Description
Moist carrot cake muffins with tangy cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet treat!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots, packed
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk or cream (optional, for consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In a separate, large bowl, whisk together the sugar and vegetable oil until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Gently fold in the grated carrots, walnuts (or pecans, if using), and raisins (if using).
- Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until combined.
- Stir in the vanilla extract. If the frosting is too thick, add milk or cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Once the muffins are completely cool, frost them with the cream cheese frosting.
- If desired, garnish the muffins with chopped walnuts, pecans, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Serve the muffins immediately or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cream cheese frosting is best kept refrigerated.
Notes
- Spice it Up: Adjust the amount of spices to your liking.
- Add Pineapple: Add 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple (drained) to the batter.
- Make it Healthier: Substitute some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour (1:1 ratio).
- Nut-Free Option: Omit the walnuts or pecans.
- Frosting Alternatives: Use a simple vanilla glaze or a maple glaze instead of cream cheese frosting.
- Make Mini Muffins: Reduce the baking time to 10-12 minutes.
- Storage: Store unfrosted muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Frosted muffins should be stored in the refrigerator.
- Muffins are too dry: Make sure you are not overbaking the muffins. Also, ensure that you are using enough oil in the batter.
- Muffins are too dense: Avoid overmixing the batter. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make the muffins dense.
- Muffins are not rising: Make sure your baking soda is fresh. Old baking soda can lose its leavening power.
- Frosting is too thin: Add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Frosting is too thick: Add milk or cream, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes