• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Nicky's Kitchen Sanctuary logo

  • > Start Here
  • The Recipes
    • Browse all categories
    • Asian
    • Dinner
    • Pasta
    • Roast Dinner
    • Curries
    • Sides
    • Soups
    • Big Batch
    • Quick Dinner Recipes
    • Skinny Recipes
    • Street Food
    • Lunch
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cakes & Treats
    • BBQ
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Drinks
    • Appetizers
    • Sauces and Dips
  • My New Book
  • Blogger Resources
    • Living The Blog
    • How to start a food blog
    • Income Reports
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Sign-Up
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • > Start Here
  • All Recipes
  • Never miss a recipe!
  • 20 Minute Meals
  • Appetizers & Party Food
  • Asian
  • Curries
  • Dinner
  • One Pot
  • Pasta
  • Roast Dinner
  • Sides
  • Slow Cooked
  • Soups
  • Street Food
  • Terms and Conditions
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home > Cakes, Desserts & Treats

    Carrot and Orange Cupcakes

    Published: Aug 14, 2015 · Modified: Sep 15, 2020 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Print Recipe

    Moist and fluffy carrot and orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins.  These Carrot and Orange Cupcakes are all topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

    Moist and fluffy carrot & orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

    These are some dangerously addictive cupcakes.  After scoffing down a few, I had to send the rest into work with Chris as we were in danger of eating the lot in less than 24 hours!

    I first came up with this recipe for my friend Lucy over at her beautiful website Craftberry Bush.  She really is one of the most talented artists I've seen - she's even got her own craft kits in the shops!
    Lucy generously let's me post any recipes I write for her site onto my blog too, so I'm really chuffed to be sharing this recipe with you today.

    Moist and fluffy carrot & orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

    We’re talking orange-infused raisins, a hint of spice, 3 whole carrots (which technically means these cupcakes are good for you – if you ignore the butter, cream cheese and sugar…..) and a creamy, sweet frosting, flecked with orange zest.

    Moist and fluffy carrot & orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

    I'm pretty sure I could eat these things for breakfast every day, with a cup of steaming coffee (bliss).

    Moist and fluffy carrot & orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

    Although they've got plenty of goodness in them in terms of the carrots, coconut oil, raisins and orange juice, you could make them even healthier by replacing the plain (all-purpose) flour with whole wheat.  They'll still be moist and delicious (one of the great things about infusing the raisins in the orange juice).

    Have a great weekend everyone!  I'm determined to get my trainers on and go for a run over the weekend.  School holidays are too easy an excuse to miss those gym trips (and to push aside the mindful eating. Too. Naughty.) and I need all the help I can get when I'm eating cakes like this for breakfast!!

    The Carrot and Orange Cupcakes Recipe:

    Moist and fluffy carrot & orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

    Carrot and Orange Cupcakes

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Moist and fluffy carrot and orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.
    5 from 1 vote
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 22 mins
    Total Time 47 mins
    Course Cakes
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 cupcakes
    Calories 496 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Cupcakes:

    • 90 ml orange juice
    • 113 g raisins
    • 230 g plain/all-purpose flour - (you can replace with whole wheat flour if preferred)
    • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 ½ tsp mixed spice - or pumpkin pie spice
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 2 large eggs - mixed with a fork
    • 150 g light brown sugar
    • 120 ml coconut oil - (melted) or vegetable oil
    • Zest of 1 orange
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 195 g peeled and grated carrots - (about 3 medium carrots)

    Frosting:

    • 195 g butter, softened
    • 300 g cream cheese
    • 150 g powdered/icing sugar, sifted
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • Zest of 1 orange - chopped very finely (so it won’t clog up the piping bag)
    • Slices of orange

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Place the orange juice and raisins in a small bowl and leave them to soak for 1-2 hours (up to overnight).
    • Preheat oven to 425f (220c). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.
    • In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice mix, and salt. Give them a mix to combine.
    • Now add in the eggs, sugar, coconut oil, orange zest, vanilla extract, grated carrots and the raisins in orange juice (add the orange juice in too). Stir everything together using a wooden spoon until just combined.
    • Divide the cake mix between the cupcake cases and place in the oven. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350f (180c) and cook for a further 15-17 minutes. You can check the cupcakes are done by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they’re done.
    • Place the cupcakes on a rack to cool completely.
    • Make the frosting by beating the butter in a mixer or with a whisk until soft. Add in the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until soft and creamy, then stir in the orange zest.
    • Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with a wide, plain nozzle. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, starting from the outside and working towards the centre. Top each cupcake with a small wedge of orange and serve!

