One word.
Scrumptious.
And I don’t use that word often.
Whenever we serve these carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing at school – the students, cafeteria staff, teachers, custodial staff, administrative staff – everyone – has something to say about how delicous they are.
And I notice, because as much as chocolate and vanilla cupcakes are yummy too, these cupcakes, always get a good instant reaction.
I’m not trying to boast, it is after all, not my creation; I’ve adapted the recipe from the amazing Ina Garten (otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa), I just need to share with you how delectable these really are, and that they are a must-try recipe. That is, of course, if you like carrots and cream cheese. 😉
A little secret for you regarding the cream cheese icing… To make it a brighter white, add a little bit of white food coloring (I didn’t for these ones though).
Lunchbox Love
I thought I’d go one step further to make these cupcakes enticing for the little ones going back to school…
… and dress them for some lunch box love.
They don’t sound kid-friendly, but these cupcakes are SO good, and your little one will never know there’s carrot in them.
Add these mini gingerbread cookies with edible ink images in honor of ‘Back to School’…
… to help get them excited about the new year.
The edible ink markers, made by Americolor, make writing fun!
*
If you’d like to make these carrot cake cupcakes, here are the recipes:
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 extra large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp ground baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cups grated carrots
- 1/4 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat the oil, sugar, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, mixing briefly between each egg.
- In a different bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg).
- With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots and raisins to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into cupcake liners (in your muffin pan), until each is 3/4 full.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
Notes
Cream Cheese Icing
Cream Cheese Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb cream cheese, softened or room temperature
- 1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 lb icing sugar (confectioner's sugar), sifted
- 1 tsp white food gel coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Slowly add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add 1 tsp white food gel coloring and mix until incorporated.
- Once cupcakes have cooled, ice as desired.
Back to School Edible Image Cookies
If you’d like to make these, there are detailed tutorials on making edible image cookies HERE and HERE. I used a gingerbread cookie recipe, but sugar cookies would work too. {Click on the highlighted words to find the recipes}.
Here’s a quick pictorial breakdown as well. Speaking of which, a big thank you to Niner of We Choose Organic, for editing the photos in this post for me. You can find this talented girl and her treats on her facebook page here. Not only is she conscious about baking and cooking organically, she bakes spectacular sweets and is a skilled web designer.
Also, sweet thanks to Belinda of Little Bee Hive for sharing her free printable, which I used for these cookies. Her adorable site and art work are a must-see as well.
To make these cookies, print your images onto frosting sheets, using an edible ink printer and food coloring cartridges.
Once the icing on your cookie is dry, lightly coat it with clear corn syrup.
Gently place your image.
Pipe a border with a #3 piping tip.
While the icing is wet, sprinkle the cookie with sanding sugar.
Shake off the excess and you’re done!
Eat and enjoy!
xo,
Marian
p.s. You can find a video on how to make the cupcake swirl here.
DANIELLE says
ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!! I LOVE INA’S RECIPE AND YOUR COOKIE TOUCH IS PERFECT!!! AS ALWAYS!!!! XOXO
Tara @ TheButterDish says
Oh my heavens! These are the cutest things since yorkie puppies and mini-lops!
Why I just references little animals for food..I’m not sure but hey…the work. I just love these. Can I have a tiger?
Haniela says
I love carrot cupcakes!
These look delicious, I especially adore “Sweetopia” touch on these.:-)
Oh and I really love that scale, it is fantastic!!!
Nicole/Life's a Batch says
These are SO cute I just can’t stand it! The cupcakes look delicious, and the adorable gingerbread cookies are such a nice, spicy coordinating touch for them – You Are A Genius!
niner from wechooseorganic.com says
ohmy i looove this post, Marian.
It always feels like a new chapter of the Sweetopia book 🙂 I love it.
So sweet what you said, too. Speechless.
You actually make me want to try these cuppies eventhough I am allergic to raw carrots, but since they will be baked…I might just have to try. I am sure they will taste awesome. Will definitely tell you then =)
The cookies…. a d o r a b l e and sooo creative too.
Wish you an awesome day and thanks for this wonderful blogpost.
niner
Maria says
Super cute and I love carrot cake!
Brian Reasoner says
Amazing…I would lose my mind trying to get those perfected.
marian says
Thanks for the comments! xo
Angie G says
That is just so adorable!!!
marian says
Sweet thanks!
Chelse Ivonne says
Goodness! That fox is adorable! <3 They look yummy! =D
Holly Dottarar says
These look sooo good! I am going to have to make them this week. And the adorable sugar cookie topper is so sweetopia. I just love it. Makes me wish my little one was old enough to go to school so I could make these for him. 🙂
Valerie says
These are SO adorable! Every single one of your posts make me look forward to moving out in a year and having my own kitchen with enough room to make cute things like you do 😀
marian says
Thank you! xo
kita says
Ok, does it seriously get any cuter than that?
First it was the carrot cake that lured me in here to tell you its delicious, then those adorable cookies… Too cute.
