Take classic moist carrot cake cupcakes and top them with a creamier and slightly sweeter mascarpone cream cheese frosting, and you will have a whole new Spring favorite!

This blog post was originally published on April 11, 2014, and has been updated with new pictures.

Hey there, and welcome back, friends.

You are in for a delicious Spring treat!

It was a long and hard wait, but I had to hold off on the carrot cake until the breeze finally started feeling like Spring!! It’s 60 today, woot woot woot! And after two thunderstorms, it’s starting to smell like Spring.

I start indulging in carrot cake as soon as the Spring air arrives. It’s just a Spring thing. Although, it is also a Fall thing. Hmmmmm, it might be a year-round thing then… I guess I just love carrot cake!!

The problem is that I am very picky when it comes to carrot cake recipes, and I have been on the hunt for the perfect one for a while.

They have to be moist (duh), have the perfect amount of carrots but not too much where it tastes like just strings of carrot, they can’t be too sweet, and there needs to be some crunch in there, and of course be topped with cream cheese frosting.

See? Told you I was picky. Needless to say, I have found it. These carrot cake cupcakes with mascarpone cream cheese frosting are not only a twist on the classic but are also all of the above! You can find my other carrot cake recipes here: Carrot Cake Bars, Classic Carrot Cake, Baked Carrot Cake Donuts, and Carrot Bundt Cake.

Moist, with the perfect ratio of carrot to cake, not too sweet, with a little bit of crunch, and topped with a slightly less tangy cream cheese frosting.

I found this recipe on Joy the Baker, and I hardly had to alter it. I was pleasantly surprised how the cupcakes turned out to be the perfect carrot cake cupcakes I love from my local bakery. And you know what?

They are so easy to make too! It’s a one-bowl mixing process. No mixer is involved, just your muscles. Look how beautiful they look above when they come out of the oven. See the ratio of carrots to cake?? Yup, that’s how I like it!!

I topped the carrot cake cupcakes with mascarpone cream cheese frosting because mascarpone is creamier and slightly sweeter than cream cheese, making the frosting just so much more delicious. As an avid cupcake frosting swirlier, traditional cream cheese frosting is a nemesis.

I dislike it from that point of view, but it tastes so good, and you CANNOT have carrot cake without it, so I just dolloped it on top. Thank God for sprinkles!! And festive Easter eggs!

Ingredients

• a few fresh carrots
• crushed pineapple
• eggs
• granulated sugar & powdered sugar
• vegetable oil
• buttermilk & milk
• pure vanilla extract
• a few mix-ins like pecans or walnuts & dried cranberries
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder & baking soda
• salt
• ground cinnamon, ginger, & cloves
• cream cheese
• unsalted butter
• mascarpone cheese

How to Make the Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, add in the carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, pineapple, dried cranberries, and nuts.

Mix together until combined and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

Add the dry ingredients all at once into the wet ingredients and

Mix until just combined and there are no flour clumps.

Divide the batter into prepared cupcake liners, filling each about three-quarters full.

Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-23 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.

Remove cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks and cooling completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Add the butter and mascarpone cheese and beat on low until well combined. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add more milk to reach your desired consistency.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and store the cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

How to Store

Store these frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

More Easter Recipes

• Speckled Easter Cake
• Easter Chocolate Cupcakes
• Easter Basketweave Cake
• Easter Cake Pops
• Bird Nest Cupcakes

What do you think of this moist carrot cake cupcake recipe? What would you serve with these Easter cupcakes? Let me know in the comment section below. 

If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!

Happy Spring baking, friends!

Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe

Print

Yield: 15 cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

Take classic moist carrot cake cupcakes and top them with a creamier and slightly sweeter mascarpone cream cheese frosting, and you will have a whole new Spring favorite!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes

Total Time 53 minutes

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 cups carrots, peeled and finely processed or grated
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup crushed pineapple, drained
• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• a pinch of teaspoon ground cloves

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting:

Toggle ingredient group

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup mascarpone cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons milk, depending on your desired consistency

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, pineapple, dried cranberries and nuts.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves)
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and there are no flour clumps.
5. Divide batter into prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-23 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Remove cupcakes from oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks and cooling completing before frosting.
6. For Frosting: Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the butter and mascarpone cheese and beat on low until well combined. Then increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add more milk to reach your desired consistency.
7. Frost cooled cupcakes.
8. Store cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 931Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 289mgCarbohydrates: 176gFiber: 2gSugar: 161gProtein: 4g

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

The post Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Hello friends! I hope your spring is off to a great start. With the warming weather and Easter just right around the corner, my carrot cake consumption is increasing exponentially! It’s the season for carrot cake and I have a new recipe to add to your baking list. This carrot bundt cake brings all the flavor and glory of carrot cake into the elegance and crumb of bundt cakes. 

