Carrot Cake Mix Cupcakes Recipe

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 19

Total Time: 34

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 372kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

These super moist carrot cake cupcakes are made with doctored box cake mix, pineapple, coconut, & walnuts. Topped with an optional 3-ingredient cream cheese frosting!

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Cupcake Tin
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

For the Carrot Cake Cupcakes:

26.5 ounces carrot cake mix (2 boxes)*
2 cups water
⅔ cup vegetable oil
6 large eggs room temperature
1 cup crushed walnuts
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup crushed pineapple well-drained
½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup crushed walnuts for topping (optional)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional):**

16 ounces cream cheese room temperature (2 bricks)
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-count cupcake pan with a nonstick baking spray or line the wells with cupcake wrappers.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs.
26.5 ounces carrot cake mix, 2 cups water, ⅔ cup vegetable oil, 6 large eggs
Fold in the walnuts, coconut, pineapple, and optional raisins.
1 cup crushed walnuts, ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, ¼ cup crushed pineapple, ½ cup raisins

Tip: To prevent sinking, toss the add-ins in some dry cake mix or flour first!

Fill the wells or cupcake wrappers ¾ of the way full. Bake for 19-21 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes and then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
16 ounces cream cheese , 1½ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup crushed walnuts

Hack: Use a container of pre-made frosting instead.

Spread the cupcakes with frosting and top with some crushed walnuts.

Video

Notes

*Reserve 2 tbsp to toss with your mix-ins to prevent sinking.

**You can skip the homemade frosting and use a pre-made frosting instead!

Becky's Top Tips:

If you'd like to add fresh carrots, I recommend replacing one of the other mix-ins (or reducing the total amount of mix-ins) to compensate for the extra moisture.
Put the crushed pineapple in a fine-mesh strainer and press it with the back of a spoon (or squeeze it in a paper towel) until no more juice comes out.
Optionally, toss the walnuts and coconut in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant before adding them to the batter.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until the flour streaks disappear, then gently fold in your chunky extras to avoid tough cupcakes.
Don’t overfill the cupcake tins as the batter will rise in the oven. Fill them ¾ of the way.
If the cupcakes will be piped and the frosting is too soft, add another ½ cup of powdered sugar to the frosting and blend it in well.
This recipe will frost 24 cupcakes with a spreading method or a piped rosette. If a fluffy swirl (similar to what was used in the photos) is desired then double this frosting recipe. I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost my cupcakes.

Make-Ahead: Bake the cupcakes up to 24 hours in advance and store at room temperature until ready to frost. The frosting can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Briefly beat with a mixer before using.

Storage: Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store unfrosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition