Vegan Life | Recipes
Steph Sunshine's Famous Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
When I had my cupcake business more than 10 years ago, my carrot cake cupcakes had a cult-like following. The same people showed up to my little stand religiously to buy the carrot cake cupcakes over and over. My friends even started randomly offering to help me with various things in exchange for more carrot cake cupcakes. So naturally, they were high on my priority list of cupcake recipes to veganize.
Cake recipes are complicated to turn vegan, as they don't usually work by simply replacing a few ingredients. However, the effort was well worth it for these delicious cupcakes.
My carrot cake cupcakes are loaded with walnuts, raisins, and coconut, however if you don't like any of these ingredients, feel free to leave them out. For the coconut, be sure to use finely grated coconut or soft flakes (nothing too stiff). I don't recommend using cake flour for these cupcakes, because it's too light to hold all the add-ins.
I recommend topping these with my vegan cream cheese frosting. I usually make the frosting while the cupcakes are in the oven. I bring the vegan butter out of the refrigerator (for the frosting) to soften before I start the cupcakes. You'll also want to soak the cashews for the frosting in advance if you don't have a high-powered blender.
This recipe makes around 24 cupcakes.
Steph Sunshine's Famous Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Yield24 cupcakes
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time60 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated vegan sugar
3/4 cup oil (such as canola or sunflower seed oil)
6 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp. aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
4 tsp. white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/8 cups peeled, grated carrots
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped pineapple
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add liners to 2 cupcake pans.
In a small mixing bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together until ingredients are evenly distributed.
In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, oil, applesauce, aquafaba, vinegar, and vanilla, and mix well.
Slowly add the flour mix to the sugar mix and stir until just combined. Don't overmix.
Use your fingers to press the chopped pineapple. Fold in the carrots, walnuts, raisins, coconut, and pineapple (with juice) to the cake batter.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling almost to the top, about 1/4" below the top of the liners.
Because of the weight of the add-ins (raisins, walnuts, etc.) these cakes won't rise much, so you should nearly fill the liners, as shown.Bake the cupcakes for 30-33 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes or so, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. Top with vegan cream cheese frosting (or your choice of frosting), and garnish with cinnamon or walnuts, if desired.
Notes & Hints
My carrot cake cupcakes are loaded with walnuts, raisins, and coconut, however if you don't like any of these ingredients, feel free to leave them out.
For the coconut, be sure to use finely grated coconut or soft flakes (nothing too stiff).
I don't recommend using cake flour for these cupcakes, because it's too light to hold all the add-ins.
Carrot cake cupcakes don't stay fresh as long as other varieties of cake, so if you don't plan to eat them all within a few days, I recommend freezing them.
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