Alright, here’s a cringey joke for y’all:
Why do hipsters love carrots?
Because they’re so underground.
Hah.
Inspiration
I’ve always felt like carrot cake was that unwanted, lone wolf on the list of cupcake/cake options. And I can’t understand why. Carrot cake has such a fabulous flavor, especially when paired with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. Mmm, fully delicious and the exact opposite of basic. Let’s dig into it!
How to make Vegan Carrot Cupcakes
These mini cakes are:
Fluffy
Sweet
Decadent
& Satisfying
Start preparing for these bad boys by preheating the oven to 350°F and lining a cupcake pan with liners.
Combine the dry ingredients
Begin making the dough by whisking together the dry ingredients, which consist of sifted flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and walnuts.
Combine the wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients, which consist of shredded carrot, minced ginger, apple cider vinegar, apple sauce, and milk. Mix well and then slowly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a wet dough forms.
Bake the cupcakes
Scoop the dough into the cupcake liners and bake for 30 minutes. Once they’re done baking, give them at least an hour to cool off before decorating with frosting.
Make the frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling, combine all the frosting ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. I recommend using soft, but not quite melted coconut oil. Also, don’t use coconut oil straight out of the refrigerator, either, as that will be too difficult to mix. Use coconut oil that’s just soft enough to hold its shape.
The lemon is definitely necessary to the overall flavor of the frosting! Cream cheese has a sort of acidic tang to it, which for some reason, really compliments carrot cake, so the lemon in this recipe is in place to provide that zing that balances the sweetness of the frosting so well.
Place the frosting in a piping bag with a tip or a zip lock bag with the corner cut off. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost the cupcakes however you’d like and garnish with finely chopped walnuts.
Storing
Store these cupcakes in a protective container in the refrigerator until they are ready to be eaten, and allow them to come to room temperature before eating. Since the frosting is made from coconut oil, it will become stiff in the refrigerator so allowing it to warm up for a few minutes before eating will greatly improve the overall texture.
Did you enjoy this recipe?
If you liked this recipe, you should check out my recipe for Vegan Lavender-Blueberry Mini Pies!
🧡 M
Vegan Carrot Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup flour, sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup walnuts
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup carrots, finely shredded
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ½ cup milk
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1-2 tbsp plant-based milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with 10 cupcake liners.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Slowly fold the wet ingredients into the dry until a dough forms.
- Scoop the dough into the cupcake liners.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Once done, allow the cupcakes to cool for at least an hour.
- While they cool, combine all the frosting ingredients together in a bowl.
- Transfer the frosting to a piper and decorate the cooled cupcakes however you'd like!
- Garnish with additional walnuts.
- Enjoy!
