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Deliciously spiced, moist, and tender carrot cake muffins topped with cream cheese frosting are the perfect treat that take a classic carrot cake and turn them into a muffin!
Hop to Bake: Carrot Cake Muffins
My new favorite ingredient for baked goods is putting carrots in muffins. It gives it texture but also helps keep the cake moist. Would you believe that I used to not like carrot cake? I always thought you could actually taste the carrot in the carrot cake, but little did I know, the spices of the cake and the cream cheese frosting really are the star of the show.
To amplify the flavors of the carrot cake base even more, I used apple butter in this recipe. Not only do the carrots help keep the cake base moist, apple butter does too and the warm spices throughout really make these carrot cake muffins so irresistible! Pair this muffin at brunch with a raspberry peach prosecco punch or a non-alcoholic mimosa and serve these alongside breakfast sliders or a spinach artichoke quiche!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature so when you mix them together for the frosting, it will be smooth and combine more easily.
- Swap out chopped walnuts for pecans or another nut. Omit all together if you’d like!
- To quickly shred carrots, use a shredding attachment on a food processor. Make sure it’s on the fine setting. Alternatively, using a box grater and some elbow grease work just as well!
- If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour. I like whole wheat flour in this because it gives a little nuttier flavor with a slightly denser texture.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the countertop. If you need it to last longer, put it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and bring to room temperature before serving.
Carrot Cake Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (256 g) shredded carrots
- ½ cup (59 g) chopped walnuts
- 1 cup (282 g) homemade apple butter, or store-bought
- ¼ cup (81 g) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (55 g) melted coconut oil
For the cream cheese frosting:
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces (227 g) plain cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C) and line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together carrots, walnut, apple butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, eggs, and coconut oil.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients then stir gently until just mixed and incorporated.
- Evenly divide batter amongst muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way to the top, then bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
- Remove from oven then let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency to frost or pipe. Don't forget to scrape down the sides with each addition of powdered sugar.
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- Once the muffins are cooled completely, frost the tops of the carrot cake muffins with the cream cheese frosting. Garnish with more chopped walnuts on top.
Nutrition
Photographs by Jess Gaertner Creative
I forgot how much I like a carrot cake. Need to make some.
oh these look sooo good. We got hit with 6-7 inches of snow here in NY haha so much for the 12-18 inches. do you think if I folded some whipped cream into frosting it would affect measurements?
Haha not much to dig out of, which is good! I am not sure if adding whipped cream would change the texture or not; it might make the frosting a bit more runny.
The perfect spring dessert! They look de-lish!
im so glad we dont have to worry about snow storm but again, you never know Texas weather. i dont bake carrot cake flavored anything but i like the flavors..its a sign i need to make them soon.
Looks so yummy!
I am just ready for spring! So over all the winter weather! These muffins are awesome- the best of carrot cake in something we can eat for breakfast!