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carrot cake cupcakes recipe

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes (GF, DF)

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake, carrot cake cupcakes, cream cheese frosting, cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 14 cupcakes
Author: Dessi Parrish

These cupcakes are loaded with nuts, carrots, spices and raisin and are full of flavor! The coconut oil gives them a soft texture and when you frost them with a cream cheese frosting they are simply to die for!

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Ingredients

Wet ingredients:

  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar, or packed maple sugar
  • 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil melted, or ghee
  • zest of 1 orange
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or extract
  • 2 tablespoons of rum or other sweet liquor optional

Dry ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt

Mix-ins

  • 2 cups (or 8 ounces) tightly packed shredded carrots about 3 large carrots
  • ½ cup roasted walnuts chopped
  • ½ cup raisins

Frosting

  • 8 ounces container of cream cheese room temperature I like Kite Hill cream cheese spread plain, but you can use regular
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
  • zest of half an orange

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.

  2. In bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot starch, cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine.

  3. In another bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer, and slowly add the coconut sugar. Beat until mixture looks fluffy and sugar has dissolved.

  4. Add the melted coconut oil (making sure it’s not hot), the orange zest, orange juice, vanilla paste and rum. Beat to combine.

  5. Add the dry ingredients on top of the wet and beat with mixer until thoroughly combined.

  6. Add the shredded carrots, walnuts, raisins and mix with a spatula to thoroughly combine.

  7. Pour mixture into muffin tin lined with liners. Fill up the liners almost all the way up. You may have some extra mixture left if you are using only 1 pan that holds 12 cupcakes. You can bake the rest after the first batch is done.
  8. Bake for 25-30 min, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

For the frosting:

  1. To make the frosting, combine all the cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla and orange zest, and use a whisk to mix them thoroughly.

  2. If the mixture is too loose, put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

  3. Frost the cupcakes once they are completely cooled off. Garnish with more chopped walnuts and orange zest.