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Carrot & Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

July 17, 2008

carrot-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-icing.jpg

I've been getting tons of emails from parents asking for cake recipe ideas for 1st birthday parties. I still find it amazing how one's family's social calendar completely changes after one has a kid. Our weekend schedules are packed with kids' birthday parties whereas we used to get invited to them about twice a year. Birthday parties for little ones can be loads of fun, but the last thing a parent wants on the ride home is their little one on a sugar high from all the birthday cake.
These carrot cupcakes are delectable. They're made with agave nectar instead of sugar. Agave nectar comes from the agave plant. It is a sweet liquid with a consistency a bit smoother than honey. Agave is also low on the glycemic index and is metabolized by your body slower than sugar so it has a less severe effect on blood sugar fluctuations. You can find it at any health food store and I bet you'll find many ways for it to replace sugar in your kitchen.
Instead of baking one big cake, I prefer to decorate a platter with tons of cupcakes. I think this is ultimately more fun for the kids (and parents) since they all get their own cupcake they can decorate with nuts, sprinkles or whatever suits their fancy. It's also a good way to manage portion control. Anyway these are a blast to make for a birthday or any special occassion and heavenly tasting to eat!



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Carrot & Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing  (Make 14 Cupcakes)

  • Prep Time:5 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes,
  • Total Time: 35 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups ap flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup agave or honey
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 1/4 cup pineapple, drained, crushed in juice

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. 2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium sized bowl.
  3. 3. Using a mixer, beat the agave, oil and eggs until thoroughly combined.
  4. 4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
  5. 5. Add the carrots and pineapple and beat until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  6. 6. Line 14-1/3 cup muffin cups or mini muffins with paper liners.
  7. 7. Scoop batter into cups, filling 3/4 full.
  8. 8. Bake for 30 minutes for regular 1/3 cup muffins or 15 minutes for mini cupcakes.
  9. 9. Cool (cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead, cover and store at room temperature).
  10. 10 Spread top of each cupcake with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese icing and serve.
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  8. aimee strong

    September 22, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    Reply

    Hi! I made the cupcakes and they were delish..i want to make a 8 in. round ” smash” cake for my daughter’s first birthday. Any idea on how long to bake the cake? same temperture? Thank you. I love that you have provided sooo much delish recipes without suger! aimee

    • catherine

      September 24, 2012 at 11:43 am

      Reply

      I would use the same oven temperature. Check the cake after 30 minutes to see if it is ready!

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  11. angelita

    August 10, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Reply

    These cupcakes sound delicious! Could someone please tell me what AP flour is? Thank you

    • Tricia

      August 22, 2011 at 10:02 pm

      Reply

      Don’t you just hate acronyms sometimes? =) AP = all purpose

  12. Arelis

    July 18, 2011 at 10:32 am

    Reply

    These just came out of the oven and my 2 year is eating his 2nd one. He likes his without frosting and I like mine with. I used egg replacer (allergies) and substituted applesauce since I didn’t have pineapple. They taste great!

    • Nicole

      July 20, 2011 at 11:59 am

      Reply

      Applesauce would be perfect! Did you use a 1/4 cup applesauce?

  13. Lindsey

    June 26, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    Reply

    I made this cake for the first time the day of my daughter’s 3rd Birthday party. I made two 8in layers for a two layer cake with a bit extra for 5 cupcakes leftover. It was a heavy cake but very moist. Everyone loved it! The icing was really good as well. I am thinking about making it again for my son’s 1st Birthday in August. This was the 1st cake I ever made from scratch, icing and all. Thanks!

    • Eve

      July 26, 2012 at 9:03 am

      Reply

      Does anyone know if this recipe makes enough for two 9-inch layers? If so, how long would you bake them for?

  14. Brooke

    March 29, 2011 at 10:04 am

    Reply

    What kind of flour?

    • catherine

      March 29, 2011 at 1:53 pm

      Reply

      All Purpose :)

  15. Lisa

    October 8, 2010 at 6:09 pm

    Reply

    Can I substitute the butter with something else?

