These Sourdough Carrot Cupcakes are everything you love about a classic carrot cake - moist, spiced, and finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting-but with the added depth (and usefulness!) of your sourdough starter. It's a great way to repurpose your sourdough discard into something sweet, soft, and genuinely satisfying.
Based on our well-loved sourdough carrot cake, this scaled-down version bakes quicker, travels better, and is ideal for sharing.
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Why Use Sourdough Discard In Baking?
If you keep your own sourdough starter, you likely have a tub of discard lurking in the fridge. These cupcakes are a great recipe to use it up in a way that feels like a treat - not just a practical solution to food waste.
The sourdough discard works in much the same way as buttermilk would: adding moisture and a gentle acidity that tenderises the crumb and gives the final bake a longer shelf life. It doesn't make the cakes taste sour, but it does add a little complexity behind the classic warm spices and sweet carrots.
You can use discard or an active sourdough starter here - just make sure it's at 100% hydration (equal weights flour and water). No need to bring it to room temperature first.
We use it in our other recipes, like Raspberry and White Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes and Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes!
Tips for Best Results
- Don't overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir just until combined to keep the cupcakes light.
- Grate your own carrots: Use a box grater for coarsely grated carrot. Pre-grated ones tend to be dry and bland - grating your own carrots makes a big difference.
- Oil matters: A neutral vegetable oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil all work here. Each gives a slightly different finish, so use what you like.
- Fold egg whites gently: Whipping and folding the whites in at the end helps lift the batter-don't skip this step.
- Don't skip the extras: The coconut, nuts, and sultanas are what make this taste like the real deal - not just a sweet muffin.
- Cool fully before frosting: Make sure cupcakes are completely cool on a wire rack before adding the cream cheese frosting or it'll slide right off.
- Smooth frosting tip: Beat butter, icing sugar, and honey until pale and fluffy before adding cream cheese. This prevents lumps and gives you a frosting that's easy to pipe.
- Make sourdough carrot cake muffins instead: just skip the icing, and a brown sugar streusel topping instead!
Storage
These cupcakes keep surprisingly well, thanks to the moisture from the sourdough discard, carrots, and oil. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For the best texture, bring to room temperature before serving.
If unfrosted, the sourdough carrot muffins freeze beautifully - just wrap individually and freeze for up to a month. Defrost at room temperature and frost fresh.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for more ways to use up your sourdough starter? Try some of our favourite sourdough discard recipes - from sweet sourdough muffins to cookies and more.
Sourdough Carrot Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake liners
Ingredients
- 120 g (½ cups) sourdough discard or active starter 100% hydration
- 3 egg 2 of them separated into yolks and whites
- 160 g (1¼ cups) caster sugar or white granulated sugar
- 180 g (⅘ cups) neutral oil like sunflower or vegetable oil
- 120 g (1 cup) plain flour all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda a.k.a. bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 150 g (5.29 oz) carrots coarsely grated
- 50 g (⅓ cups) walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
- 50 g (½ cups) desicated coconut
- 50 g (⅓ cups) sultanas or raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 160 g (2.82 oz) unsalted butter softened
- 60 g (¼ cups) icing sugar a.k.a. powdered sugar
- 60 g (1½ tablespoon) honey
- 400 g (7 oz) cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340℉). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk one whole egg, 2 egg yolks, sugar and sourdough starter together. Set the remaining two egg whites aside.
- Little by little, add the oil, and keep whisking until it's fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just enough to combine.
- Add the grated carrots, nuts, coconut and sultanas and mix again to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk reserved egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Mix the egg whites gently, ⅓ at a time, attempting to keep some of the air in the mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared cupcake liners, and place in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.
- Once baked, a wooden skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
- Leave the cupcakes to cool down completely.
Frosting
- When your sourdough carrot cupcakes have cooled down to room temperature, prepare the frosting.
- In a bowl or a large jug, beat the softened butter, icing sugar and honey using an electric handheld mixer until very light and fluffy.
- Add ⅓ of the cream cheese and beat again until smooth and well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure no butter is clinging to the sides.
- Add the rest of the cream cheese and beat again until you have a smooth creamy frosting. If it's not holding shape, a short chill time will help with consistency before piping.
- Pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake, and enjoy!
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Lora says
Carrot cake is always a favorite of mine, and these sourdough carrot cupcakes are just fantastic! Making again for a party! The kiddos loved them!
Ieva Greber says
That’s so lovely to hear — thank you so much! Carrot cake really never misses, does it? 😄 I’m so glad you loved the cupcakes, and even better that the kiddos approved too — that’s always the toughest crowd! Hope they’re a big hit at the party as well!
Johanna says
Before for recipe, I had no idea you could use sourdough discard to bake cupcakes. They turned out delicious and the texture is wow!
Ieva Greber says
I know, right?! Sourdough discard really does like to sneak its way into absolutely everything 😄 I’m so glad you gave them a try and that they turned out so well for you! And yes — the texture is so good, which is exactly why I keep finding excuses to bake with discard. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and leaving a comment!
Carly says
I love the touch of tange the sourdough starter adds to these cupcakes. They're really good!
Ramona Sebastian says
I absolutely love sourdough, and the fact that these are carrot cake cupcakes, too, just draws me in more! These are a perfect easter recipe that I cannot wait to try in the next few weeks. Thank you for sharing!