    ✎ Notes

    These cupcakes are best eaten on the day they’re made. However, they will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days. Take out of the fridge an hour before serving (they’re quite firm if eaten straight from the fridge).
    .
    Nutritional Information is per cupcake.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 4gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 430mgPotassium: 227mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 3510IUVitamin C: 5.2mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 1.4mg
    Keywords Any Time Of the year, Baking Ideas, carrots
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!
    Moist and fluffy carrot & orange cupcakes with a hint of spice and lots of juicy raisins. All topped off with a zesty cream cheese frosting and orange wedges.

     

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More
    « Spiced Berry Cooler
    Sticky, Slow-Cooked Pork Ribs »

    Other Recipes You Might Like:

    Cranberry Brie Bites
    A healthy vegan sweet potato recipe - packed with Thai flavours. A great snack for game day.
    Thai Sweet Potato Skins
    A pile of churros dusted with cinnamon sugar sat on their side.
    Baked Churros
    Chocolate Halloween cupcakes with spiderweb patterns in the topping placed on a dark slate background with toy skulls and spiders in the background.
    Halloween Spider Web Chocolate Cupcakes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Rate the recipe




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Kathryn says

      April 23, 2018 at 11:15 am

      5 stars
      Had the grandchildren for the weekend, turns out carrot cakes are my granddaughters favourite. Found this recipe for next time she comes. Going for a trial run first, just added any ingredients I haven't got to shopping list.

      Reply
    2. Priscilla says

      March 26, 2017 at 5:12 am

      This looks so good, I'm going to have to give it a shot!

      Reply
    3. Lily says

      August 14, 2015 at 8:17 pm

      I wish I could sink my teeth into one of those cupcakes right now. I love your photography too, the blue and orange is gorgeous together.

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        September 13, 2015 at 9:21 am

        Thanks Lily, glad you like the picture. I've been debating whether that board is a little too bright, but it does seem to work pretty well with the orange colour.

        Reply
    4. cakesupplies6 says

      August 14, 2015 at 8:06 pm

      These orange cupcake will make my breakfast table shining, I like orange flavor

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        September 13, 2015 at 9:20 am

        Me too 🙂 Orange with chocolate or Orange cake - both are my favourites!!

        Reply
    5. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says

      August 14, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Wish that I had one of these for breakfast too! 🙂 These sound wonderful--orange + carrot cake sounds like a delightful flavor combo 😀

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        September 13, 2015 at 9:19 am

        Thanks June, they're really yummy. If I wasn't dieting right now I'd have definitely gone for one too!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

    Recipes by category:

    • Popular Recipes
    • Asian
    • Curries
    • Quick Dinner Recipes
    • British Classic Recipes
    • BBQ
    • Roast Dinner
    • Street Food
    • Pasta
    Search For a Recipe

    Our Top Trending Recipes:

    • Crispy Sesame Chicken with a Sticky Asian Sauce
    • Honey Garlic Chicken
    • The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes
    • Cheesy Pasta Bake With Chicken And Bacon
    • Easy Chicken Curry
    • Easy Satay Sauce Recipe
    • Korean Fried Chicken
    • Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake

    FREE recipes direct to your inbox!

    Never miss a recipe and sign up for our completely FREE emails.

      Featured Recipes:

      • Chilli Con Carne
      • Traditional Lancashire Hotpot
      • Creamy Chicken Pot Pie
      • Egg Fried Rice
      • Korean Fried Chicken
      • Copycat Firecracker Chicken
      • Buffalo Chicken Pasta
      • Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Curry
      As Featured On
      brit and co logo
      buzzfeed logo
      cheshire life logo
      country living logo
      beautiful home and life logo
      my fitness pal logo
      Neff logo
      The telegraph logo
      The Kitchn logo
      Vegetarian society logo

      Footer

      Nicky Corbishley is the recipe creator and photographer for Kitchen Sanctuary. Wife to Chris (chief techie and videographer) and mum to Lewis and Gracey. Read More…

      DMCA.com Protection Status

      Most Recent Recipes

      • Roasted Vegetable Pasta
      • Crispy Orange Beef
      • Seafood Laksa
      • 20-Minute Butterbean and Chorizo Soup
      • Creamy Chicken and Mushroom One Pan Casserole

      Copyright © 2023 LoveFoodCreative Ltd - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Terms & Conditions