Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Gluten free & dairy free)
My Carrot Cake cupcakes combine a delicious carrot cake flavoured sponge filled with raisins, walnuts and tasty spices of cinnamon and ginger topped with a dairy free buttercream. If you do make this recipe I’d love to see, don’t forget to tag me in your photos over on social media!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which butter do you use for the the buttercream?
I use the Stork ‘perfect for baking’ 250g gold packet butter which is naturally dairy free and available in most major UK supermarkets. If you can’t get hold of this butter, it’s always best to use a hard dairy free butter block instead of a soft spread for a dairy free buttercream as soft spreads can sometimes cause the mixture to curdle.
Why do you use vegetable oil instead of butter in the cake mix?
In this particular recipe, using vegetable oil instead of butter helps the cakes to last longer and provides a lovely moist texture. If you don’t have vegetable oil you could also use sunflower oil.
How long will this cake last?
It will last in an airtight container for around 5 days.
Which gluten free flour do you use for the cake?
For this recipe, and the majority of my bakes, I use the FREEE Gluten Free Plain Flour which works really well in gluten free baking.
Where do you get the carrot toppings?
I picked up the carrot iced toppings from Sainsburys.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 225 g gluten free plain flour
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (Omit if your flour blend already contains this)
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 225 g light brown sugar
- 50 g raisins
- 50 g walnuts (crushed)
- 150 g grated carrot
- 3 medium eggs
- 175 ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the buttercream
- 200 g dairy free butter block
- 400 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Splash of dairy free milk
- Decorations
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and place 12-16 cupcake cases into a cupcake tin.
- In a large bowl, mix plain flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice. Add light brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, and carrot and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, then add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Stir until fully combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases to nearly full and bake for around 22-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 1 hour.
Make buttercream
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on a medium speed until soft. Gradually add icing sugar, continuing to beat for up to 5 minutes until combined and creamy. Add vanilla and dairy free milk and whisk again.
- Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes and decorate as you please. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
I absolutely love seeing what you’ve created, so if you do make this recipe (or any other recipe from my website) don’t forget to tag me over on my social media pages @glutenfreealice and use the hashtag #glutenfreealice