Last Updated on 12/01/2024 by Adina
Nigella's carrot cake muffins or cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and walnuts.
Nigella's carrot cake muffins or cupcakes are the best recipe for carrot cupcakes I've made until now. They are really moist and tasty and, when eaten without the icing, not overly sweet. The walnuts make a little crunchy while the topping makes them creamy and luxurious.
Try more easy muffins: Cinnamon Donut Muffins, Quark Muffins, or Bailey's Muffins.
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Tips for baking good muffins
Although muffins are normally very easy to make, there are always a few steps you want to consider if you wish them to be perfect.
There are two kinds of muffins, in my opinion. This is probably not a scientific matter, but I feel that there are the soft, cake-like ones, which are usually made with butter, and the moist and slightly denser ones, which are made with oil.
Me – I love them all: Nigella's carrot cake muffins, Sour Cream Muffins – my absolute favorite ones (a basic muffin recipe, if you need one), Cinnamon Apple and Oil Muffins, Carrot Muffins with Blueberry Frosting, Cherry Chocolate Muffins... made with butter, oil, yogurt, etc... it doesn't matter, I have rarely met one I didn't like.
However, I noticed that when looking for a new recipe, I tend to choose yet another one made with oil. The thing is that if there is a chance you might screw up a muffin recipe and get some dry, hard-to-swallow ones, you are more likely to do so with a recipe containing butter. Oil (or the addition of yogurt/sour cream, etc) helps them stay moist.
Ingredients needed
Oil:
- We've already talked about the oil and its benefits when used in baking muffins or cupcakes. The oil helps them stay moist.
- I used a very mild sunflower oil. Make sure that the oil is rather neutral in taste; otherwise, you will definitely be able to taste it, and that is not the flavor you are looking for in a cake.
- Alternatively, use neutral-tasting canola oil.
- I've made the mistake of baking a cake with really good, organic sunflower oil once. That is not something I will do again. The cake did have the most wonderful and intense yellow color, but it only tasted of sunflower oil, which was really not nice.
- I've learned my lesson. Now, I only buy regular (cheap) canola oil when baking, keeping the really good oil for salads and cooking.
Carrots:
- Two medium carrots, which weighed about 150 g/ 5.3 oz together.
- I grate the carrots with a hand grater, using the finer side of a grater box. I can't be bothered to wash the food processor afterward for just two carrots.
- However, you can use the grate setting on your food processor for this. Just make sure you don't overdo it. The carrots should be just grated and not become juicy. A few pulses will suffice.
Spices and nuts:
- Nigella's carrot cake muffins are perfectly spiced with lemon and orange zest (don't skip them; they really add a lot to the recipe) and cinnamon, which goes perfectly with the carrots.
- The walnuts are just perfect in this carrot cake recipe, adding a touch of crunchiness that complements the creaminess of the cream cheese frosting.
How to make carrot cupcakes?
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the muffin tin with paper liners.
- Grate the carrots finely. Chop the walnuts.
- Mix the sugar and oil with a handheld mixer. Wear an apron if you don't want to ruin your clothes. My T-shirt is full of little oil spots. My daughter's the same. She helped.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix shortly, until creamy.
- Mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and zest.
- Add to the egg mixture and then fold in the carrots and the chopped walnuts.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before decorating with the cream cheese frosting.
How to make the cream cheese frosting?
- To make the icing, beat the cream cheese until smooth; it will take a few seconds.
- Beat in the icing sugar and add the lime or lemon juice.
- Decorate the top of the cupcakes using a butter knife.
- Place half a walnut on top and enjoy.
About the recipe
I found the recipe in Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab), a wonderful book that I bought recently. I read it through already, but this is the first recipe I've made out of it. And it is great!
More cakes with carrots
Recipe
Nigella's Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
Carrot cake muffins:
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup sunflower oil Note 1
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- zest of ½ lemon
- zest of ½ orange
- 2 medium carrots total weight about 5.5 oz/150 g
- ½ cup chopped walnuts Note 2
Cream cheese frosting:
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 ⅔ cup icing sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
- 12 walnut halves Note 2
Instructions
Carrot cake muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F. Line the muffin tin with paper liners.
- Grate the carrots finely (fine side of a hand grater or just a few pulses in a food processor fitted with grate setting, don't let the carrots become juicy).2 medium carrots
- Chop the walnuts.½ cup chopped walnuts
- Combine the sugar and oil with the handheld mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and mix shortly until creamy.½ cup light brown sugar + ¾ cup sunflower oil + 2 large eggs
- Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, lemon, and orange zest. Add to the egg mixture and then fold in the carrots and the chopped walnuts. 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour + ¾ teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon cinnamon + pinch of salt + zest of ½ lemon + zest of ½ orange
- Bake carrot cake muffins: Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool: Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Cream cheese frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth, which will take a few seconds.½ cup cream cheese
- Beat in the sifted icing sugar and add the lime or lemon juice.1 ⅔ cup icing sugar + 1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
- Spread the frosting on the cupcakes using a butter knife.
- Top: Place half a walnut on top.12 walnut halves
Notes
- Oil: I used a very mild sunflower oil. Make sure that the oil is rather neutral in taste; otherwise, you will definitely be able to taste it, and that is not the flavor you are looking for in a cake. Canola oil is perfect, too.
- Nuts: You can replace the walnuts with pecans.
Beth says
This icing is incredibly sickly. I halved the amount of sugar and it was much better!
Adina says
I am glad it still worked.
Adina says
Thank you, Thalia. They were really really nice.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I definitely am feeling for a carrot cupcake right now.. these look delicious!