Name: Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves; 105g (1/2 cup) neutral vegetable oil; 2 large eggs; 120g (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt or natural yogurt; 100g (1/2 packed cup) soft brown sugar; 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract; 180g (1 1/2 cups) grated carrots; 40g (½ cup) raisins; 170g (6oz) block-style cream cheese, room temperature; 1 egg yolk, room temperature; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract; 30g (2 1/2 Tablespoons) granulated sugar

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This carrot cake muffins recipe makes super soft muffins filled with a tangy cream cheese filling. They make an excellent afternoon snack.

I wanted to incorporate carrot cake and the traditional cream cheese frosting that it’s usually topped with without actually frosting these hearty muffins. So, instead of a cream cheese glaze or frosting, it’s inside the muffin batter.

Biting into the soft, spiced muffin and thick cream cheese is delicious. The muffin batter is based on this carrot sheet cake recipe.

It makes moist muffins that are soft and full of warming spices.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need for these easy carrot cake muffins. Find the amounts listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Dry ingredients:
- All-purpose flour,
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt,
- Spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves
Wet ingredients and sugar:
- Vegetable oil, a light olive oil or melted coconut oil works well
- Large eggs,
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Vanilla extract or paste
Grated carrots, raisins, cream cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a muffin pan with paper muffin liners. Grate the fresh carrots in a food processor or with a box grater and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and warm spices in a medium bowl.

Mix brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.

Stir through the carrots and raisins.

Fold the flour mixture in, taking care not over mix it.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg yolk, vanilla, and sugar and mix until combined.

Add a heaped tablespoon of muffin batter to each of the paper liners. Top each muffin with a spoonful of cream cheese mixture.

Divide the remaining muffin batter over the top.

Bake the muffins at the initial high temp of 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes to create high muffin tops. After this, lower the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) bake for 20 minutes more until the muffin tops spring back when pressed.

Let the carrot muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and cooling to room temperature.

Storing

Fresh muffins are just perfect served with a cup of coffee.

Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. They can also be frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

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