Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

My son is absolutely crazy about anything carrot cake, so you know these gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are good if he gives his seal of approval. While you can make my regular carrot cake recipe into cupcakes, sometimes you don't want dozens of cupcakes in the house. This small batch recipe is perfect for when you just want a little something sweet!

If you are interested in more gluten free cupcakes, check out my recipes for small batch chocolate cupcakes, perfect vanilla cupcakes, or my really fun rainbow tie dye cupcakes.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It is easy to make in just one bowl.
• It's gluten free and dairy free.
• Its a small batch that only makes 6 cupcakes.

Ingredient Notes

• Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill flour in my recipes. You can use the flour blend of your choice, but ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder. I haven't tested this recipe with any other flour blends, so your results may vary.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda - Because carrot cake can be very dense, we are using two types of leavening agents to help with rise.
• Brown Sugar - I've used light brown sugar but you could substitute dark brown sugar if you prefer. Don't replace this with white sugar because the molasses in brown sugar is needed to react with the baking soda.
• Oil - I use olive oil in my recipes but any light flavored cooking oil will work fine.
• Unsweetened Applesauce - Applesauce is providing a little bit of moisture, natural sweetness, and reducing the amount of oil needed for the recipe.
• Carrots - Make sure to freshly grate your carrots for this recipe. The pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store tend to be dry and tougher which could affect the texture of the cake.

For the decoration you will need: vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and chopped walnuts.

Instructions

These cupcakes mix up all in one bowl. I do recommend using an electric mixer to whip some air into the eggs since there is no butter to cream.

STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

STEP 2: Add the brown sugar and egg to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes until the egg has added some volume and the mixture has lightened in color.

STEP 3: With the mixer turned to low speed, slowly pour the oil in at the edge of the bowl. Mix until it is evenly combined.

STEP 4: Add the vanilla, followed by the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

STEP 5: Add the applesauce and shredded carrots to the cake batter. Fold them in with a spatula.

STEP 6: Once the carrots are evenly mixed in, portion the batter into 6 cupcake liners and bake.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, top them with dairy free cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of walnuts.

Storage

Store any leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Because of the cream cheese in the frosting, these cupcakes must be refrigerated.

These cupcakes can also be frozen for later. Place the cupcakes on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 1 hour or until the frosting has hardened. Then remove the cupcakes and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped cupcakes inside of a freezer bag or container and put back in the freezer.

Bring to room temperature before serving.

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