Mary Berry Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe

Mary Berry's carrot cake cupcakes are moist, warmly spiced, and topped with a generous cream cheese frosting — everything great about carrot cake in a perfect individual portion.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Cooling Time 45

Total Time 1 25

Servings: 12 Cupcakes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Calories: 430

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
175 ml sunflower oil
175 g soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs beaten
175 g self-raising flour sifted
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp fine salt
175 g carrots peeled and coarsely grated
50 g walnuts roughly chopped (optional)
Zest of ½ unwaxed orange
Cream Cheese Frosting:
200 g full-fat cream cheese room temperature
75 g unsalted butter softened
250 g icing sugar sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Decoration:
12 walnut halves
Ground cinnamon for dusting
Finely grated orange zest

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
Whisk oil, brown sugar, and eggs together 2 minutes. Sift in flour, baking powder, and spices — fold gently. Add grated carrots, orange zest, and walnuts — fold through.
Divide between cases — two-thirds full. Bake 20–22 minutes until risen and skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack — cool completely.
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add icing sugar in 2 batches. Add vanilla and cinnamon — beat 1–2 minutes. Do not overbeat.
Pipe a generous swirl onto each cooled cupcake. Top with a walnut half. Dust with cinnamon and scatter orange zest.

Notes

Use coarsely grated carrots — fine grating gives no texture.

Oil not butter — keeps cupcakes moist for 3 days.

Do not overmix after adding flour — fold until just combined.

Cool completely before frosting — 45 minutes minimum.

Do not overbeat the cream cheese frosting — it becomes runny.

Freeze unfrosted for up to 3 months.