Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Pineapple And Cream Cheese Filling

I love carrot cake, so when I decided to make cupcakes, I went with a favorite cake recipe, baked cupcakes instead, and filled them with cinnamon cream cheese with just a bit of pineapple, and it was beyond delicious. 

Homemade Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Make sure you have plenty because there were none left on the buffet table. You’ll absolutely love these. They’re a wonderful treat after dinner, on the buffet table, or really anytime. These will go in your favorites!

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs – beaten
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick of butter – softened
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of organic cinnamon
2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
Milk (for thinning the frosting if it’s too thick)

Cupcake Filling Ingredients:

1/3 cup of the cream cheese frosting
1 small can of crushed pineapple – drained

Supplies:

12-count muffin tin
Cupcake liners
Corer – to make a hole in the cupcakes for the filling
Gold Sugars for topping – OPTIONAL
Stand mixer

Prepare The Cupcakes

In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, mix the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts in a separate bowl until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, a little at a time, with the mixer on low, until all ingredients are well blended. Remove the mixing bowl, scrape down the sides, and stir. Fold in the carrots and raisins, until all incorporated. Set the oven to 350. Line the muffin tin with the cupcake liners, and fill each liner about 3/4 way full of batter. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack, and cool completely before frosting.

While cupcakes are baking, make the frosting and filling. For the frosting, cream the softened butter and cream cheese in the mixing bowl of the stand mixer until light and fluffy. Remember to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and mix again after scraping down the sides. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and mix well. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until all the powdered sugar has been mixed into the cream cheese mixture. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and stir well. If the frosting appears too thick, add a little milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If you need to thicken the frosting, add a spoonful of powdered sugar until the frosting is the thickness needed.

Make The Filling:

Measure out 1/3 cup of the cream cheese frosting into a small bowl. Add the drained crushed pineapple, and stir. Place the frosting, and filling in the refrigerator. After 10 minutes, remove the filling, and place it in a pastry bag, or in a Ziploc bag, to pipe the filling into the cupcakes. If the cupcakes are still cooling, place the filling back in the refrigerator in the Ziploc bag until the cupcakes are cool.

When the cupcakes have cooled completely, take the corner, and remove the top center of the cupcake. Lay the removed piece of cupcake beside each cupcake. Pipe a dollop of the filling into the center of each cupcake, and once the cupcakes have been filled, replace the center piece back into the cupcake, and press down slightly. When all cupcakes have been filled, place the cream cheese frosting in a pastry bag, or large Ziploc bag, and swirl the cream cheese frosting onto the cupcakes in a pretty swirl, covering the cored-out piece. Once all cupcakes have been frosted, place them in a cupcake container in a single layer, cover them and place them in the refrigerator. Cupcakes may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

NOTE: These can be made ahead, and removed from the refrigerator just before serving or placed on a buffet table just before guests arrive.

We topped the cupcakes with gold sugars – OPTIONAL

Download the recipe here..Carrot Cake Cupcakes

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Kathy Owen

Website

Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines. Kathy’s newest website is HappyHomeDIY.com