Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Caramelized Walnuts Recipe

There's nothing like a carrot cake cupcake recipe, and even better yet when there's a couple of twists in the mix to keep things fresh and exciting. This recipe for carrot cake cupcakes is a very familiar one, but there's a change in how we handle the walnuts — unlike in many recipes out there, the nuts will get the caramelized treatment. It's a small change but it makes a big difference in the overall texture. "The secret is to caramelize the walnuts," says recipe developer Milena Manolova. "It sounds like nothing special but the extra crunch and sweetness from the caramelization are game changers." 

Don't you hate when you try carrot cake and the carrot itself is nowhere to be found? Well, this is not the case here. You can taste and see carrots in each bite, which not only adds to the flavor but also keeps the cupcakes moist and tender. Of course, you'll also find classic cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake, and along with a few extra caramelized walnuts sprinkled on top, this cupcake recipe is like those ones you've tried and enjoyed before, but slightly better.

The ingredients for this classic carrot cake cupcake recipe include butter, granulated sugar, walnuts, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, carrots, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. 

In a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and ¼ cup sugar over medium heat.

Once the sugar starts dissolving, add the walnuts and cook for 10-15 minutes until they are caramelized. Stir the walnuts often to prevent the sugar from burning.

Immediately transfer the caramelized walnuts to a piece of parchment paper and spread to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Whisk together the sour cream, eggs, and 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, the rest of the granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Add the flour mixture to the sour cream/egg mixture and fold gently until combined.

Chop the walnuts, setting ⅓ aside.

Gently mix the grated carrots and ⅔ of the chopped walnuts into the batter.

Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.

Fill each cupcake cavity using a cookie or ice cream scooper for an even amount of batter. Leave about ½ inch off the rim to allow for rising.

Bake the cupcakes on the middle rack for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

To make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese, ¼ cup softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk using a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth, for about 1 minute.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut the tip of the piping bag to about 1 inch in diameter and pipe over the cupcakes. You can also spread the frosting using a spoon or knife.

Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the chopped walnuts over the frosting and serve the cupcakes.

Carrot cupcakes should be stored in the fridge due to the cream cheese frosting's sensitivity to temperature. Fully frosted, ready-to-serve cupcakes will keep well in the fridge for about four days — and, if they begin to taste particularly dry at any point, that's a good sign to toss them. To keep the cupcakes at room temperature, you can add the frosting right before serving them. To store them for a longer time, place them unfrosted in a ziplock bag or an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To freeze, wrap each cupcake individually so they don't stick together, then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to three months. 

When storing the cupcakes in the fridge or freezer, it's ideal to keep the frosting separate from the cupcakes. This way, you can heat up the cupcakes when needed and bring the frosting to room temperature to frost the cupcakes. Place the unfrosted cupcakes in a preheated oven at 350 F and warm them up for about 10 minutes or until soft. To defrost the cream cheese frosting, let it sit at room temperature until soft.

If you'd like to make the cupcakes with raw or roasted walnuts instead of caramelized, you definitely can. They will taste just like a typical carrot cake, but you won't get the extra crunch and sweetness. Manolova suggests that, if you are not using caramelized walnuts, to at least use roasted walnuts as they release more flavor when roasted and are more crunchy than raw walnuts.

Instead of the sour cream, you can substitute yogurt, coconut cream, or vegetable oil. Also, experiment with adding more spices, like ginger or nutmeg, or a mix of warming spices. Be careful not to use too much of them, as they can overwhelm the palette and mask the flavor of the carrots. Additionally, you can also add golden raisins to the batter, they pair well with carrots, walnuts, and cinnamon. Golden raisins are not as sweet as black raisins, they have a balanced sweetness in addition to the fruity citrus notes.