Prepare your muffin tins lining them with cupcake liners and spraying the liners with a little spray oil.
Chop or grate the carrots into small pieces and set them aside.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices to a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl (or large measuring container), mix the brown sugar, plant milk, vanilla, and oil then stir with a whisk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk.
Add the shredded carrots and beat with a whisk again for about 30 seconds until everything is incorporated. (You don't want to use an electric mixer or even stir it too much or your cupcakes will be chewy.) (Add nuts and raisins at this time if you choose.)
Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners filling them about 3/4 of the way full to leave plenty of room for them to rise.
Bake at 375° F (190° C) for about 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cooling on a rack for about 15-20 minutes before removing from the muffin tins. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Frost with my homemade vegan cream cheese frosting or my vegan buttercream frosting. (I also love these with vanilla buttercream with 2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar added instead of milk - this gives it a tangy cream cheese flavor without needing vegan cream cheese. You can also add a teaspoon of cinnamon to vanilla buttercream for cinnamon frosting.)
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Notes
Use a food processor to chop your carrots to save time and effort - and keep your hand from hurting from all that grating.
Be sure to preheat your oven and don't put the cupcakes in until it has reached 375° F (190° C).
Grease your cake pans before adding the batter. If you reduce the amount of oil in this recipe, be sure to line the bottom of the pan with parchment as well.
Be sure to chop the carrots up into very small pieces. You don't want big chunks of carrots in your cake.