Garden Patch Carrot Cupcakes

garden patch carrot cupcakes

This cupcake is a sweet introduction to making a ‘reveal’ cake, and will make quite an impression for your Spring, Easter, or garden planting party! Don’t be intimidated by all the steps, it’s much easier than it seems! :) It helps to make the ‘carrot’ cupcakes a day in advance, then it’s just slice, bake, and decorate! :)

Don’t forget to check out our 15 Minute Peeps Sunflower Cake!  Another adorable spring time recipe!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
cut garden patch carrot cupcakes
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Garden Patch Carrot Cupcakes

These cute Garden Patch Carrot Cupcakes will be the highlight of the holiday!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 24 cupcakes
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Ingredients  

For the "Carrots"

  • 13.25 ounces lemon cake mix 1 box, prepared according to directions
  • red food coloring

For the "Dirt"

  • 13.25 ounces chocolate cake mix 1 box, prepared according to directions

For the "Dirt Mounds"

  • 1 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs more if needed
  • 16 ounces chocolate frosting

For "Garnish"

  • 1 bunch fresh parsley

Instructions 

  • Mix the prepared lemon cake batter and the red food coloring until you get a nice bright orange color. Pour the batter into muffin tins that have been well greased or lined with paper wrappers. Bake as directed on the box, let cool.
  • When the lemon cupcakes are cooled, slice each one into 4 even pieces from top to bottom. Then, laying each slice flat, cut 2 small ½" thick triangles from each one. Make sure the triangles have a flat bottom so that they’ll be able to stand upright. Make several more triangles than you think you’ll need for the Carrot Garden Cupcakes, just in case something happens to one or two!
  • When you’ve cut your triangles, place them on a plate so that they aren’t touching and place them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. Place them inside a freezer bag if it’s going to be longer than 3 hours. If you are ready to cook immediately, leaving them in the freezer just while you prepare the chocolate cake batter is also fine. The idea is to get them cold and firm so they don’t overcook and crumble when the chocolate batter is poured over and baking around them.
  • Prepare the chocolate cake batter according to package directions.
  • Line your muffin tins with paper liners. Paper liners are HIGHLY recommended for this dessert, since they’ll ensure that the muffins come out of the pan perfectly.
  • Place one frozen orange cake triangle in the center of each muffin wrapper in your pan so that it stands upright, top corner pointing upwards. Carefully spoon the chocolate cake batter around and then over the triangle, filling the wrapper just until the tip of the triangle is covered, which should be a little under ¾ths full.
  • Bake according to package directions. Test for doneness by poking with a knife just off the center, to make sure you don’t test in the already-baked triangle.
  • When they are done, remove them from the pan and let them cool completely.
  • When you are ready to decorate and the cupcakes have cooled, remove them from their wrappers. On the bottom, you should see a little orange line, marking where your ‘carrot’ triangle is.
  • Line your cupcakes up on a large plate, bottoms up. Give them a few inches in between to allow for easy handling. This should not be the platter you’ll be serving them on, since it’ll get quite messy with chocolate sauce in the next step.
  • If you are using very thick hot fudge sauce, heat it up for a few seconds so that it’s a pourable (but not thin) texture.
  • Spoon or drizzle about 2 tablespoons of chocolate sauce over each of your cupcakes.
  • Place your chocolate graham cracker crumbs in a plastic storage bag or medium dish. Take each cupcake and roll it in the crumbs, creating what looks like a big mound of dirt. Place each one on a large serving platter, bottom upwards. When all cupcakes have been rolled, scatter more chocolate cookie crumbs around the base of your ‘dirt mounds’ to create a garden bed.
  • Right before you are ready to serve, trim the parsley so each piece is about 2 to 3 inches long from top to bottom. Store it in the fridge until serving. Place a stem of parsley in the middle of each cupcake, about where you remember the orange triangle’s line being.
5 from 3 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 229 | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American

This recipe was inspired by the cake version by The Partiologist!  Make sure you head on over and check it out!!

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Congratulations!
    Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Enjoy your new Red Plate and have a great weekend.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

  2. What creative cupcakes and very special treats for a party, these are just adorable! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

  3. These are adorable and fun! My kids would love biting into the cupcake and seeing a “carrot” in the middle! Thanks for the great idea.

    I’d be thrilled if you’d link up at this week’s Off the Hook!

  4. These are absolutely amazing!! I love them! They would make such a statement on the Easter table! too cute :)

  5. Ohhhh my goodness. This is WAY to cute! I’m so impressed! This is definitely one of my favorite easter treats I’ve seen yet! Thanks for linking this up to Monday Funday!