Banana Carrot Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.
I did it.
I put a vegetable in a cupcake. And I didn’t do it alone.
Remember when I made these breakfast cookies? I love those things. Anyhoo, I made them with facebaby’s sister (my best friend’s kids… no, no relation) who is pretty much my favoritest little person in the universe. If you click on that cookie link, you can see how much older she looks here. I sort of hate it. Every time I see her I just want to scream STOP GROWING!!
I’m so maternal.
And ever since we made those cookies, she has been asking her mom when we were going to do it again. If we are being honest here… things like this aren’t just for her. I mean, did you know I might not be the most patient person in the world? Yeah. It sure does benefit, well… everyone around me when I spend a good chunk of time with a four year old. Oh the things I learn.
I also encourage them to do this. I sense I may regret it one day. Never mind that when my husband is around, I don’t exist. She loooooooves him.
So – the cupcakes with vegetables. Yes. I feel like carrot cake can be a cult favorite or get no love at all. I am pretty apathetic on the whole situation – it’s not the first cupcake I’d ever choose and I’d possibly even turn down a big slice, but the cream cheese frosting is what draws me in most. AND you guys know how obsessed I am with bananas these days… I just felt like adding some in would be the best choice in the world.
It was.
Oh… and we also made these cupcakes with coconut oil! No butter. Isn’t that crazy talk? I love it.
By now, you know I’m a bit on the lazy side and prefer mixing my cupcakes by hand. Sometimes you guys ask me why I do this in hopes for some special scientific baking answer, but the truth is that I just don’t want to drag my mixer out constantly. Plus, this way things were a bit easier and hands-on for my little friend. It results in a slightly denser cupcake – almost muffin like – but the banana and coconut oil contribute to the texture as well.
We left shredded coconut out of the cupcake itself, mostly because not everyone we were spending time with loooooves coconut like I do. How rude. If you’d like, you can throw a big old handful inside the batter, no other substitutions necessary. The frosting itself is flavored with coconut extract, but in my attempts to be crafty and entertain a small child, we put little nests on top with toasted coconut and Cadbury mini eggs.
Ugh. These stupid eggs. They are killing me. I thought I could be the cool, festive, domestic person that has a bowl of mini eggs sitting in their living room for hungry guests to snack on, but ummm…. no. I ate them all myself. Major fail.
Worth it though. This was so.much.fun.
Banana Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, measured solid then melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 bananas, mashed
- 2 cups freshly grated carrots
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
frosting
- 1 1/2 (8 ounce) blocks of cold cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- toasted unsweetened flaked coconut
- cadbury mini eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with liners. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs. Whisk in coconut oil, then once combined, stir in bananas, carrots and vanilla extract. Once mixed, add in half of the dry ingredients. Mix with a large spoon until incorporated, then add in the buttermilk. Add the remaining dry ingredients and stir until batter is somewhat smooth and not many lumps remain. Using a 1/4 cup measure or an ice cream scoop, fill lines 3/4 of the way full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are set in the centers. Set aside to cool completely.
frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add in powdered sugar with the mixer on low speed, increasing the speed once all of the sugar is added. Add in vanilla and coconut extracts, then beat on medium to medium-high speed for a good 2-3 minutes until creamy, scraping down the sides if needed. If you find the frosting it a bit too thick, add in some milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar gradually. Frost cupcakes once cooled. Roll the edges in toasted coconut and top with cadbury mini eggs if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
Ooooh and that neon pink headband? Yeah. Just guess who bought her that.
112 Comments on “Banana Carrot Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.”
Pingback: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting | How Sweet It Is
Hi Jessica!
I can’t wait to make these.
Two questions:
If I only want 12 cupcakes, is it okay to half the recipe?
If I want to make this dairy -free friendly, would replacing the buttermilk with almond milk work, or create a totally different flavor?
Also, just curious.. if I don’t have buttermilk on hand, can I replace with a different milk (if not trying to make dairy free) or do you simply suggest using buttermilk and not replacing?
Thank you so much!
Most recipes can be cut in half. If it calls for 3 eggs, I usually use 2 when cutting the recipe in half. I only use almond or coconut milk. Just add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the milk and let it sit for a minute or so, then you may add it. Hope this helps. I’m making this recipe tonight.
Most recipes can be cut in half. If it calls for 3 eggs, I usually use 2 when cutting the recipe in half. I only use almond or coconut milk. Just add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the milk and let it sit for a minute or so, then you may add it. Hope this helps. I’m making this recipe tonight.
After reading the recipe again, I recommend more vinegar or you could use lemon. The ratio is 1 tsp lemon or vinegar to 1/2 tsp baking soda.
I make your recipe every Easter with my kids. It’s a family favorite now. I add grate zucchini or apple sometimes too. Thanks for sharing your recipe! 😊
Made these for Easter this weekend subbing jeallybeans for the decoration on top. The combo of banana and carrot cake made me think of this as almost more of a breakfast treat than a dessert despite the frosting, so would be delicious any time of day
Pingback: 12 Mouth-Watering and Fun Easter Dessert Recipes on a Budget - This Mama Blogs
I LOVE YOU!! Major Fail and are all the eggs! This is so me too. 😂🥰❤️
Can’t wait to try, I am sure it will be Fabulous based on all of your other recipes that I have tried 😘
Sounds delicious! Can I make it a loaf instead of cupcakes by increasing the cook time?