    • catherine

      October 11, 2010 at 2:41 pm

      Reply

      You can use Margerine or even vegetable oil. :)

  16. Dina

    August 20, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    Reply

    I would like to make this recipe in a bundt pan- any idea how long it will take to bake? Do you think it will get stuck due to the relatively low fat content?

  17. claire

    August 4, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Reply

    Can this be used as a sheet cake instead of individual cupcakes? If so, what size round pan would it fill? Thank you!!

    ps do you have a printed/printable cookbook? I would buy it!!

    • catherine

      August 5, 2010 at 2:17 pm

      Reply

      I have never tried making them as a whole cake, but I would do it in two 8 -inch pans. Cookbook is coming soon!

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  19. angela

    February 24, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    Reply

    Looks really good! and healthy too! Could I substitute half the amount of sugar instead of Agave??

    • catherine

      May 4, 2010 at 3:52 pm

      Reply

      You can substitute honey and maple syrup for the same amount of agave.

  20. Elizabeth

    January 22, 2010 at 5:28 pm

    Reply

    Tried this recipe Twice…burnt on the outside and undercooked on the inside!

    • Laura

      May 8, 2011 at 10:30 pm

      Reply

      Baking in a 6″ pan, I had the same problem, where it burnt on the outside and was raw in the middle. Ick–I am so glad I practiced before my son’s birthday. I really liked the idea of using agave nectar, but all of that expensive agave ended up in the garbage when the cake flopped. I have an oven thermometer inside, so I know my oven temp is accurate. I also made sure to only put 2 c. of batter in the pan, according to Wilton’s instructions. Maybe this only works well for mini cupcakes. I don’t know how you made it work, but I am really disappointed.

    • catherine

      May 6, 2010 at 6:17 pm

      Reply

      Was the oven set at 350? Maybe your oven can be off, try setting it at a lower temperature like 325 and see what happens.

  21. X

    November 1, 2009 at 4:41 am

    Reply

    Wow, thanks so much for this recipe. My dad is borderline diabetic and his birthday is Tuesday.

    I was searching everywhere for an agave cream cheese icing, and your site had both a great carrot cake and icing recipe!

    I made this cake for today’s dinner. It looks and smells delicious! I don’t have kids, but your blog is great. :)

  22. janny226

    October 31, 2009 at 7:44 am

    Reply

    Sounds delicious! Does the agave nectar have a flavor to it?

    • catherine

      May 6, 2010 at 6:34 pm

      Reply

      Yes its a sweetener, you can use honey or maple syrup too :)

  23. Sarah

    November 22, 2008 at 12:31 pm

    Reply

    Great Idea, I made these for my son’s 1st B-day but since I used the same muffin tins I make muffins in the leftover oil made the bottoms of the cupcakes burn a bit… hmm, maybe it’s just my baking skills, in any case the TOPS tasted great! My husband even liked them..

    Thanks for all the great ideas – I love your site!

    Sarah

  24. pam

    August 26, 2008 at 4:45 pm

    Reply

    Hello, love your recipes. I am going to try them out. I have a question regarding agave. Where can I purchase Agave Nectar? Is it available at local supermarkets or do I have to go to a Speciality store?

    Thank you.

    Pam

  25. LeShone

    August 2, 2008 at 11:44 pm

    Reply

    This recipe was SO easy to make, very healthy and turned out one DELICIOUS dessert! I actually made it into a cake for my husbnd and myself (my 7 week old son can have some via me!) My husband actually commented, “Um you better save this recipe!” And the whole thing is sugar free! I want to try it with egg replacers since I think my young one may be developing an allergy to eggs. Do you have any favorite brands you recommend for egg replacers? Otherwise, I love this cake…just sweet enough, moist and like I said, EASY! I plan on making this for our next potluck dinner or family get-together. by the way…love the website…keep up the excellent work!


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