Christina says
These look divine!!
xo
Kendra g says
Where can I get the cupcake holder you have above?
polwig says
Beautiful, I am sure all the kids in the classroom love them… I feel bad for the mom that needs to bring a snack after you.
Khadhija says
thts soo adorable. and ur cupakes look great 🙂
azazella says
Sooooo cute!!!! 😀
buttercream bakehouse says
Very sweet tutorial.
Louise Alicea says
I can’t wait to make these carrot cupcakes. YUMMY
Eftychia says
How cute!!
Delicious cupcakes, beautiful cookies!
polly dove says
Oh my GOSH! Those are adorable!!!! Seriously!!!
CuteEverything says
Those are soo fun! I’d love to have gotten one of those in my lunchbox when I was a child!
marian says
@ Kendra g: There’s a link to the little cupcake holder in this post:
https://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-make-logo-cookies-fix-cookie-edges-a-giveaway-2/
Thanks for your comments everyone!
Jamie says
Cutest cookies ever! Love them. I’m making the cupcakes asap, they look yummy!
Paula says
I have a carrot cake recipe similar to this (with crushed pineapple in it) It is very moist and delicious. I’m going to try your recipe, if you say they are scrumptious then it must be so. Love the cookie toppers 🙂
Tatyana says
I just made zucchini-banana-walnut muffins. Everybody loved it. Now it’s time to make carrot cake cupcakes 😉
Marian, you made them beautifully!
Marian says
Super sweet thank you, ladies. =)
sweetiepetitti says
The edible images are so cute….and on the cupcake? Well, perfect I would say. I love carrot cake, and hey, you get your veggies!
emilia says
Lovely!
and…i MUST try your recipe 🙂
Estibaliz says
Marian, your job is lovely and awesome, as usual. May I ask you a question? Where do you buy the food coloring cartridges?
Marian says
@ Estibaliz: Sure no problem, Icing Images for the Canon model and Kopykake for the Kopykake printer.
Thanks for the comments everyone!
Khadhija says
i was wondering..are you a teacher at bonnie gordon ?
marian says
@ Khadhija: No, I’m not, but it’s a great school! I’ve taken some of their classes.
Rhonda Oyler says
I made the Carrot Cake cupcakes and Creme Cheese frosting yesterday. They are Delicious !! Very moist. I added a handful of chopped walnuts and a pinch of cloves. A true crowd pleaser 🙂 Thanks Marian , you inspire me.
Pam says
I never though of carrot cake cupcakes. What a sweet notion instead of a carrot cake, to make these yummy individual cupcakes. Great idea. I like Rhonda’s suggestion of a pinch of cloves too.
Heleen says
I made these for a moment ago and they were really good! Thank you sharing the recipe!
Karyn says
Can you tell me where you found your cookie cutters? The dimensions look perfect for theses images and I like the edges. thanks!
Tatyana says
Hi Marian,
I made these cupcakes with icing yesterday – they were yummy. I don’t have those fancy spices, but I added banana and walnuts. And I got 34 cupcakes from your recipe 😉 Everybody loved them…
Thank you,
Tatyana
P.S. Are you getting ready for your brother wedding?
I can’t wait to see your creations 😉
Teresa says
I made these cupcakes yesterday and they are delicious!! Love them! Thank you very much for the recipe.
Evolution of a Party says
It is lovely to see more healthy recipes and more organic ingredients being used! These fun treats for kids can be festive and start to take on more of a nutritional value. Thank you for sharing!
Marian says
@ Tatyana: Yes, thank you for asking; the wedding was this past Saturday, and I’ll eventually be writing a post on it. Glad you liked the cupcakes… they’re one of my favorite!
@ Teresa: Thanks, so happy you liked them.
@ Evolution of a Party: Yes, a sneaky way to get some carrots in the little ones. =)
Caroline says
“Cup” is there a chance you could give in ozs, a “cup” is hard to determine, it’s different in every country!
Cecile says
hi! will the creamcheese icing melt or will still stay(already in the cupcake/ referring to the photo above) that way if you leave it at room temperature? also, i hope you could answer Ms. Caroline’s question? i’m about to ask that. thanks! love your site!
Sweet Melissa says
I tried this recipe minus the raisins for the Leadership Committee at work. They raved about them and said they were the best cupcakes they’ve tasted. It was my first time making cream cheese frosting and I’m so happy they came out so well. My husband loved them as well which is always a plus 0:o) Thanks for the recipe!
marian says
@ Caroline: Sorry, I will have to use a scale next time.
@ Cecile: If you live in a warm/humid area, they will be good at room temperature for an hour or two. (depends on temp of course!). Once the icing starts to get too soft, refridgerate. I take them out of the fridge about 1/2 hour before serving, because I like the icing to be a bit soft when serving.
@ Sweet Melissa: So glad to hear it!
jessica says
I wanted to get a head start on these and make them this afternoon for a dinner party tonight. How do I store them, and the frosting, until then? After making, do I put the cupcakes/frosting in the refrigerator and bring them out a half hour before the party? Or perhaps frost them and put them in a cake dome to stay fresh until this evening? What do you recommend? Thanks!