These easy carrot cupcakes are full of plump, rum-soaked raisins and topped with dreamy, coconut cream cheese frosting. This recipe makes incredibly moist cupcakes that take only 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to bake!
You’ll simply plump your raisins, mix your batter and bake, then make your creamy, dreamy frosting.
I made these fantastic little cupcakes for Easter brunch and a Memorial Day picnic this year! They are, by far, my favorite cupcakes to make for parties because even people who say they don’t like carrot cake, love these! They’re also so pretty, especially with a little bit of coconut on top, like I did for Easter.
A Few Tips!
If you don’t want to use rum for the raisins…
Whisky works just as well and is just as tasty. You can also use brandy or cognac, they’ll just be a little more intensely flavored. You can also simply use water to plump the raisins if you don’t want to use alcohol.
Keep in mind, bake times may vary from oven to oven.
Check the cupcakes after 13 minutes in the oven. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are lightly brown and the tops are spongy. If they’re still still sticky or the edges aren’t quite brown, leave them in for 3-5 more minutes.
Common Questions:
What if I don’t have a food processor?
You can use a cheese grater, but make sure to grate them by holding the carrot horizontally to the grater, instead of vertically. You don’t want carrot strips.
How far in advance can I make them?
They’re always best when made just a few hours before serving, but you can make the batter a whole 24 hours ahead of time and bake them 2 hours before frosting and serving (so they have enough time to cool). You can also simply bake them up to 8 hours ahead of time, cover them in a container with a lid, and they’ll be perfectly tasty and moist.
What do I need to make them?
- sauce pan
- 2 medium-sized mixing bowls
- food processor (or cheese grater)
- cupcake tin (that makes 1 dozen)
- hand mixer
- mixing spoon
- pastry piping bag (optional)
How to Make Carrot Cupcakes with Rum Raisins & Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting – Step by Step
1. Preheat oven to 350. Add ½ cup of dark rum and ½ cup of raisins to a sauce pan. Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let them sit and absorb the rum while you prepare your other ingredients.
2. In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ cup granulated white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon and ¼ tsp. salt. Whisk together.
3. Chop the carrots in a food processor or grate them until you have 1½ cups of grated carrot.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, stir carrots and ⅔ cup of oil until nicely mixed. Then, add the ingredients in your other bowl and the rum raisins to your carrots and stir.
5. Add 2 beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until you have a nice batter.
6. Grease a cupcake tin with butter and fill each cup half way, making sure to evenly distribute the raisins between the cups. Bake for 12-15 minutes (or until edges are brown and the tops are spongy and not sticky).
7. While the cupcakes bake, make your frosting. In a mixing bowl, add 8 oz. of cream cheese, 8 tbsp. of softened butter, 1¼ cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. of real vanilla extract and 1½ tsp. of coconut extract. With a hand-mixer, whip the frosting together until nice and smooth.
8. Check to make sure your cupcakes are done. When they are, let them cool for at least 20 minutes, then frost and serve.
Help Yourself to More Sweet Inspiration:
• Strawberry Rhubarb & Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse Cups
• Pumpkin Flan with Chai Whipped Cream
• Layered Raspberry & Peach Crisp
• Sunshine Lavender Lemon Bars
And for even more inspiration, follow me on INSTAGRAM @shekeepsalovelyhome, on PINTEREST and FACEBOOK! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!
Carrot Cupcakes with Rum Raisins & Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs - beaten
- ⅔ cup oil - like canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1½ cups grated carrot - about 2 medium carrots
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup rum
- coconut - shredded (optional)
For the Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 8 tbsp. butter - softened
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp. coconut extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Add ½ cup of dark rum and ½ cup of raisins to a sauce pan. Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let them sit and absorb the rum while you prepare your other ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ cup granulated white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon and ¼ tsp. salt. Whisk together.
- Chop the carrots in a food processor or grate them until you have 1½ cups of grated carrot. In a separate mixing bowl, stir carrots and ⅔ cup oil until nicely mixed. Then, add the ingredients in your other bowl and the rum raisins to your carrots and stir. Add 2 beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until you have a nice batter.
- Grease a cupcake tin with butter and fill each cup half way, making sure to evenly distribute the raisins between the cups. Bake for 12-15 minutes (or until edges are brown and the tops are spongy and not sticky).
- While the cupcakes bake, make your frosting. In a mixing bowl, add 8 oz. of cream cheese, 8 tbsp. of softened butter, 1¼ cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. of real vanilla extract and 1½ tsp. of coconut extract. With a hand-mixer, whip the frosting together until nice and smooth.
- Check to make sure your cupcakes are done. When they are, let them cool for at least 20 minutes, then frost and serve.
Notes
- sauce pan
- 2 medium-sized mixing bowls
- food processor (or cheese grater)
- cupcake tin (that makes 1 dozen)
- hand mixer
- mixing spoon
- pastry piping bag (optional)
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