What I love about Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes with a sweet cardamom cream cheese frosting are seriously delicious! With Easter just around the corner, carrot cake is popping up everywhere on social media—and I couldn’t resist joining in. I decided it was finally time to share my own version of gluten-free carrot cupcakes, and I have to say, these cupcakes are truly something special.
The cupcakes themselves are incredibly moist and tender, with just the right balance of sweetness and spice. You’d never guess they’re both gluten- and grain-free! However, the real magic happens when you top them with the silky-smooth cardamom cream cheese frosting. The subtle warmth of cardamom perfectly complements the classic carrot cake flavours, creating a frosting that’s both unique and irresistible.
Each cupcake gets a generous swirl of frosting and a sprinkle of freshly toasted coconut for a little added texture and flavour. Together, these ingredients create a dessert that’s elegant, festive, and perfect for sharing—whether at Easter dinner or brunch.
So, be sure to save this recipe for later—you’ll be so glad you did!
Recipe Notes
A few things to keep in mind:
- Grain Free Flours – I used a mix of two of my favourite gluten-free flours: almond flour and tapioca flour. The blend of the two of them creates the perfect texture for these cupcakes. I don’t recommend substituting with other gluten free flours because they are not all the same texture.
- Yogurt – We are adding a small amount of plain yogurt to help activate the baking soda. The acid in the yogurt helps this process. You could also use sour cream.
- Carrots – Carrots are the star of the show! Heres a quick tip: grate your carrots on the small grate side of your grater. The carrot shreds will be much smaller and will more easily disappear into the cupcake batter. Once baked, the texture of the cupcake will be more fine and you won’t notice them as much.
- Cream cheese – You will need cream cheese in the block/brick form for this recipe. Do not use spreadable cream cheese for the frosting.
- Powdered sugar – I am definitely not a fan of overly sweet frosting, so with that I found that 2/3 cup was the perfect amount! However, please adjust the amount to your preference. It’s not a science when it comes to the amount sugar we are adding to the frosting and everyone has different sweet level preferences.
- Cardamom – I added a little cardamom to the frosting to level it up a little and make it unique. You don’t have to add the cardamom, but it adds a nice element of flavour to the frosting.
How to Make it
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Add the olive oil, yogurt and vanilla and whisk again until combined.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients.
To the same bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Fold in the shredded carrots.
Step 3: Scoop cupcakes batter into muffin liners.
Scoop the carrot cake batter evenly into 14 muffin liners and bake them in the preheated oven at 350F for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs.
Step 4: Make the toasted coconut.
Spread out the shredded coconut on a small baking sheet and roast in the oven at 325F for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown.
Step 5: Make the frosting.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the softened cream cheese for about 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom and pinch salt and beat again until completely combined and fluffy, another 1-2 minutes.
Step 6: Frost and decorate cupcakes.
Add frosting a to a large piping bag and pipe generously on the tops of all 14 cupcakes. Garnish with toasted coconut and serve!
FAQ:
I don’t recommend substituting with other flours unless you know the exact conversion. Not all flours are created equal and they all have different textures which require more or less moisture/binding. Stick with the recommended flours for this recipe for best results.
Use the small-side holes of a box grater (a fine grate) so the carrot shreds are small and disappear more easily into the batter. This will give the cupcakes a finer texture.
Yes. It certainly elevates the flavour, but it’s not necessary. Skip if need be. 🙂
Yes. Both the cupcakes and frosting can be made a day in advance. Store the cupcakes in an air-tight container in the fridge overnight. The frosting can be transferred to a piping bag and stored in the fridge as well so it’s ready to go when you need it. Just be sure to take the frosting out about 15-20 minutes before you want to pipe so that it can soften and make piping easier.
Store leftover frosted cupcakes in an air-tight container in the fridge. They will last for up to 5 days.
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2 Muffin Tins
- 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- 1 Small Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 4 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
- 1/4 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon plain full-fat yogurt or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups carrots finely grated
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 2 (250g) bricks cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut for toasting and topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line 14 muffin tin cups with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars until combined. Add the olive oil, yogurt and vanilla and mix again until everything is combined.
- To the same bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined and there are no dry pockets. Fold in the shredded carrots.
- Scoop the cupcake batter evenly into the 14 prepared muffin liners. They will be nearly full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Do not over bake or they will be dry. Check them at 20 minutes and every minute afterwards until they're done).
- While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting: Add the softened cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whip on medium-high until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cardamom and salt and whip again until everything is incorporated, smooth and fluffy, another 1-2 minutes.
- Make the toasted coconut: spread the 3/4 cup shredded coconut on a small baking sheet in an even layer. When the cupcakes are done, lower the temperature to 325F and toast the coconut for 5 minutes or until golden.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Once cool, frost the cupcakes and top with toasted coconut.
- Serve and enjoy!
Leave a Reply