Best Carrot Cake (or Muffins!) Ever
If you’ve been following our Instagram stories, you’ll know that we recently shared the best carrot cake muffins ever. And by the best, I mean they’re both delicious and apparently very lucky. Every time I’ve made this carrot cake recipe as muffins with these amazing football-themed sprinkles, our favorite football team wins, and now they’re in the Superbowl 👀
Now I’m not saying we’re superstitious. But I’m also no dummy, so you can bet I’ll be making these things again for the big game. I’ve also gotten a few requests for the recipe, so I wrote it all out for you fine folks who might also be looking for that… competitive edge.
Kid-Friendly Carrot Cake for Easter
In addition to football-related muffins, we also make this carrot cake recipe in two-layer cake form every year for Easter. It’s a perfect Easter dessert that’s relatively easy to make. The kids love to help shred the carrots, which has also encouraged them to try some fresh carrots on the side as a snack (double win!)
Since I’m an honest kinda gal, I’ll admit I usually prefer cooking over baking, because precision is, well…boring. But this recipe is easy and well worth the effort. Over the years we’ve worked out a few kinks and think we’ve come up with the best carrot cake ever.
Necessary-ish Things
Tools for the Best Carrot Cake Ever
Just a few items that can help with this recipe, but I’m sure you can make due with whatever you have around. For the record, we once attached a whisk to an electric drill to make a cheesecake because our hand-mixer broke, so I’m sure you’ll figure something out.
Comes with an attachable container & lid
She’s cute and she’s ergonomic
The large one is big enough for this recipe
I love the paddle attachment with this one
These colors are sooo nice
I make multiple sizes when I do muffins
Best Carrot Cake Ever
Description
The best ever carrot cake (or muffins!) that are easy and delicious
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
Icing Ingredients
Optional
Directions
Cake Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F
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Peel & grate carrots; set aside
We use a standard cheese grater on the coarse cut (bigger holes) side
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Combine dry ingredients in an extra large mixing bowl; set aside
Flour thru Salt on the ingredients list above.
Use a dry whisk or fork to blend & aerate the mixture, removing any clumps
-
Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together for at least 1-2 min until well combined
Eggs thru Applesauce on the ingredients list above
I try to whisk a little air into this wet mixture to make it just a little lighter. If using a machine, 1 min is fine; longer is better if whisking manually
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Add carrots to wet mixture
I fold these in. A spatula or large spoon is fine
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Gently fold wet mixture into the dry ingredients
This is where you DO NOT want to overmix. Gently scrape the sides & bottom as you fold in wet mix to make sure everything is well combined
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Pour or spoon mixture into greased pans. Bake at 350°F using time chart below
- 2 Round 9" pans – 30-35 mins
- Extra large muffins – 18-25 mins
- Standard muffins – 15-18 mins
- Mini muffins – 9-12 mins
Check doneness with a toothpick
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Set cakes aside to cool
Icing Directions
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Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth
Remember, cream cheese should be at room temp
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Add butter & vanilla extract, beat until smooth
Also room temp. A paddle attachment is good for this
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Slowly add powdered sugar until fully combined & smooth; Put in fridge to cool
Cool approx. 15 mins
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Frost cakes using piping bag or spatula; Decorate with sprinkles if you choose!
Our favorite lucky sprinkles may or may not have helped our team get to the Superbowl. Just sayin'
To decorate with colored frosting, reserve a small portion of the cream cheese icing and dye with food-safe coloring
