Eggless Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These eggless carrot cupcakes are the perfect egg-free Easter dessert, and they don’t call for any egg substitutes. They’re soft, moist, flavorful, and full of cozy spice. They can be made traditionally or gluten-free.

Ingredients

Frosting:

▢ 8 oz (225 grams) full-fat cream cheese room temperature
▢ 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ pinch salt
▢ 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 410 °F (210 °C) and line 2 muffin pans with 16 liners.
In a large mixing bowl, pour in the vinegar and pour the milk over that. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, 1 cup (236 ml) milk of choice
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until combined. Set aside.
2 1/4 cups (281 grams) flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
To the thickened milk, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, yogurt and vanilla extract. Stir until combined. It’ll look weird and oily, and that’s fine.
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (100 grams grams) light brown sugar, 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon neutral oil, 1/3 cup (80 ml) Greek yogurt or cashew/coconut yogurt, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, and stir until combined and no large lumps remain.
Fold in the grated carrots.
2 cups (248 grams) finely grated carrots
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop 73 grams of the batter into the muffin liners.
Bake for 5 minutes at 410 °F (210 °C) and then at 375 °F (190 °C) for an additional 10-13 minutes (I did 12). A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Place the muffin pans on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, and then turn the muffins out onto the rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the cooling period, prepare the frosting. If making the gluten-free version, they need to sit for at least 2 hours. They might be a bit gummy while warm, but the texture improves as they sit.

Make the frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
8 oz (225 grams) full-fat cream cheese
Beat in 2 tablespoons of butter at a time, beating after every addition.
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
Beat in the vanilla and salt.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch salt
Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting is totally smooth.
1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip, and pipe swirls onto the cupcakes. If it’s too soft to pipe right now, place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s firmed up enough.

To store:

Keep refrigerated in a covered container. Let them sit at room temp for 20–30 minutes before serving for the best texture. Frosting can be made and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can store unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Beat again briefly before using for a smooth finish. Unfrosted cupcakes, frosted cupcakes and the frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

For the milk, any kind will work except for canned coconut milk.
For the flour, you can use all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or for gluten-free, use 2 1/4 cups (310 grams) Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour or 2 1/4 cups (281 grams) King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.
The 1 tablespoon of baking powder isn't a typo.
The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator. Values don’t include the fruit on top.