Carrot Cake Cupcakes for Easter

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Easter is a time for celebration and indulgence, and what better way to delight your family and friends than with my Carrot Cake Cupcakes? This recipe combines the classic flavors of moist Carrot Cake with a creamy Cream Cheese Frosting and a fun, festive twist for Easter: chocolate covered strawberries that look like carrots! These delightful cupcakes are not only delicious but also make for a beautiful Easter dessert centerpiece. So, let’s dive into the recipe and learn how to make these irresistible Carrot Cake Cupcakes for Easter!

Begin by gathering all of your ingredients. For your Carrot Chocolate Covered Ctrawberries you are going to need strawberries (obviously) and orange chocolate candy melts.

For your Carrot Cake Cupcakes you will need green cupcake liners to bake your cupcakes in. You will also need flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, Himalayan pink salt, vanilla extract, eggs, vegetable oil, and Gerber® Stage 2 carrot baby food.

For your Cream Cheese Frosting, you are going to need salted butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract, and to decorate your cupcakes, you will need green sprinkles.

Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries: It is important to note that you should make your Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries first, as they will need to chill completely in the refrigerator before using them to decorate your cupcakes. To begin, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a piece of parchment or wax paper and set it aside. Next, empty your orange chocolate candy melts into a medium sized bowl and microwave them at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until your chocolate is completely melted; about 2 minutes. Then, grab each strawberry by its leafy part and dip it into your melted chocolate, making sure it is submerged completely so that your chocolate covers your entire strawberry (as close to the leafy part as possible). Place each of your dipped strawberries onto your prepared baking sheet. When all of your strawberries are dipped, refrigerate them until you are ready to use them.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: To make your Carrot Cake Cupcakes, start by preheating your oven to 350ºF and preparing 2 (12-well) cupcake pans by lining them with your green cupcake liners. Set them aside.

Then, in a large bowl, combine your flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, vegetable oil and carrot baby food. With an electric hand mixer, beat your mixture on high until it is fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl with a silicone scraper to make sure all of your ingredients are completely incorporated.

Using a large cookie scoop, fill your cupcake liners to about ¾ full. Bake them for 25-30 minutes or until your cupcakes spring back at the touch. Transfer your cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting them.

Cream Cheese Frosting: While your cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting. To do this, add your butter to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat your butter until it is just creamy. Add in your cream cheese (remove this from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to using it, as you will need it to still be chilled and firm to make your frosting) and beat it until it is just combined. NOTE: It is important to beat your cream cheese only until it is just combined with your butter. Beating it too long will cause your frosting to become too soft and therefore it will melt off of your cupcakes when you try to frost them (adding extra confectioners’ sugar after your cream cheese is too soft will only make your frosting softer). Mix in your vanilla, then add your confectioners’ sugar. Beat your frosting on high until your confectioners’ sugar is fully combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.

To Frost Cupcakes: After your Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries and your Carrot Cake Cupcakes have cooled completely, it is time for you to decorate your cupcakes. Begin by filling a large piping bag (fitted with an Ateco 847 tip) with your Cream Cheese Frosting. Position your tip over the center of your cupcake, squeeze the bag firmly to release your frosting, and gently move your tip around in a spiral to spread your frosting out evenly. Then, cover ONLY the outer edge of your frosting on each cupcake with your green sprinkles and insert a Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberry into the center of each cupcake. The green cupcake liners and green sprinkles are meant to give the appearance of grass, so that when you insert your orange chocolate covered strawberry into the center of each cupcake, it will look like a carrot coming out of the ground. Make sure you keep these refrigerated until you are ready to serve them.

These Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries are a perfect treat for Easter celebrations. The combination of moist Carrot Cake, smooth Cream Cheese Frosting, and the surprise of the Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries will impress your guests and leave them craving for more. With their festive appearance and delectable taste, these cupcakes are sure to be the highlight of your Easter dessert table. Enjoy and have a delightful Easter celebration!