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Mary Berry Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

Mary Berry Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

Mary Berry's carrot cake muffins are deeply moist, warmly spiced, and topped with a cream cheese swirl — all the best parts of carrot cake in a handheld muffin.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 Muffins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 510
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Carrot Cake Muffins:
  • 250 ml sunflower oil
  • 225 g soft light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 250 g carrots peeled and coarsely grated
  • 75 g walnuts roughly chopped
  • 75 g sultanas optional
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed orange
  • Cream Cheese Swirl Topping:
  • 200 g full-fat cream cheese room temperature
  • 75 g unsalted butter softened
  • 200 g icing sugar sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Orange zest for scattering

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Line a 12-hole deep muffin tin with cases.
  2. Whisk oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a large jug — 1 minute.
  3. In a separate large bowl, sift flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Add grated carrot, walnuts, sultanas, and orange zest — stir to distribute.
  4. Pour wet into dry. Fold with 10–12 strokes only until just combined — batter should still be lumpy. Do not overmix.
  5. Divide between cases — three-quarters full. Bake 22–25 minutes until risen, domed, and skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin 5 minutes — transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
  6. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add icing sugar in 2 batches. Add vanilla and cinnamon — beat 1–2 minutes until smooth. Do not overbeat.
  7. Spoon generous tablespoon of frosting onto each cooled muffin. Swirl with back of spoon — casual, not precise. Scatter orange zest.

Notes

Mix wet and dry with 10–12 strokes only — lumpy batter is correct. Overmixing gives rubbery muffins.
Use oil not butter — gives the characteristic moist muffin crumb that keeps for 3 days.
Fill cases three-quarters full — gives the right dome to body proportion.
Coarsely grate the carrot — visible threads give texture.
Do not overbeat the cream cheese topping — it becomes runny.
Freeze unfrosted muffins for up to 3 months.
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