Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, & Refined Sugar-Free:

Spring is upon us! Which is crazy to think about, since I don’t feel like we really got much of a winter at all here in Colorado. BUT, while I’m sad we didn’t have better snow, the warmer sunshine, sound of happy birds, and fresh tastes of a new season have got me excited. It just felt right to kick off spring with these adorable and totally tasty Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes, topped off with a decadent Honey Vanilla “Buttercream”.

When I realized Easter was coming, naturally I thought of carrots. They are such a nutritional powerhouse and one of the few vegetables you can work into a delicious dessert. If you’re looking for an easy, healthy recipe to WOW your friends and fam I highly recommend these cute little cupcakes; they’re officially my husband’s new favorite, he was quite upset that I wouldn’t let him eat them until I took these pictures!

My Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes are made from just a few simple ingredients: coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, raisins, and pecans. That’s. All. And that oh-so-creamy frosting? Cashews, lemon juice, honey, vanilla, and coconut oil/cream, which is also incredibly easy to make. They taste just like classic carrot cake without the yucky ingredients (white flour, white sugar, canola oil, and the like).

If you haven’t baked with coconut flour before, it’s a horse of a different color. It’s not super coconutty tasting, but it does have a naturally sweet flavor. It’s also quite dense, so you’ll notice that recipes using coconut flour just use a small amount in combination with several eggs to help lift it up. I love that it’s low in carbs but high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, so you get way more nutrition out of your baked goods than using a grain-based flour.

And we can’t ignore the star of this show—carrots. Carrots are such a versatile vegetable, wonderful in sweet or savory dishes, great crunchy or pureed, and very complimentary with lots of other flavors. They’re also totally good for you. Rich in beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A in the body), carrots help support vision, healthy skin, and a strong immune system. While they are a root vegetable and these are generally starchy, carrots are high in fiber and lower on the glycemic index than other roots, when you eat them in their whole form (juicing is a different story).

You may know by now that I’m a huge cinnamon fan. I just find it the most comforting spice of all time, warm and cozy and helping to bring out the natural sweetness in things, like cacao powder, or in this case carrots. It’s been used around the world for thousands of years as both food and medicine, thanks to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and blood-sugar balancing powers.

How can you make these super cutie Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes, you ask? Start by getting your Honey Vanilla “Buttercream” ready, which means first soaking your cashews at least 3 hours, or overnight.

When you’re ready to start the icing and cupcakes, preheat your oven to 350°F. Drain them and rinse well with cold water, then just toss into a blender. Add the honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract, coconut cream, and coconut oil and start blending on low. You’ll have to scrape the sides of the blender and maybe even push the mixture into the blade, but keep going and gradually increase the speed until you have a creamy, swirly icing pulsing through your blender. Once the cashews are totally blended and everything looks smooth, pour into a bowl and refrigerate while you work on the cupcakes.

To make the cupcakes, put your coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt into a food processor. Pulse a couple times to combine, then add the eggs, honey, and coconut oil and blend to combine. Pour this batter into a separate medium-sized bowl and fold in the carrots, raisins, and pecans.

Grab a mini muffin tin and either grease it super well or insert paper liners. I find I can only really get away without using liners when a pan is brand new, otherwise, you’ll have some cupcake “stickage”. I used a small ice cream scoop to drop neat little balls of batter into my pan, but you could also use a spoon.

Bake these Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow them to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before icing, of the Honey Vanilla “Buttercream” will melt right off—sad! We wanna keep that luscious icing all over them, so it’s well worth the wait.

I also recommend either icing these Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes right before you serve them OR frost them and store them in the fridge, as the Honey Vanilla “Buttercream” does soften up a bit at room temperature. So, go ahead and slather the buttercream on your cupcakes however you prefer.

This was actually the first time I’ve ever iced a cupcake with a piping bag. I know my skills are still in need of some practice, but it was super fun and not very hard to get the hang of. I found a great little icing starter kit with several tips and disposable bags for a great price, you can check it out right here:

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As a member of the Amazon Affiliates program, I do get a small commission for any products you purchase through my links—at no extra charge to you!

Okay! Obviously, once you’re all frosted up you’re ready to devour! If you want a fun spring-like display, use a veggie peeler to make some long strips of rainbow carrots, like this, to decorate a plate or platter.

Gorgeous! I really hope you enjoy these as much as Dan and I do; they’re definitely a great way to ease your loved ones into healthy eating, thanks to their clean ingredients but traditional roots. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think! Thanks so much for following Food to Feel Good, your support truly means the world to me.

Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Food to Feel Good
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 18 minutes
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 24 mini cupcakes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Simple Healthy Recipes

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Description

These Mini Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Cupcakes are the perfect dessert for spring! A healthy spin on a classic, they’re sweetened with honey and topped with a Honey Vanilla “Buttercream” made out of cashews and coconut cream. Yum!

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Ingredients

Honey Vanilla Buttercream:

• 1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked 3 hours to overnight
• juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (solid portion of refrigerated, canned full-fat coconut milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons softened coconut oil (not melted)

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:

• avocado oil, for greasing pan
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup softened coconut oil (not melted)
• 1/2 cup honey
• a generous 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• optional: strips of rainbow carrots for display

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Instructions

Start with buttercream:

1. Rinse soaked cashews really well and put in blender. Add lemon juice, honey, coconut cream, vanilla extract, and softened coconut oil and begin blending on low. Stop to scrape down sides as needed and slowly increase speed until totally creamy. Pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

For the cupcakes: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two mini muffin tins really well, or insert paper liners.
2. Add coconut flour, baking powder, spices, and salt to food processor and pulse a few times. Add eggs, softened coconut oil, and honey and blend well, scraping down sides as needed. Pour cupcake batter into a bowl and fold in grated carrots, chopped raisins, and chopped pecans.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, fill the mini muffin tins.
4. Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
5. Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool for 1 hour on a wire rack.
6. When ready to frost the cupcakes, remove Honey Vanilla “Buttercream” from the fridge and scoop into an icing bag. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and you’re ready to serve!
7. Option for serving: use a veggie peeler to make long strips of rainbow carrots, then display on a platter with cupcakes.

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