Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

4.50 from 36 ratings

Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

Start your morning off on the right foot with these irresistible Carrot Cake Muffins with cream cheese filling! Moist and flavorful muffins packed with grated carrots, spices and a surprise filling of creamy, tangy cream cheese.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Resting Time15

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot cake muffins

Servings: muffins

Author: Beth

Equipment

Bakery Style Muffins Cookbook

Ingredients

Muffins

2 ½ cups all purpose flour 300 grams
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots

Cream Cheese Layer

8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 large egg yolk
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Cream Cheese Layer

Place the room temperature cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, until smooth. Add in the egg yolk, sugar and vanilla extract, beat until combined. Place the bowl with the cream cheese filling in the freezer while you prep the rest of the recipe. Chilling the filling will help keep it from melting into the muffins.

Muffins

Using a box grater or cheese grater, grate the carrots and measure 2 cups.
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.
In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula or beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Using a spatula, gently fold in the grated carrots. The batter will be very thick!
Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Assemble

After the 15 minute rest, fill the liners with only 1-2 tablespoons of batter, then add 1-2 tablespoons of the cold cream cheese mixture, then top each muffin with more batter, all the way to the top. The muffin cups should be very full! Be sure to only put 1-2 tablespoons of batter in initially, then add the cream cheese filling. If you add the filling too close to the top of the muffin, it will ooze out the top. Sprinkle the muffins with sanding sugar.
Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Some muffins may have more of a hallow center, where the cream cheese melts into the muffin. But freezing the cream cheese filling before adding it to the batter can help prevent that.
Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.

Video

Notes

Measure the flour using the spoon and level method or weigh it on a scale.
I’ve made these muffins with both regular and gluten free flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.

4 Tips for Bakery Style Muffins

Please reference the post for an explanation of why I use each tip.

1. THE REST PERIOD

Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan.

2. BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE INITIALLY

Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially then lower to 350ºF.

3. FILL THEM TO THE TOP

Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.

4. FILL EVERY OTHER MUFFIN CUP

Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.

Nutrition