Whimsical Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Meringue Carrot Tops are utterly charming, and look like they came right out of Mr. McGregor's garden.
I've wanted to try my hand at making stand-alone, whimsical meringue food decorations for a long time. What better way to start than with these easy, straightforward meringue carrot toppers to add that touch of whimsy to an already delicious cupcake?
For other fun and whimsical Easter recipes, I invite you to check out the following titles: Homemade Marzipan Candy Carrots, Coconut Custard Easter Bunny Pie, Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs, Buttermint Candy Flowers, and German YEASTer Bunny Bread.
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Table of Contents Found Here
- The ingredient list for the carrot cake cupcakes:
- The ingredient list for the meringue carrot tops:
- Kitchen tools and equipment:
- What makes these carrot cake cupcakes unique?
- Can these carrot cake cupcakes be made in advance?
- Can meringue carrot tops be frozen after baking?
- How to store meringue-topped cupcakes?
- Top tips and tricks for recipe success:
- Will this carrot cake batter also work to make a layer or sheet cake instead of cupcakes?
- Can these delicious carrot cake cupcakes be made without the whimsical meringue carrot topper?
- Additional recipes featuring carrots:
- Printable Recipe Card
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
The ingredient list for the carrot cake cupcakes:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
The ingredient list for the meringue carrot tops:
Kitchen tools and equipment:
For making the cupcakes (in no particular order):
- 2 standard-size cupcake pans
- cupcake liners
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- box grater (optional, for shredding the carrots)
- vegetable peeler
- food processor (optional, for shredding the carrots)
- silicone spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
- kitchen scale (optional)
- nut chopper (optional)
- cutting board
- chefs knife (for chopping the dried pineapple)
- microplane (optional, for grating fresh nutmeg)
- mixing bowls
- baking spray (optional)
- whisk
- large zip-top bag (optional, for crushing cookies)
- kitchen timer (optional)
- cooling rack
- ice cream scoop (optional, for filling the cupcake liners)
For making the meringue carrot tops:
- stand Mixer, hand mixer, or whisk with plenty of arm strength 😉
- measuring cups and spoons
- silicone spatula
- gallon-size zip top bag (or large piping bag)
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- kitchen timer (optional)
- fresh parsley sprigs (I used curley parsley)
What makes these carrot cake cupcakes unique?
Several things, really, but the addition of freshly grated ginger and chopped dried pineapple makes these carrot cake cupcakes a real standout when it comes to flavor.
And let's not forget the crushed gingersnap and chocolate cookies, which echo the ginger flavor in the cupcake itself and also play an important visual role as the garden soil in the carrot patch.
Can these carrot cake cupcakes be made in advance?
They sure can!
Feel free to bake the undecorated cupcakes in advance, and then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before serving.
You can also make the cream cheese frosting a few days in advance by storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before serving. If doing so, allow the frosting to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to soften enough to pipe.
When I made these Easter cupcakes, I made them in stages: the cupcakes and frosting were made one day, and the meringue carrot tops were made a few days prior.
I made sure to cover the baked meringue carrots very well (without the parsley) and let them sit at room temperature for a few days before I was ready to assemble the cupcakes.
Once the carrot cake cupcakes, along with the frosting and meringue carrot toppers, were completely assembled, I kept them in the refrigerator until I was ready to add the parsley garnish and serve (or, in my case, take the photos :).
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Can meringue carrot tops be frozen after baking?
Oddly enough, yes!
Just make sure they're completely cool before storing them in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag. Label and date the container, and you can freeze them for up to 2 months.
Thaw them slowly in the refrigerator, with the bag or container slightly opened to allow air to circulate as they thaw.
How to store meringue-topped cupcakes?
You can store them covered with foil or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
These carrot cake cupcakes with whimsical meringue carrot tops can also be frozen. Store them in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag, and label and date. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Top tips and tricks for recipe success:
- Don't go wild with the orange gel color. If you strive for too deep an orange hue, the meringue will thin too much and no longer be the proper consistency to hold its shape.
- When chopping the add-ins (nuts, pineapple, and carrot shreds), keep them uniformly the same size for a more pleasant eating experience.
- Room temperature egg whites will beat better (and faster) into a glossy meringue than cold egg whites.
- When adding sugar to the egg whites while making the meringue, do so in a light, steady stream, and not all at once. The sugar will incorporate much more easily and more smoothly this way.
- Allow the meringue carrots to cool slowly after baking, in the oven, with the oven door ajar. Allow them to cool this way for at least 60 minutes. Cooling them too quickly will cause the meringue to crack. Slow is the way to go.
- Room temperature butter, eggs, and cream cheese will blend more quickly and uniformly than cold ingredients.
- Don't add the parsley garnish until right before serving the cupcakes, as the parsley tends to wilt quickly if not kept cold.
- Keep the cookie crumbles in a fairly fine consistency for easier dipping.
- Add a small dollop of the frosting to the top of the cookie crumbles to help hold the meringue carrots in place.
Will this carrot cake batter also work to make a layer or sheet cake instead of cupcakes?
You bet.
Feel free to divide this cake batter between 2 8-inch round (or square) cake pans, and then use the cream cheese (you will need to double the frosting recipe to fully frost a cake) to frost and design a pretty meringue carrot-topped layer cake.
