Sourdough Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These sourdough carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are a new way to enjoy carrot cake. They make a great snack and are perfect for a family get-together. This, and my other sourdough discard recipes, will quickly become favorites.
Sourdough Carrot Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-cup Cupcake pans
- Cupcake liners
- Mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer)
- Large mixing bowl
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup sourdough starter (discard/ unfed)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup canned crushed pineapple (drained, about 8 oz)
- 2 cups carrots (grated, about 4 medium carrots)
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 12 ounces butter (melted)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- pinch salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream (if icing is too thick)
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Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the muffin pans with cupcake liners. This recipe yields 24 very full cupcakes or 26 smaller ones.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the vegetable oil and white sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then, beat well until fully combined and creamy. Next, add the sourdough starter discard and gently mix it into the batter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the carrots, pineapple, and raisins. Reduce your mixer speed to low and gently fold in the grated carrots, drained pineapple, and golden raisins until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Prepare the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time, mixing gently after each addition until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. Fill to about ⅔ full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly bouncy when pressed.
- Cool the cupcakes. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese and melted butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. It may appear lumpy at first, but continue beating until fully combined.
- Add the vanilla and salt. Mix in the vanilla extract. If you're using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. Otherwise, skip the salt.
- Add the powdered sugar. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, starting on low speed to prevent a sugar cloud, then increasing the speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Adjust the consistency. If the frosting is too thick, add milk or cream, one teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If it becomes too thin, refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before using.
- Frost the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, generously frost them using a piping bag or a spatula.
Video
Notes
- To make a cake instead, mix evenly into two 8-inch cake pans and bake for about 45 minutes, checking with a cake tester to make sure it’s done.
Tips for Success:
Keep your cupcake liners about ⅔ full. These rise quite a bit, and overfilling will give you flat tops that spill over.
The tops should spring back when lightly touched. If your finger leaves a dent, it needs more time.
Let the cupcakes cool all the way before frosting. Even slightly warm cupcakes will melt your frosting.
Make sure your cream cheese is truly at room temperature, and let your melted butter cool slightly before mixing them together.
Grate your own carrots instead of using pre-shredded ones. The fresh moisture makes a big difference.
Ingredients and Tools
Sourdough discard: Cold from the fridge is fine – it doesn’t need to be recently fed or at room temperature.
Vegetable oil: This keeps your cupcakes moist.
Carrots: Fresh, medium-sized carrots that you grate yourself work best. They have more moisture than pre-packaged shredded carrots.
Crushed pineapple: Drain it in a strainer, but don’t press out all the juice. You want some moisture to remain.
Golden raisins: These are milder than dark raisins. If you only have dark raisins, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes and drain before using.
Mixer: A stand mixer or hand mixer makes the frosting much easier, though you could mix by hand if needed.
Cupcake pans: Either light or dark metal pans work well. Dark pans give a slightly crispier edge.
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Troubleshooting and Help
You can, but remember that whole wheat flour will make the cupcakes denser and may give them a slightly nutty flavor. If you want to try it, I’d suggest using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour to keep the texture nice and light.
If you’re not a fan of golden raisins, feel free to leave them out or replace them with something you like, such as chopped nuts, dried cranberries, or even a handful of shredded coconut.
That can happen if your baking soda is old or the batter is overmixed. Make sure your baking soda is fresh (less than six months old), and stir just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can knock out the air and make the cupcakes dense.
That happens if the butter was too warm when you started. Put the frosting in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let it firm up, then stir it before frosting the cupcakes.
Try a simple buttercream, a lemon glaze, my vanilla cream filling on top, or dust the tops with powdered sugar for a lighter option.
These cupcakes are a simple and delicious way to use up your discard. I hope they become a favorite in your home like they are in mine.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.