Gluten free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are moist with a hint of warming spices all topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese icing. They are perfect for a crowd and keep well in the fridge or freezer.

A note on some of the ingredients:

Gluten free flour blend: I have only made these carrot cake cupcakes using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour blend (the blue bag). I also always weigh out my flour to ensure the recipe turns out the same every time. If you do not have a kitchen scale it is best to measure the flour using the “fluff and scoop” method. Fluff the flour up with a fork and then scoop it into the measuring cup, leveling off the cup with the back of a knife or another flat edge.

Crushed pineapple: I use crushed pineapple from a can. It is usually packed in pineapple juice so there is a higher sugar content but we are making cupcakes. Any extra crushed pineapple I measure out and freeze so that I can make these cupcakes again. I also add some extra pineapple to smoothies.

Cream cheese: I used vegan and gluten free Earth’s Own cream cheese in this recipe and it turned out very well. The cream cheese is soft enough that it did not have to soften on the counter before blending it with the butter for the icing. If your cream cheese is on the hard side I recommend letting it sit out on the counter with the butter before creaming them together.

How the cupcakes are made:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 18 muffin cups with liners.

Wash and peel the carrots and using either a hand grater or a food processor (recommended), grate the carrots. You will need 2 packed cups of grated carrot for this recipe. I find two large to medium sized carrots yield enough grated carrot for this recipe. Add the grated carrot to a medium sized bowl.

Grind enough flaxseed for 2 tablespoons worth and add it to a small bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of hot water to the flaxseed and mix. I find hot water helps the flaxseed gel better than cold water. Let this stand on the counter while the rest of the ingredients are assembled.

shredded carrots, flax egg, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, crushed pineapple and brown sugar

Weigh or measure out the flour into a large bowl. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix everything together.

dry ingredients for carrot cake cupcakes in a stainless steel bowl

Into the medium bowl with the grated carrot add in the crushed pineapple, brown sugar and oil and stir. Add in the vanilla and the flax eggs and mix until everything is incorporated.

Using either a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir only until there are no dry patches remaining. Be careful not to over mix or the cupcakes will fall when they come out of the oven.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each well a little more than 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 24 minutes being careful not to over bake as they will dry out later.

carrot cake cupcake batter in muffin tin

Remove the carrot cake cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan. Carefully move the cupcakes to a cooling rack, they will still be soft at this point but will firm up as they cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and mix again. With the mixer running on low, slowly add in the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. The icing will be soft at this point. If you prefer it to be a little stiffer place it in the fridge for a half hour before decorating the cupcakes.

The carrot cake cupcakes will keep in an air tight container for 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing, one sliced in half

Enjoy!