These perfectly spiced Carrot Cake Muffins are studded with shredded carrot, raisins, coconut, and stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling; a different yet delicious option for the breakfast rush.
Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
This is where breakfast and dessert collide! These Carrot Cake Muffins have all the vibes of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting yet are made healthy-ish, and great for the morning..., or any other time of day, really.
You might be wondering, what makes this a muffin instead of a cupcake? Well, this muffin recipe uses greek yogurt and light olive oil for added healthy fats (also making it perfectly moist) and is sweetened with maple syrup. This means it is way more acceptable to serve at breakfast, and therefore a muffin, okay?
In addition, it has a nice level of warm spices with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg plus a little orange zest to round out the flavor.
The muffin add-ins are carrots (of course), plumped raisins (see more on that below), and shredded coconut, but you can also swap in your favorite carrot cake additions.
Overview of Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- carrots (don't buy pre-shredded carrots; be sure to shred your own whether you like them coarse or finely shredded)
- eggs
- full-fat Greek yogurt (the recipe calls for unsweetened, but you can use a flavored variety that would go well in this recipe, such as vanilla)
- pure maple syrup (this can be replaced with similar results for ¾ cup pack brown sugar)
- light olive oil (this can be replaced with any neutral baking oil)
- vanilla extract
- orange zest
- baking powder
- all-purpose flour
- spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- raisins (this can be omitted or replaced with your favorite carrot cake add-in, like nuts)
- finely shredded coconut (I haven't tested this with anything other than unsweetened finely shredded coconut, so I'm not sure if the recipe will be the same if you switch up the type of coconut used)
Useful Tools
Here are the tools used in this recipe. You won't necessarily choose to use them all, but sometimes tools make for quicker work in the kitchen! Some of these links may contain affiliate links.
- large bowl and a small bowl
- whisk + rubber spatula
- measuring cups + kitchen scale (see below for measuring flour)
- 12 cup muffin tin + parchment muffin liners
- muffin scoop (I use a size "30" or 1.25 ounce scoop for this recipe)
How to Best Measure Flour
I hate to be finicky, but I'm going to be finicky about measuring the flour. This is why: if you measure flour with a standard American dry cup measurement, depending on how you measure it (whether you dip and sweep or spoon in), it could change the outcome of your muffin.
So, if you want to ensure your recipe comes out just as intended, I recommend either weighing the flour with a kitchen scale in grams or lightly spoon it into a cup measurement until it is overflowing and then sweeping off any excess.
A Trick to Transform the Raisins
Okay, maybe this is a small trick, but one I often use it when I'm adding raisins into muffins or quickbreads.
I always re-hydrate raisins before adding them to the batter. This way, when you bite into your finished product, you're met with a moist and soft raisin instead of a dry and hard one.
To rehydrate raisins, place them in a heat-safe bowl and cover them with very hot or boiling water. They'll be plumped within minutes. Drain the raisins when ready to add to the batter.
Utilizing the One Bowl Mixing Method
Many quick bread and muffin recipes can easily be made using only one bowl.
The trick is to add the leaveners that need to be evenly distributed (we are talking about baking powder) in with the wet ingredients.
Then, after they the wet ingredients and leaveners are well combined, add in the flour. As always, once you add your flour to the wet ingredients, do not over mix it. Overmixing will result in gluten build-up, which can result in a tough muffin. We are shooting for a moist and soft result.
How to Serve and Store Carrot Cake Muffins
These muffins are best served on the day they are made. However, they will keep for 1-2 days, covered in an air-tight container stored in the refrigerator.
They have to be stored in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese filling. To get that just-baked best texture they can be warmed up in a toaster oven before eating.
Watch the Video: How to Make Stuffed Carrot Cake Muffins
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
Description
These perfectly spiced Carrot Cake Muffins are studded with shredded carrot, raisins and coconut and stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling. This muffin recipe uses greek yogurt and light olive oil for added healthy fats (also making it perfectly moist) and is sweetened with maple syrup to make it much more acceptable to serve at breakfast. In addition, it has a nice level of warm spices with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg plus a little orange zest to round out the flavor. The muffin add-ins are carrots (of course), plumped raisins (see more on that below) and shredded coconut, but you can also swap in your favorite carrot cake additions.
Ingredients
For Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For Carrot Cake Muffins:
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (130 grams) full-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-¾ cup (210 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded carrots (see note)
- ½ cup plump raisins (see note)
- ¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place parchment paper liners in a 12 cup muffin tin.
- Add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl and mash the mixture with a sturdy spoon. Once the sugar has been combined with the cream cheese, switch over to a whisk and vigorously whisk until it’s smooth. Set aside.
- Add the eggs, greek yogurt, maple syrup, light olive oil, vanilla extract, orange zest and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and mix until barely combined.
- Fold in the shredded carrots, raisins and coconut.
- Place two heaping tablespoons of batter in each muffin tin (or one scoop with a size "30" portion scooper). Use a spoon to spread the batter flat. It does not need to be perfect. Then add 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese frosting, and use a spoon to spread out the frosting. Repeat with 2 heaping tablespoons of muffin batter, spreading it out to cover the frosting. Bang the muffin tin on a hard surface once or twice to help the muffin batter settle.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffin tops are matte in appearance and firm to the touch.
- Let the muffins cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Some people like finely grated carrots in their carrot cake, and some prefer more coarse. Feel free to shred them to your liking.
Rehydrating raisins before adding them to the muffin batter results in a better muffin. You're met with a moist and soft raisin instead of a hard and dry one when you bite into it. To rehydrate raisins, place them in a heat-safe bowl and cover them with very hot or boiling water. They'll be plumped within minutes. Drain the raisins when ready to add to the batter.
Solly
I made these for Easter and every single person in my family LOVED them. I used a scale and made exactly as written except left out raisins. This is a wonderful recipe that I plan to make time and time again. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. We also really like the blueberry muffins which have been on repeat since the first time I made them for my family. Highly recommend.