These Vegan Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are light, fluffy and decadently delicious.
The day before Thanksgiving was supposed to be a half day at work and a full day of fun. I couldn't wait to get home and start planning Thanksgiving dinner, and share with you this awesome recipe for vegan carrot cupcakes. Yesterday was also special because it marked an exact whole year since I started posting recipes on Holy Cow!
Instead, I spent the afternoon and evening glued to the television and computer, trying to get in touch with friends and watching in horror as Bombay, the city where I lived all my life before moving to the United States, reeled under terror.Each of those places targeted had special meaning for me. It hurt to see the blood-soaked lobby of the Victoria Terminus through which I had walked every morning and evening for six years, along with thousands of other commuters eager to get to work and back home. It hurt to watch the beautiful Taj Mahal Hotel, which I had toured with the hotel's architecture official while working on a story about Heritage buildings in the city, go up in flames. And it hurt to hear that the Oberoi lobby, where I had often hung out with friends, most memorably to catch a glimpse of Michael Jackson when he toured India, had been set on fire by the terrorists.
When I last heard from my friends in Bombay, many of them were still holed up in their homes or workplaces, hoping for an end to their long-drawn nightmare. Sadly, the terror is still not over as I write this, but hopefully it will be soon. And I know that Bombay will once again get back on its feet. The residents of Bombay are incredibly resilient and strong. They may not forget this ordeal any time soon, but rest assured, they will not let it hold them back.Because I'd already written out this carrot cupcake post, I'm just going to run it below. Thanks, everyone, for reading.***
'Tis the season for all things orange-- pumpkins, sweet potatoes.... and carrots!
The other day, I got a huge bag of lovely, fresh organic carrots and all the way home I dreamed of the luscious vegan carrot cake I was going to bake up. I even had some vegan cream cheese tucked away in the refrigerator for the frosting, so I was all set.
But when I actually rolled up my sleeves to begin, I was hit by an urge to bake cute little vegan carrot cupcakes instead. I love cupcakes because they have built-in portion control, which means you are less likely to overindulge no matter how delicious they are. Besides, who can resist a cute l'il baby cake festooned with icing? Not me.
I adapted this recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World which has become my cupcake bible. The result was a fluffy and moist cupcake and I loved the crunch of the nuts with the sweet squishy bite of the juicy golden raisins.
So here is the recipe for these amazing vegan carrot cupcakes. Enjoy, everyone!
Also check out my vegan carrot cake.
Vegan Carrot Cupcakes with "Cream Cheese" Frosting
Ingredients
- For the carrot cupcakes:
- ⅔ rd cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- ⅔ cup turbinado sugar (can use regular)
- ⅓ cup canola or other flavorless vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup plain soy yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup carrots , finely grated
- ⅓ cup walnuts , lightly roasted then chopped
- ⅓ cup raisins
- A pinch of salt
- For the frosting:
- ½ cup walnuts , lightly toasted then chopped
- ¼ cup vegan "cream cheese" (I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese)
- 2 tbsp transfat-free shortening
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the cupcakes:
- In a mixing bowl, mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, ginger and vanilla.
- Sift into the bowl the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix until smooth.
- Add the carrots, walnuts and raisins and mix in.
- Line a muffin tin with liners and spray with oil.
- Fill the liners about ⅔rds of the way up.
- Bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for 26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool thoroughly on a rack before frosting.
- Make the "cream cheese" frosting:
- Mix together the shortening, cream cheese, vanilla and confectioner's sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Slather the cupcakes with the frosting.
These are our favorite cupcakes. We make them all the time and can't have enough.
Yes Nisha, it is 2/3 cup. You don't need a lot of flour for this recipe. Have fun baking!
Hi Vaishali,
Wanted to bake them and so rechecked the recipe. Does the recipe say "2/3rd" cup APF? I have a doubt about this.
God Bless
Nisha.
Madhu, thanks for your kind and encouraging words-- I am so glad you like the blog and the recipes I post. Also happy your family liked the cupcakes-- these are among my favorites too. Come again! 🙂
Hi Vishali,
Followed ur recipe and made these cupcakes.... it was awesome.... it was moist and rich... made it for my in-laws and they couldn't believe that something healthy could taste so good ;)... all thanks to u and i keep following your site pretty closely.... everytime i see a new recipe i get all excited and can't wait to try 'em.. thank u so much for sharing your recipes :)...
-Madhu
Mumbai incident is really horrible, no other go other than our prayers.
I just luvd your cupcakes and other recipes too.
What happened in Bombay was definitely very upsetting. I can understand how it would have felt for a person raised there. Looking at the state of affaris these days, it's clear that there is no end for terrorism, which is again very terrifying even to think of.
Happy blog anniversay Vaishali. The cupcake looks very moist.
that was a horrible incident Vaishali! I understand your attachment with Mumbai! So sad that so many innocent people lost their lives! Hope your family and friends are doing fine.
Happy birthday Holy Cow! Wish you many more such birthdays in future. The cupcake is the perfect way to celebrate it.
Very sad news and heart breaking.... So many innocent lives are taken away.
Happy birthday to ur blog, i really enjoyed ,learn lot from ur Vegan cooking!
Cake looks wonderful!
Hi Vishali
Happy blog anniversary...
I am too shocked abou the Mumbai incident...
Cake looks moist n perfect!
I too feel sad about what's happening in mumbai.. very upsetting...
cake looks delicious Vaishali.
Congrats on your blog's first year.
The Mumbai incident is very sad. I wish there was soemthing we could do...
Happy belated BDay HolyCow.
We should show these people that we are tough,not broken,we are strong and we will rise from the ashes.We must stand united and bring back the lost glory.TheNot just the hotels but entire India is our pride and we must & will rebuild it
Hope ur friends are fine there.
happy blog anniversary and yummy cupcake but as you said our hearts are bleeding and we were in no mood to enjoy thanksgiving! Hope no more such activities takes place and it really hurts!
Happy Birthday - Holy Cow!:)
I know what you meant by the feeling for 'Taj'. In May I had taken the kids over to show them our 'Taj' - I don't know who is more proud of it! The Tatas or we! I feel so bad to see a wing charred, apart from the massacre of 80 people. I remember going past Leopold Cafe as a youngster wondering what goes on in there, and then my sister and I went in to have chai just because we did not want to be the ones who hadn't 'been there and done that'. It held its own space in Colaba. I miss the freedom we had here - we could walk alone anytime and never fear manhandling, and now we cannot trust crowds! But one must smile in the face of terror and not get bogged.
I too was glued to the news. BBC was running it all night on the radio. I am always left really confused and sad by events such as these. I am glad to hear your friends are alright.
Happy Blogging Birthday. The cupcakes look delicious
What happened in Bombay is really horrible and sad. I cannot even imagine how you must feel as the sad news continue.
Nevertheless, happy blog anniversary!
The carrot cupcakes look divine.
thats a beautiful recipe..looks delicious..
I know and can understand how u might be feeling,its really terrifying and a heinous crime against humanity. Hope everything ends happily.
Carrot cake looks so moist and delicious. Happy b'day to yor wonderful blog.
Yeah we were all glued to the news yesterday and today morning too.
Vaishali It is indeed so sorry to hear the news.
The cake has come out so well and it is my favorite cake. Happy birthday holy cow. Cheers and good luck.
I feel very upset too with all that's happned in mumbai. I've not even visited mumbai, so i can understand how much impact it should have on u.
Cupcake looks yum and happy birthday to your blog. The timing may not be great, but your one year of blogging (hardwork) deserves some wishes atleast.