Carrot Cake Cupcakes

If you are looking for a carrot cake recipe without nuts, this recipe is it. My son is allergic to nuts and I have found in my cooking classes that many others are too. So, not to leave those people out of enjoying this iconic dessert, I developed this recipe for nut-free Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

Preparing the Carrots

The carrots are really the only ingredient that needs to be prepared. After peeling them with a Vegetable Peeler, continue to peel the rest of the carrot to make thin strips. The strips are then chopped, using 7-1/2″ Vegetable Knife.

The small pieces of carrot are easily incorporated into the batter, which also includes drained, crushed pineapple, making the cupcakes super moist.

Making the Cupcakes

It is important to note that the ingredients for this recipe are separated into wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Mix the two separately and then slowly add the combined dry ingredients to the wet mixture to incorporate. This helps prevent getting pockets of dry ingredients in the batter.

Once combined, spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners, but fill only three-quarters full.

You can use either a 12-cup muffin pan or a 24-cup mini muffin pan, but note the cook times will be different. The larger cupcakes will bake for 20 to 25 minutes, the mini cupcakes will bake for 11 to 13 minutes.

The batter will look a bit wet, even when it’s fully cooked, so look at the edges of the cupcake liner. If those start to look dry, take them out.

The Finishing Touch

The Carrot Cake Cupcakes wouldn’t be complete without some cream cheese icing. It’s easily made by combining softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla.

After the cupcakes have cooled, use a Spatula Spreader to frost each one with the icing.

The icing isn’t overly sweet and the flavors are well balanced.

Because these are nut-free they are a family favorite that everyone can enjoy.