When you have the best recipe for carrot cake
It’s only natural to turn it into carrot cake cupcakes!
The best part is you don’t need any vegan cream cheese which also means no refrigeration required!
A secret ingredient added to buttercream makes a cream cheese icing better than any I’ve tried!
This recipe for carrot cake is so versatile you can bake the batter into just about any pan you like!
WATCH HOW TO MIX THE CARROT CAKE BATTER
No affiliation with any product or company linked below, only for visual reference
Notes for Success
Bob’s Red Mill all purpose 1:1 blend works great here!
Although I would reduce the amount of flax meal and water amount by half
As well as baking for an additional 10 to 20 minutes longer than the recipe specifies *time is dependent upon the size of the pans you are using
If you watch the video tutorial you will see the original recipe for vegan cream cheese icing
However I’ve updated the recipe below to a better more user friendly recipe
Since vegan cream cheese it is an extremely finicky ingredient to work with not to mention for some of us, it is really hard to find!
I love this new recipe for 2-2-2 Cream Cheese Icing since it requires no cream cheese and no refrigeration
I use vegan lactic acid for the signature tang that we all know and love when it comes to cream cheese icing
But if you cannot get Lactic Acid or you don’t want to buy it Apple Cider Vinegar works well too
Flax is my choice for egg replacer here but you can use any other egg replacer you like equivalent to 2 eggs
If your egg replacer requires reconstituting, use some of the liquid from the recipe but do not add more.
Additionally I like to use applesauce in place of some of the oil at times
When I do I will eliminate the flax & water altogether
Also if you are not a fan of the tropical version you can leave out the pineapple and coconut and use walnuts and raisins instead
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
- ⅓ cup Vegetable Oil 80ml
- ⅓ cup Applesauce 80g
- 2 cup All Purpose Flour 250g
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 4g
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 4g
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar 105g
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar 50g
- 1½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract 7ml
- 2 cups Carrots 250g
- ¾ cup Crushed Pineapple drained well
- ½ cup Toasted Coconut
- 1 Tbs Orange Zest
- 2 Tbs Orange Jucie
For the 2-2-2 Cream Cheese Icing:
- ½ Recipe Buttercream
- 1½ teaspoons Vegan Lactic Acid
Instructions
- Line your cupcake pan(s) with paper liners & preheat your oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl combine both sugars with the oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, orange juice, zest & salt, whisk vigorously to incorporate well
- Sift together all of the dry ingredients directly into the oil/sugar mixture in the bowl & whisk smooth
- Add the grated carrots, pineapple & the toasted coconut mix well
- Portion batter into the cupcake pans filling about 3/4 of the way full & bake immediately at 350°F in a preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or when they are springy to the touch when you gently press the centers.
- Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs not raw batter.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pans until they are cool to the touch, then flip them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely
- Prepare the cream cheese icing according to the instructions on that recipe post & add the vegan lactic acid powder at the last stage of mixing
Video
Notes
How do I make these gluten free
You can sub 1:1 GF blend for this recipe no other changes
Hi Gretchen. In your above recipe method it says add the carrot/pineapple AND toasted coconut. But Coconut is not in the ingredient list. Cheers.