Or, feel free to spread this batter evenly into a 9 x 13 baking pan for a carrot cake sheet cake that everyone will enjoy. Spread the frosting evenly over the sheet cake top and garnish with the cookie crumbles and meringue carrot tops, if desired.
Can these delicious carrot cake cupcakes be made without the whimsical meringue carrot topper?
Sure. The cupcakes themselves are delicious even without the carrot topper embellishments.
However, if you'd like to add more pizzazz and whimsy to your springtime dessert, take the extra time to whip up a batch of meringue carrot tops, because they're worth it.
Additional recipes featuring carrots:
The fantastic flavor of these savory Zucchini and Carrot Fritters (you can also call them pancakes) will keep you coming back for more. Serve them as a side dish, or make smaller-sized pancakes and serve them as an appetizer; the choice is yours!
This incredible tasting Carrot and Leek Gratin will surprise and delight your taste buds with sweet carrots, mildly pungent leeks, and the lightest touch of horseradish.
Once you smell these Bourbon Glazed Carrots and Pecans cooking on the stovetop, you'll know you will soon be eating something utterly fantastic!
The flavors of Roasted Parsnips and Carrots are great by themselves, but add a dash of cardamom and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and you now have a side dish that is a worthy companion to anything (and everything) else on the dinner plate.
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.
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Printable Recipe Card
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Meringue Carrot Tops
Equipment
- stand mixer optional
- hand mixer optional
- food processor optional (for shredding carrots)
- box grater optional (for shredding carrots)
- piping bag optional
- gallon-size zip top bags optional (if you don't have a piping bag)
- kitchen scale optional
- meat mallet or rolling pin optional (for crushing cookies)
Ingredients
For the meringue carrot tops:
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2-3 drops orange gel food color
- fresh parsley sprigs for garnish
For the cupcakes:
- 1 cup butter I used salted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup chopped candied pineapple chopped into small pieces
- 1½ cups chopped pecans chopped into small pieces
For the cream cheese buttercream frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter softened, I used salted butter
- 1½ cups confectioner's sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup crushed chocolate cookies
- 1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
Instructions
To make the meringue carrot tops:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (100 degrees C).
- Whip the room-temperature egg whites and the granulated sugar together using a stand-mixer whip, hand mixer beaters, or hand whisk on high until they're bright white, doubled in volume, and soft peaks form. Add the orange gel food color (until your desired shade of orange, but don't add too much or the meringue will become too soft), and gently fold the gel color into the whipped egg whites until color streaks are no longer visible.
- Use a spatula to spoon the orange meringue into a piping bag (or gallon zip-top bag) with a corner snipped for piping the carrots to your size preference.Pipe the orange meringue mixture in dollops onto a parchment lined baking sheet gently pulling the meringue up as you pipe. Continue the same process with the remaining meringue.Tap down the pointy tips of each "carrot" with a fingertip dipped in water.
- Bake the carrots in the preheated oven for 1 hour. After one hour, turn the heat off in the oven (leaving the carrots inside) and prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon so the temperature inside the oven drops slowly which will prevent the meringues from cracking.Allow the meringue carrots to cool completely inside the turned-off oven for at least 2 hours. Remove the cooled carrots, and store them at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or even in the freezer, in an airtight container until ready to use.
- When ready to use, poke a small hole in the top of each carrot with a toothpick or skewer and insert fresh parsley springs in the hole for a cute carrot top effect. *Note - the parsley will wilt relatively quickly, so do this final step right before serving.
To make the carrot cake cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C).
- Line the wells of one or two standard-size cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners. Spray each lightly with baking spray, if desired. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), or a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter together with the granulated sugar until light, fluffy, and pale yellow in color. Slowly beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and milk until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Gradually (on low speed) beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three increments scraping down with sides of the bowl as needed. Once the ingredients are fully combined, fold the prepared carrots, pecans, and chopped, dried pineapple to the batter making sure to fully incorporate all the mix-ins into the thick batter.
- Use an ice cream scoop to evenly scoop the batter into each waiting cupcake liner.Bake the cupcakes on the center rack of the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire rack before frosting.Continue the same process with the remaining cupcake batter.
To make the cream cheese buttercream frosting:
- Combine the softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and blend well until thoroughly combined.Slowly (and on low speed) add the confectioners sugar into the bowl along with the ground ginger. As the frosting blends together, you can gradually increase the speed of the mixer, if desired.Once made, spoon the frosting into a gallon zip-top bag (or piping bag) fitted with a piping tip (optional) for piping.
- Add the cookies to a gallon zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Pour the crumbs into a shallow bowl and mix well.
To decorate the cupcakes:
- Pipe a decent sized dollop of frosting into the center of each cupcake. Turn each frosted cupcake upside-down and press the frosting gently into the cookie crumbs.Continue the same process with the remaining cupcakes.To finish, pipe a small dollop of remaining frosting onto the center of the cookie-crumble topping (this will help the meringue carrot stick to the cupcake), and gently press one meringue carrot topper onto each cupcake. Right before serving, add the parsley garnish and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you'll enjoy making, serving, and eating these fun and delicious carrot cake cupcakes with their whimsical carrot toppers as much as I've enjoyed bringing them to you.
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
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