Everybunny's Favorite Carrot Cake Cupcakes that Hop from a Box Mix
Doctor a box of carrot cake mix to make perfectly moist carrot cake cupcakes topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- 15.25 oz. box Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Carrot Cake
- ¾ cup *buttermilk *see easy substitution in notes
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup Walnut Oil (or use vegetable oil or canola)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 - 4 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted so lump free
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
To make cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Fill (2) 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Blend cake mix with buttermilk, eggs and oil in a large bowl on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds.
- Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop, divide batter into 24 cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full.
- Bake for 16 -19 minutes, or until cupcakes test done with a toothpick.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting:
- Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.
- Start with 3 cups of sugar, add more after tasting to desired sweetness. Use 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) in place of the regular cream cheese if desired. Transfer frosting to a piping bag with an open star tip to pipe (I used a 1 M tip).
- Sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the cream cheese frosting if desired.
Notes
- Easy substitution for buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Fill with whole milk to 3/4 cup line. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened and you will see small curdled bits.
- If using a different brand carrot cake mix, used recommended quantity and additions on back of box. Add one extra large egg, and buttermilk for water.
- This is a delicious basic cream cheese frosting recipe for carrot cake and perfect for sweet rolls too. Adjust amount of sugar to your taste ( 3 - 4 cups) and for your preferred sweetness.
- Refrigerate any cake or cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Take them out of the refrigerator an hour or two before you'd like to serve, so the frosting has time to come to room temperature and the cake or cupcakes lose their chill.
- Walnut oil can be used in place of most other cooking oils in baking recipes, sauces and salad dressings. It’s also delicious plant-based source of Omega-3 fatty acid