Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Date Cream Cheese Frosting
These airy, tangy carrot cake cupcakes are easy to make and crowd-pleasing–I guarantee that no one will ever know that they’re vegan! The addition of orange juice adds a nice tang that compliments the cream cheese frosting.
As a health nut, I usually bake with date sugar because it’s unrefined and has a lower glycemic index compared to cane sugar. Date sugar also contains calcium and folic acid, so it’s a healthier option for multiple reasons.
I include alternatives to date sugar in the recipe–it can be swapped for any other type of granulated sweetener. As always, I offer a gluten free option for this healthy, easy recipe.
The easy plant-based recipe can easily be used for standard sized cupcakes – just bake them longer–for 20 minutes–rather than 12-15 minutes. Follow the steps below and you’ll know how to bake a cupcake/cake in no time.
Subscribe to my healthy eating and lifestyle blog here or follow me on Facebook for more healthy lifestyle shares!
This post may contain affiliate links that allow us to earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Date Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted For gluten-free version, use oat flour.
- 1 tsp baking powder, sifted
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet
- 1 cup orange juice or water
- ½ cup maple sugar Can use cane coconut sugar or granulated xylitol (zero calorie sugar replacement)
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Additions
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup chopped nuts optional
Frosting
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese 1 small container at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered date sugar or confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup margarine ½ stick at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place mini cupcake liners in a mini cupcake tin.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the carrots, juice or water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and stir well.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold together until incorporated.
- If you are using nuts, fold them into the batter as well.
- Using a teaspoon, scoop the batter into the mini cupcake liners.
- Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- To test if they are done cooking, use a toothpick to poke one mini cupcake. If there is batter on the toothpick, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, then test again.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- For the frosting, combine cream cheese, margarine and date sugar with a mixer or the Cuisinart until creamy.
- Using a piping bag or teaspoon, dot or swirl the frosting on top of each mini cake.
- Store in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
