Chai Carrot Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting
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Updated May 06, 2025, Published Sep 12, 2024
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Chai Carrot Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting are flavored with the spices of a cup of chai! Moist carrot cupcakes are loaded with warm spices, grated carrots, pumpkin seeds and walnuts. The frosting is delicious and buttery, filled with maple syrup and topped with cinnamon. These cupcakes are super easy to make and are perfect for Easter or served with Brown Butter Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto.
I ADORE carrot cake and chai. Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, this Mini Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting, or Chai Tiramisu are simply perfect for any holiday gathering or whenever you are craving a cozy treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Chai Carrot Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting
- Dry ingredients – Aside from the usual flour, baking soda and salt, the dry mix is combined with warm spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves and black pepper to really make these cupcakes taste like carrot cake and chai spice.
- Butter and vegetable oil – You really want to use a combination of butter and vegetable oil. Using all butter(although delicious) will make the cupcakes denser than we’d like and they won’t be as moist.
- Carrots – Use freshly grated carrots not the pre-shredded kind. You’ll get a stronger carrot flavor and the extra moisture will keep the cupcakes moist and light.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How To Make Chai Carrot Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting
- Make the cupcakes – Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl then set aside. In the bowl of a stand up mixer beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, then pour in oil and eggs. Alternate adding buttermilk and the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until combined. Fold in the carrots, pumpkin seeds and walnuts.
- Bake – Divide batter between a prepared muffin pan. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting – In the bowl of a stand-up mixer beat powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream together until light and fluffy.
- Decorate – Grab a cake knife to spread the frosting on each cupcake or transfer it to a piping bag. Finish with a dusting of ground cinnamon then serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a cookie scoop to fill the muffin tins with cupcake batter. It’s makes filling each one easier with less mess.
- Work in batches – Baking both batches cupcakes at the same time results in the cupcakes steaming in the oven and having a weird texture.
- Turn it into a cake – Divide the batter between 2(8-inch) cake pans. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- It freezes really well! Keep cupcakes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap stored in a freezer safe bag. When you are ready to eat, allow to thaw in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Using a combination of butter and oil really helps to keep your carrot cupcakes moist. Butter alone will make your cupcakes dense but when mixed with oil keeps them moist and light.
Absolutely! Divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans then bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
Yes, I like to include them for a little bit of crunch and texture but it’s fine to leave them out. You can even swap them out for golden raisins or chopped pecans.
More Fall Recipes
Desserts
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Fall Recipes
Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
Quick and Easy
Chai Apple Skillet Cake
Dinner
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
If you tried this Chai Carrot Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chai Carrot Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting
Equipment
- 2(12-cavity) cupcake tins
- 1 Stand-up Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and the whisk attachment
- Piping bag fitted with a star tip for frosting
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Dry Mix:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
Carrot Cake Wet Mix:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup pepitas/pumpkin seeds
Spiced Maple Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, sifted over each cupcake
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two (12-cavity) cupcake tins. I used cooking spray. You can also line them with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cloves and salt. Set the dry mixture aside.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until nice and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the oil and eggs. Beat until combined.
- Alternating between the buttermilk and the dry mix, add them to the butter mixture, until just combined. Lastly, add the carrots and walnuts and mix until thoroughly distributed throughout the batter.
- To fill up the cupcake tin, I used a cookie scoop to make it easy on myself. Fill each cupcake tin about half way. I baked these in batches because doing two at the same time didnโt end well for me. Transfer the first cupcake tin to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Repeat with the second batch of batter.
- Allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool before adding the frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
- To the bowl of a stand-up mixer, sift in the powdered sugar, add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat the frosting for about 3 minutes. The fluffiness from the heavy cream really lightens up this frosting so be sure to beat it for the full 3 minutes. If the frosting is too loose, feel free to transfer it to the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes. Then beat it one last time.
- Decorate the cupcakes however you like! Garnish with sifted cinnamon.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Use a cookie scoopย to fill the muffin tins with cupcake batter. Itโs makes filling each one easier with less mess.
- Work in batches โย Baking both batches cupcakes at the same time results in the cupcakes steaming in the oven and having a weird texture.
- Turn it into a cake โย Divide the batter between 2(8-inch) cake pans. Bake for 25 โ 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- It freezes really well!ย Keep cupcakes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap stored in a freezer safe bag. When you are ready to eat, allow to thaw in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello! If I wanted to make this in cake form, would the baking time be the same? Thinking about baking this for my boyfriendโs birthday. He loves carrot cake AND chai tea, so I was thinking this sounds like the perfect cake!
It most likely will take a bit longer. I would use two 8-inch cake pans and bake them for about 25 to 30 minutes. It might take up to 35 minutes since this cake is a bit thicker than a normal, say, chocolate cake–good luck! ๐
Howdy! I’m going to make these wonderful cupcakes, but your directions for the spiced maple frosting look off. You never mention when to add the butter nor maple syrup. Plus, there’s no mention of vanilla extract in the ingredient list. Just wondering!
These sound so delish. Love the chai and carrot combo. How did you pipe the frosting/which tip did you use? I’ve been staring at them trying to figure it out haha.
Love the way you frosted these! Beautiful!
You should really take off the email address if nobody can subscribe to you. Thanks!
Hi! I’m unclear what you mean. The email subscriber worked for me (just checked it). Let me know what the problem is so I can fix it. Thanks!
I am in love with your marble countertops. Also, I am impressed that you can do anything else while watching reality TV. I am obsessed with 90 DAY FIANCE, and I can’t do anything but be glued to the TV while it’s on. Which means blogwork gets put aside for several hours at least once a week…more, if there are follow-up episodes and tell-alls. *hangs head guiltily* And, of course — your cupcakes look adorable!!
HAHA! My friend Billy keeps telling me I need to watch 90-Day Fiance. Also, have you heard of the podcast Bitch Sesh? They’re obsessed with the show. xoxo
I haven’t heard of Bitch Sesh, but they seem like my kind of people. Give 90 Day Fiance a try, but be warned: it will suck you in completely. Which was fine when there was just one version of the show, but there are 2-3 spinoffs now, with more coming, so it’s become a rather demanding TV obsession. ๐ But I still think there’s no better way to unwind after a mentally and physically taxing day than with a lil’ fiance drama!
I love your blog! Everything you post I just adore! These look so yummy, but do you think they would still taste okay without the pumpkin seeds and walnuts? I would love to make them tonight but donโt have time to run to the store!
Thanks for all the hard work and love you put into this blog!
Yes! Absolutely. I would just leave them out completely–it’ll be ok! ๐
Masala spice! Perfect! I adore this recipe!
Hi Adrianna!
I just discovered your blog and have absolutely fallen in love! All the photos are so aesthetic and satisfying, and they of course make me want to try the recipes out. I’m so excited that I found out about your work and can’t wait to cook up some Cozy Kitchen specialties ๐
Ahh thank you so much! So glad you’re here! ๐