Salted Caramel Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Classic carrot cake gets a caramel makeover in cupcake form. Soft, moist carrot cake cupcakes get topped with a caramel cream cheese frosting, a drizzle of caramel, and a pinch of coarse salt for that salty-sweet finish. No mixer required for the cake batter, just a bowl and a spoon.
Why These Cupcakes Are So Good
I spent a whole weekend trying to brainstorm spring recipes before carrot cake finally hit me, and I don’t know how it took that long, since it’s my go-to spring dessert and anything that pairs well with caramel is an easy yes for me.
- Carrot cake batter doesn’t need a mixer, so this comes together with minimal cleanup.
- The batter rests for a few minutes before baking, which gives the carrots time to release their juices into the batter for better flavor and moisture throughout.
- Salted caramel and carrot cake are a natural pair. The salt cuts through the sweetness of the caramel and cream cheese frosting instead of letting it turn one-note.
Key Ingredients and Notes
- Carrots – fresh carrots give the best flavor and moisture here, much more than pre-shredded bagged carrots, which tend to be drier.
- All-purpose flour – regular all-purpose flour, not self-rising, is what this recipe is built around.
- Hot caramel topping – a thicker caramel topping, like Hershey’s, works best here since it clings to the cupcake instead of running off. Warm it to just room temperature or slightly warmer before using. If it’s hot, it can melt the frosting.
- Cream cheese and butter – both should be softened before beating so the frosting comes together smoothly.
- Coarse salt – flaky or coarse sea salt gives a pop of salty crunch that fine table salt won’t. A little goes a long way.
How to Make Salted Caramel Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Mix the wet ingredients – Combine the eggs, finely grated carrots, and oil in a large bowl and mix until fully combined. Grating the carrots finely helps them blend into the batter and cook evenly.
- Add the dry ingredients – Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon, and blend well.
- Let the batter rest – Let the batter stand for 10-15 minutes while the oven preheats. This gives the carrot flavor and juices time to infuse through the batter. Give it a quick stir before dividing it into the cupcake liners.
- Bake – Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Divide the batter evenly, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Make the frosting – Beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes. Lower the speed and add the powdered sugar and caramel topping, mixing just until combined, then raise the speed back up and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Frost and finish – Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Drizzle with caramel topping and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Caramel Carrot Cake Cupcakes FAQs
Can I make the frosting ahead of time?
So I don’t recommend making the storing ahead, since the cream cheese and butter will firm back up in the fridge, making the frosting hard to pipe smoothly. Even if you let it sit out, it won’t soften uniformly.
Best way to make ahead: frost the cupcakes fully, refrigerate them, and let them sit out for 20-30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens back up.
Can I add caramel to the center of the cupcakes?
You can, though how much you’ll enjoy it depends on your sweetness preference, since this adds another layer of caramel on top of the frosting and drizzle. If you want to try it, use a thicker caramel topping rather than a thin caramel sauce, since a thinner sauce is more likely to sink into the batter or leak out. My absolute favorite one for the filling is actually dulce de leche!
Can I double this recipe?
Definitely! Just remember it’s harder to work with larger amount. Make sure your mixing bowl is large enough, mix everything well but don’t overmix.
Storing Recommendation
- Room temperature: I don’t recommend keeping these cupcakes at room temperature for more than 2 hours, since the cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated.
- Refrigerator: store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Let them sit out for 20-30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens.
- Unfrosted cupcakes: can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day, or frozen for longer storage.
More Cupcake Recipes From Me
Salted Caramel Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe
Classic carrot cake gets a caramel makeover in cupcake form. Soft, moist carrot cake cupcakes get topped with a caramel cream cheese frosting, a drizzle of caramel, and a pinch of coarse salt for that salty-sweet finish. No mixer required for the cake batter, just a bowl and a spoon.
