  5. Once decorated store the cupcakes at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Recipe Notes

Eggs: Replace the egg with the same amount of apple sauce/puree or banana

Oils: sunflower, vegetable, coconut or canola are all good to use. Just not olive oil as it has too strong of a flavor.

Egg: whisk up your egg and measure it out in tablespoons. 1 egg is roughly 4 tablespoons.
If you don’t have a small cupcake tray use silicone cupcake liners.