Pineapple Filled Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These pineapple filled carrot cake cupcakes are easy to make and a healthy dessert to enjoy. Topped with cream cheese frosting, these filled cupcakes encompass everything you love about carrot cake, minus the processed sugar and flour.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Pineapple Filling

Carrot cake is a favorite around here. I love the warm spices, the moist crumb, and the bold cream cheese frosting that goes with it. 

Growing up, my mom would make her aunt’s recipe for carrot cake. However, while it was delicious, her recipe was very rich with copious amounts of oil and sugar. I recently looked at her recipe and was a *tiny* bit shocked by the actual amounts of sugar and oil.

While there’s a time and place for my great aunt’s version of carrot cake, it definitely needs to be enjoyed in moderation.

This recipe for pineapple filled carrot cake cupcakes is inspired by my great aunt’s pineapple studded carrot cake. The amount of sweetness in this recipe has been scaled back and instead of mixing the pineapple throughout the cake, the pineapple is concentrated in the center of the cupcake.

Ingredients

A couple of warming spices and on hand pantry staples are all these cupcakes require. Here’s what you’ll need:

Cupcake ingredients:

• White whole wheat flour – This is the foundation for the cupcake’s structure. You can also use all propose flour, just do the same volume amounts as the recipe calls for and not the same gram amounts.
• Baking powder and soda – These two chemical leaveners help make the cupcakes rise into deliciously tender treats.
• Cinnamon and cloves – Carrot cake cupcakes wouldn’t be the same without the warm spices. Cinnamon and cloves are my preference, but you can use nutmeg as well.
• Salt – Without salt you’re missing out on the best flavor enhancer out there. With the right amount, salt brings out the flavor of what you put it in without making it taste salty.
• Avocado oil – Or any neutral oil. Avocado is my favorite, but you can also use canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or any other neutral oil.
• Honey – I love how honey pairs with the sweetness of the carrot and the cinnamon and cloves. 
• Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds a nice flavor profile to the cake without overpowering the spices.
• Carrots – These are carrot cake cupcakes, so yes, grated carrots are an essential ingredient.
• Eggs – Eggs do three things in these cupcakes. They bind the ingredients together, add richness, and lend moisture.

For the pineapple filling:

• Canned crushed pineapple – canned pineapple is affordable, accessible, and an easy option for the filling. However, you could also use fresh pineapple.
• Lemon juice – Brightens the flavor and color of the filling.
• Cornstarch – Thickens the filling.
• Salt – Balances the flavor.

For the cream cheese frosting:

• Cream cheese – Brings great creaminess and tang.
• Butter – Makes the frosting creamy without being too heavy.
• Honey – The honey in the cupcakes pairs well with the honey in the frosting.
• Vanilla extract – This virtually universal extract brightens so many frostings and baked goods.
• Salt – So important for brining out flavor.

Like I said, all pantry ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

How to make pineapple filled carrot cake cupcakes

Since these are filled carrot cake cupcakes, they take a little more time to make than your standard cupcakes. 

But the extra effort to fill them is worth it and not as tricky as you might think!

Here’s how to make pineapple filled carrot cake cupcakes:

• Prep: Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Set 12 paper baking cups on a baking sheet or put cupcake liners into the cups of a 12 cup muffin tin.
• Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir in the grated carrots.
• Combine dry and wet: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together gently.
• Bake it up: Evenly portion out the better amongst the 12 cupcake cups. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until set in the center.
• Make filling: While the cupcakes bake and cool, make the filling. First, blend the pineapple, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and boil for two minutes over medium heat. Then lower the heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until thick. Take off the heat and let it cool.
• Make the frosting: Cream together the cream cheese, butter, honey, salt, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. 
• Fill and frost the cupcakes: With a paring knife, cut a circular hollow out of the top of the cooled cupcakes. Fill with pineapple filling and replace the top of the cupcake. Frost the tops of the cupcakes.

Tips for the best pineapple filled carrot cake cupcakes

These are a pretty straight forward cupcake recipe, but here are some tips for making and filling these perfectly:

• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet. When you pour the wet into the dry, you’re more likely to have dry bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl that might get overlooked while mixing.
• Don’t over bake the cupcakes. After 15 minutes, check them often for doneness. Once the center is set and springs back, take the cupcakes out of the oven.
• Cool the cupcakes completely before you try to hollow them out and fill them. You can get yourself burned if you don’t wait.
• When hollowing out the tops of the cupcakes for the filling, don’t hollow it out too deeply. You only need to go down about an inch into the cupcake with the paring knife.