Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Cream Frosting

I have a confession to make…I am hooked on Pinterest!  When I first joined last year, I wasn’t sure why and then my girlfriend Jenn told me to think of Pinterest as my virtual pinboard.  Ok, I still wasn’t enamored with the idea until I used my DIY board to make a gift bag out of newsprint.  It was then the light bulb or the aha moment arrived.  I have a collection of recipes that were cut out from magazines and glued neatly into books.  The problem with this type of cataloging is that I have to remember which book has that recipe!  That was before Pinterest.  Now I have my own boards set up so I can easily access them – much like they way you would in a filing cabinet but much prettier with photos.  While I was browsing what others had pinned, I saw this carrot cupcake recipe and re-pinned it to my board last week and revisited the recipe yesterday.  Follow me by clicking the icon on the right-hand side of my site.  If you are new to Pinterest and want to join, send me an email as it’s by invitation only.

Carrot cake origins are somewhat disputed but it is thought to have originated in Sweden and became popular in Britain during the Second World War due to rationing.  Restaurants and cafeterias in the United States introduced the carrot cake around the 1960’s.

Makes 24 cupcakes (or two 9-inch-diameter cake pans)
adapted from RasaMalaysia

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup olive oil
1 8-ounce can pineapple slices
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups (650g) grated peeled carrots (about 5-6 large carrots)
2 inches fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8 oz/226 gram) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick/4 oz./113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (230g) confectioners (icing sugar), sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 180°c (350°f).  For cupcakes: line 24 cupcake molds (2 12-standard muffin tins) with liners, or butter and flour them. For layered cakes: butter two 9-inch-diameter or three 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment, butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger in medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Place the pineapple slices in a blender and add some of the juices from the can. Discard excess liquid. Puree until smooth and set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk sugars, pineapple puree and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add in the flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the vanilla, carrots and fresh ginger. Add in the walnuts and raisins, if using them.

For cupcakes: divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each. Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

For layered cakes: divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, and bake the layers for about 30 minutes each for 8-inch cakes or about 40 minutes each for 9-inch cakes; or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto cooling racks. Peel off parchment; cool cakes completely before icing.

To make the frosting, beat all the ingredients on medium speed until fluffy. Chill the frosting for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it has set up enough to spread smoothly and hold its shape (this was a step I didn’t need to do).

For layered cakes: To assemble a layered cake, with an offset spatula, frost the top of one cake and place the other cake on top. Repeat for a three-layered cake. Frost the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting, chill the cake for about 30-45 minutes. Frost the cake completely to cover and decorate with swirls on the top. Chill cake for at least 30 minutes or till frosting is set. Bring to room temperature before serving.


The Culinary Chase’s Note:  This has to be the best, super moist,  carrot cake/muffin recipe I have ever tried!  I loved the spices and the extra bit of fresh ginger but the maple cream frosting was amazing!  Enjoy!

11 Comments

  1. ilovecooking on March 3, 2012 at 03:28

    I love muffins, especially for breakfast. I can’t believe these ones are actually moist. I have the hardest time finding really moist muffins. I don’t think I’ve seen pineapple or any ginger in carrot muffin recipes before. I usually see raisins. I dont know how I feel about the maple frosting, but this looks great. Thanks for the ideas!



  2. The Culinary Chase on March 3, 2012 at 15:37

    Thanks ilovecooking! This recipe did have raisins and pecans but I left them out. Use your favorite frosting for the cupcakes if you’re not a fan of maple syrup. These are super moist because of the oil and pineapple puree. Cheers.



  3. pierre on March 4, 2012 at 20:32

    the frosting looks scrumptious !!pierre



  4. ione day on March 5, 2012 at 04:38

    for the first time I visited this blog, very interesting content



  5. The Culinary Chase on March 5, 2012 at 13:03

    Thanks Pierre and Ione Day. The frosting is de-lish. Cheers!



  6. alana on March 5, 2012 at 17:22

    These look awesome,and I’ve been thinking about making a carrot cake lately!



  7. Divya on March 5, 2012 at 17:42

    I’m hooked on Pinterest too! So many great ideas on it.

    Love your recipe. I’m a sucker for carrot desserts!



  8. Emily (New York, NY) on March 13, 2012 at 18:05

    Oh I definitely know what you mean by being hooked on Pinterest! I’m seriously OBSESSED. Haha

    My sister loves carrot cake but is such a picky eater! I bet she’d love these – maybe I’ll make her some for good sister points! Thank you for sharing this recipe!



  9. Queen on March 13, 2012 at 19:50

    your food looks SO amazing!! I’ll have to give some of the recipes a try. Happy to have found your blog!



  10. The Culinary Chase on March 13, 2012 at 20:22

    Thanks Alana, Divya & Queen! Have a great day! Cheers!



  11. The Culinary Chase on March 13, 2012 at 20:29

    Emily, make these! You nor your sister won’t be disappointed. Cheers!