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Servings: 10 cupcakes
Calories: 458kcal
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cucpakes:
- 2 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil + 1 Tbsp
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 Tbsp hot caramel topping room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Topping:
- 1/2 cup caramel topping warmed but not hot
- 1/2 tbsp Coarse salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, carrots, and oil. Mix very well until completely combined.
- Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Blend well.
- Let the batter stand for 10-15 minutes while preheating the oven. (I like to let the batter stand to let the carrot flavor and juices to infuse throughout the batter. Give it a little stir before dividing the batter among the cupcake cups.)
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a muffin baking pan with cupcake liners.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. Take out and let them cool for 10 minutes before taking them out of the pan. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Frosting:
- Beat cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl, on medium-high speed, for a couple of minutes. Lower the speed to low and add powdered sugar and caramel topping. Mix on low just until powdered sugar is mixed in and raise the speed back to medium-high. Beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- For extra salted caramel flavor, I like to drizzle caramel and sprinkle a little coarse salt on top of the cupcake and on top of the frosting. You can choose to do just the frosting or both.
- Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with your favorite frosting attachment. Frost the cupcakes.
- Drizzle some caramel topping over each cupcake and sprinkle some coarse salt.
Notes
- Doubling: you can definitely double the recipe, just remember it’s harder to work with a large amount of batter, take your time, use large enough equipment and don’t overmix or undermix.
- Frosting ahead: don’t make just the frosting in advance. Frost the cupcakes and then refrigerate them. Bring to room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 550mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 5992IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Great recipe.Easy to follow.
Bringing them to church in the morning.
Can you make the frosting ahead then put on cupcakes when you will serve them.
Hi Melissa,
I wouldn’t recommend making the frosting ahead of time because the cream cheese and butter will get hard again making it very difficult to frost the cupcakes. You could frost the cupcakes and then put them both in the fridge. Take them out about 20-30 minutes before you plan on serving them.
OUTSTANDING!!!!!!! Lyuba, these are the BEST carrot cake cupcakes my husband and I have ever tasted. I added the warm caramel and walnuts on top of the frosting, and added the walnuts to the batter, as well. no other add-ins but I know some ppl like that-we do not. Just our taste. I made them two days ago (was able to get 12). They are not gone on the third day! Oink-Oink. It is only my husband and I and he called these “heaven”… Thank you soooo very much for sharing your wonderful recipe! Best of luck to you! I hope everyone tries these! They are THAT good!
Hi. I plan on making your Salted Caramel Carrot Cake Cupcakes for a friend & wanted to ask if the 1 cup of flour needed in the recipe is an All-purpose flour or self-rising flour? Can’t wait to see how they turn out. They look yummy. Thanks for your time in reading & responding to my question.
Hi Sherry!
I use all purpose flour. I really hope you guys like it!
I’m going to try these, it will be perfect for Fall…I will post pics…Cathy R.
Hi, Cathy! They really are the perfect fall cupcake! Let me know how you like them 🙂
The carrot cake cupcakes just didn’t turn out for me. I doubled the recipe to try to get about 2 dozen cupcakes and after the first 12 came out of the oven I tried adding more flour to the batter to thicken it up a bit. The batter was runny and the cupcakes fell as soon as I took them out of the oven. I gave them an extra 5 minutes past the 20~ mark and they were still undercooked and wet when I tried to take one out of the wrapper. The only thing I can think of is that the 1 Cup of flour in the recipe was not enough to hold the structure of them. Ah well, live and learn.
About to make these and I’m so excited!!!!
I really hope you liked them, Jane!! Thank you 🙂
Can you add caramel in the middle, or will it be too sweet?
Hi Amber, that is hard to answer because everyone’s sweetness level is different. I personally, don’t like real sweet but my husband can spoon sugar into his mouth. 😉 But if you would like to try it I would go with a caramel topping vs a sauce since it is thicker.
Thank you!
They were SOOOOOO good.
Yay! I am so happy! Thanks for coming back and letting me know! 😀