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Made from scratch, Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes are a tasty, simple-to-bake treat your family will love! Shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, flavorful spices, and rich cream cheese frosting. So good!

When You Need a Treat—Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes

Someone recently asked me why I don’t post many recipes for baked goods on the blog. The answer is simple: I just don’t do much baking.

It’s not because I have anything against baking. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Nobody loves cookies, cake, and oven-baked goodies more than I do. And that’s the problem!

It was easier when my kids still lived at home.

Having three ravenous boys in residence meant that I would only get a couple of cookies or one slice of cake before the boys devoured them. But now it’s just me and the Chairman. And when it comes to baked goods, I just don’t seem to have an off switch.

Still, now and then, a girl needs a treat. That’s where these Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes come in.

They’re easy to share with your grandkids, your neighbors, your book club. You get the idea. But mostly, they just taste terrific.

Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes – Not Health Food but Who Cares?

Now, I’m not kidding myself. Just because these yummy cupcakes have shredded carrots and crushed pineapple doesn’t make them a healthy food.

Of course, the carrots and pineapple don’t hurt. And a made-from-scratch cupcake is always going to be better for you than some ultra-processed, chemical-laced thing that you buy in a box.

But the real reason for baking your own Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes is that they taste so good!

The carrot and pineapple not only add a little extra sweetness but also make the cake extra moist and tender. Warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger add gorgeous flavor and a heavenly aroma.

Your house is going to smell amazing while these little beauties are baking!

How to Make Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes

If you’ve done any baking, the process of making Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes should be familiar.

First, you’ll whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and set them aside.Then, you’ll use an electric or stand mixer to cream the eggs and sugars together before adding the oil, carrots, and pineapple.

The carrots can be shredded on a box grater, but I like to chop the shreds, too. It makes the cake a little moister. Also, do NOT drain the crushed pineapple. It will add sweetness and extra moisture to the cake.

Finally, you’ll stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fill the cupcake tins. Carrot cupcakes won’t rise quite as high as some other cakes, so fill the tins almost but not quite all the way to the top.

After baking and cooling, you’ll be ready to decorate your cupcakes with some delicious cream cheese frosting.

And that’s where the fun begins!

Rich, Delish Cream Cheese Frosting – 3 Fun Ways to Decorate

Topping your cupcakes with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting is a must in my book.

This frosting is simple to make, but you really need to let the cream cheese and butter soften before you begin, so plan accordingly.

I like a stand mixer for making frosting, but an electric hand mixer will work too. Just mix the cream cheese and butter together along with the flavorings.

Add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time. Once it is all incorporated, keep the beaters going for another minute or two so the frosting is light and fluffy. That’s really all there is to it.

My frosting recipe includes lemon zest to add some zing. The lemon zest is optional, so it’s up to you to use it or not. But I think it adds a lot and balances beautifully off the sweet, moist carrot cake.

Another great thing about this frosting is that it makes the cupcakes look as delicious as they taste.

I’ve got suggestions for three fun ways to decorate your cupcakes: one that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, another for Easter, and a pretty everyday option.

Everyday Cupcake Frosting Technique

The simplest way to frost your cupcakes is just to put the frosting pipe onto the cupcakes. The plain white frosting looks so pretty and is a great everyday option for decorating.

You don’t need to be an expert to get a good result. Believe me, I’m not!

All I did here was put the frosting in a pastry bag with a fairly large star tip, then squeeze the frosting onto the cupcake, circling around the edges and moving toward the middle. It gave me a nice swirl and only took a few seconds per cupcake. Easy!

However, you do need the right tools for the job

Even if you only bake now and then, it’s worth investing in some piping tips and a good, reuseable pastry bag.

I really like this set. It’s great value, and it includes twenty-four tips, two re-useable silicone pastry bags, and a handy storage box.

Whatever you do, avoid the plastic, disposable pastry bags! They will break and ruin your decorations and make you so frustrated you might say bad words.

Don’t ask me how I know this, but it’s true.

Decorating Carrot Cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to decorate some of my cupcakes accordingly.

Of course, I could have simply added some green food coloring to the frosting. But I decided to use some green-tinted coconut instead. It looks a little like grass and reminds me of the green hills of Ireland.

Making colored coconut is easy.

Just place some shredded, sweetened coconut in a plastic zipper bag and add a few drops of food coloring. Then close the bag and use your hands to squash the bag with your fingers, working the food coloring through the coconut until the color is even.

I used sixteen drops of green food coloring in a cup of shredded coconut, but you can add more or less to achieve the color you desire.

To decorate, just spread the frosting on the cupcake with a knife. Spread the tinted coconut out evenly on a plate or shallow dish. Turn the frosted cupcake upside down and press gently into the coconut. You can sprinkle a little extra on any bare spots.

Voila! That’s all there is to it!

Decorating Carrot Cupcakes for Easter

Originally, I only planned to decorate for everyday and St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes.

But that green-tinted coconut gave me an idea. Why not use it to create little Easter-themed bird’s nests?

All I did was use my star tip to pipe a circle of frosting around the edge of the cupcake, leaving a bare spot in the center.

Then I turned the cupcakes upside down and gently swirled them in the tinted coconut, making sure that all the sides of the “nest” were covered. Finally, I placed some pretty little jelly bean “eggs” in the center of each nest.

I have to say, I was pretty excited about these little Easter cupcakes. They’re so darned cute!

And, like all the rest of my Pineapple Carrot Cupcakes, they taste terrific! Bake some for yourself soon!