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Moist Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Close-up of four delicious carrot cake muffins topped with thick cream cheese frosting and carrot zest.
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We fixed the common issues with carrot cake recipes to bring you bakery-style carrot cake muffins that are incredibly moist, packed with warm spices, and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. This is the foolproof recipe you need for brunch or a comforting snack.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or raisins (optional)
  • For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Whisk in the vegetable oil and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing only until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
  6. Fold in the grated carrots and the optional nuts or raisins gently with a spatula.
  7. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
  8. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  9. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  10. To make the frosting: Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
  11. Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  12. Once the muffins are completely cool, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting onto the tops of each muffin.

Notes

  • For the moistest muffins, use freshly grated carrots instead of pre-shredded carrots from a bag.
  • You can make these muffins freezer friendly by freezing them unfrosted. Thaw overnight and frost just before serving.
  • If you prefer a streusel topping instead of frosting, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cold butter (cubed), and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until crumbly, and sprinkle over the batter before baking.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://savorandpin.com/carrot-cake-muffins-moist-easy-recipe/