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The post Carrot Bundt Cake appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Happy Monday friends! How was your weekend? Hope you had a great one. We had a perfect fall weekend with these pumpkin spice carrot muffins for breakfast and finally went apple picking!

Apple picking is one of my favorite fall activities and now that Elliott is an overactive toddler, we go to orchards that have more kid-friendly activities. He loves running around the orchard, grabbing apples from the trees and going on the hay ride. It was lots of fun and now I have apples to last us lifetime. I’ve already made this caramel apple pie and this week I am making my favorite apple cardamon crisp recipe and some apple sauce. Do you have any other apple recipe suggestions to use up my loot?

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The post Pumpkin Spice Carrot Muffins appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Hello friends!! How are those healthy New Year pledges coming? I have a good-for-you recipe today to help you continue the good work or get back on the wagon. Regardless of how you’ve done, these skinny zucchini carrot muffins will be great to add to your breakfast rotation.

When it comes to eating healthier, breakfast is my biggest challenge as my mornings are always busy and I don’t have time to eat. I always ‘plan’ on waking up earlier and make myself breakfast but yeah, I would rather sleep that extra 20 minutes so I end up eating toast, quick microwaved oatmeal if I am lucky or smoothies. Although, if I am on top of my game over the weekend, I bake muffins and granola on Sunday. These zucchini carrot muffins were my most recent Sunday prep and I love how much veggies I packed in there.

I’ve been playing A LOT with my Kitchenaid Spiralizer Attachment for the Stand Mixer to make every kind of vegetable noodles for dinner. To say I love this thing is an understatement and I appreciate how it has forced me to eat more vegetables; remember these sweet potato and apple enchiladas? If you are on the fence about a spiralizer, I urge you to get this attachment for your stand mixer (I don’t have much counter space in my kitchen so this worked out great for that!!) and when you do get it, check out the Kitchenaid blog, The Kitchenthusiast, for lots of great recipes using the spiralizer attachment, including these zucchini carrot muffins.

Filled with spiralized zucchini and carrots, whole wheat flour and natural sweeteners, these muffins are hearty and filling. They are on the skinny side on calories and will be a great way to start the day. 

Have a great week!

Print

Yield: 12-16 muffins

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 small bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (use a dairy-free alternative to make recipe dairy-free)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup zucchini, spiralized and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped

Instructions

Heat your KitchenAid® 30″ Electric Convection Slide-In Range with Baking Drawer to 375 degrees F. Grease a KitchenAid® Nonstick 12-Cavity Muffin Pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, honey, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Add in the yogurt and applesauce. Whisk in the zucchini and carrots, along with the coconut flakes and hazelnuts.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.

Divide batter evenly into the prepared cups. Bake muffins until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely on cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

This post is sponsored by KitchenAid. All opinions are 100% mine as usual. Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored posts that make it possible for me to continue to create quality content!

The post Skinny Zucchini Carrot Muffins appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Happy Monday!! Easter is just around the corner and a classic carrot cake recipe is a must. I love carrot cake but it’s hard to find a recipe that hits just that spot. especially one that my entire family will enjoy too. These carrot cake cupcakes were my favorite for a long time until the rest of the family declared they are not fans of pineapples in their carrot cakes. What?? Seriously people? So I went on the hunt for another carrot cake recipe and I think I found one that we will all love.

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The post Classic Carrot Cake Recipe with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Just when I thought the sunny 30 degree weather meant Spring was finally on the horizon, Mother Nature decided to show us who is boss. We woke up to 4-inches of snow yesterday and it was just a kick in the stomach to have to deal with that again. But I keep telling myself soon, very sooooooooon it will be sunny, warm and spring will have sprung. That’s why I am all about everything pastel right now.

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The post Baked Carrot Cake Donuts appeared first on A Classic Twist.