• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Sweet Simple Masala
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Snacks & Appetizers
    • Chutneys & Dips
    • Soups & Sides
    • Sweets
    • Pasta, Noodles, Rice
    • Sandwiches
    • Drinks
    • Vegetarian
    • Indian
    • Mexican
    • Chicken, eggs, meats
    • Seafood
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Indian
  • Mexican
  • Mediterranean
  • Sweets
  • Snacks & Appetizers
  • Kid-Friendly
  • Welcome!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Indian
    • Mexican
    • Mediterranean
    • Sweets
    • Snacks & Appetizers
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Welcome!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sweets

    Gajar Halwa Cupcakes

    Published Apr 2, 2021 This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Do you remember that sweet buttery aroma of special occasion dessert prep? The entire house would be filled with sweet warm fragrance and you could instantly feel festivities to come! When I make these gajar halwa cupcakes, the house instantly fills up with the sweet delicious aroma of gajar ka halwa and freshly baked cupcakes at the same! The absolute best home fragrance! These gajar halwa cupcakes are an easy mash up of the Indian dessert gajar ka halwa (a sweet carrot pudding) with a classic carrot cake, but in a portable cupcake form!

    unwrapped carrot cupcake in front of pedestal

    What is Gajar (Carrot) Halwa?

    Literally translated to mean confectionary sweet made from carrots. It is a dessert made from:

    • carrots
    • milk
    • ghee
    • sugar
    • seasoned with cardamom, pistachios, cashews, and almonds.

    It is similar to rice pudding in that it is cooked with milk and sugar. Traditionally gajar ka halwa is also seasoned with warm spices like cardamom, nutmeg and then mixed together with chopped nuts and raisins.

    gajar ka halwa cupcake on marble pedestal

    How do you turn Gajar Halwa into Cupcakes?

    If you love gajar ka halwa, you're going to love these cupcakes! It is a classic carrot cake recipe but I mixed in all of the flavors of gajar ka halwa. So all the warm spices that you associate with halwa like: nutmeg, cardamom, cashews, pistachios.

    cream cheese frosting swirls with pistachio dust

    I made a few subtle but rather meaningful substitutions to a traditional carrot cake recipe with some desi/Indian ingredients

    • Switched out the traditional carrot cake seasoning of cinnamon to cardamom & nutmeg for more of a halwa flavor
    • There are pistachios and cashews instead of walnuts or pecans
    • Also added in finely chopped dates in place of raisins. Raisins are actually found in both carrot cake and gajar halwa but I wanted a bite of sweetness with a bit firmer and caramel-like texture.

    Indian Spiced Carrot Cake Ingredients - Baked from Scratch

    • All-purpose flour- For a gluten-free carrot cake, swap the flour for your favorite gluten-free flour blend
    • Baking soda helps the cake to rise
    • Vanilla extract gives the cake a floral sweetness
    • Oil keeps the cake nice and moist, any neutral-flavored oil will work. Melted coconut oil works as well
    • Sugar makes the cake moist and sweet
    • Eggs give the cake structure, you can also substitute with applesauce.
    • Carrots - I like use freshly grated carrots. You can use your food processor or buy pre-grated carrots from the store.
    • Nuts - cashews & pistachios
    • Dates - I chop up de-seeded dates. You can use raisins instead, golden raisins especially would be great in this cake
    • Spices - nutmeg & cardamom, the perfect warming spices to compliment the sweet carrot flavor
    cut spice carrot cake cupcake

    Making the Carrot Cupcake Batter

    1. First, dry roast the nuts. I just take out a frying pan and roast the cashews and pistachios for a few minutes. Then chop them up and dust them with flour (to prevent them from sinking in the cake batter while baking)
    2. Then start combining all of the we ingredients: oil, sugar, eggs.
    3. Add in the dry ingredients: starting with the spices, vanilla and baking soda.
    4. Mix in the flour
    5. Gently fold in the grated carrots, chopped nuts, dates
    6. Divide batter into cupcake liners and bake.
    7. Frost with Pistachio dusted Cream Cheese Frosting!
    Indian spiced carrot cupcakes with cardamom frosting

    Pistachio Dusted Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting

    The frosting for these cupcakes is really amazing too! Can you even call it a carrot cake without cream cheese frosting?? Nope I don't think so either! So I couldn't to change that up too much. But I just added a bit of desi flavor with some cardamom powder to the cream frosting, and a touch of texture with pistachio dust. This frosting completely reminds me of shrikhand by the way! (If you're making this frosting ahead of time, make sure that everyone knows its frosting and not shrikhand, I may or may not be speaking from experience! lol)

    Pistachio dust is just pistachios that are dry roasted and then ground up in a coffee grinder. By grinding the pistachios in a coffee grinder, you get really fine dust of pistachios which you can easily dust over the top of the cupcakes!

    Indian spiced carrot cupcakes with dates and pistachios

    You might also be interested in these Indian fusion dessert recipes: Ghughra Sweet Rolls, Cinnamon Chai Latte Sweet Rolls, Pistachio Snowball Cookies

    pistachio dusted cardamom cream cheese frosting on spiced cake
    gajar halwa indian fusion cupcake

    Gajar Halwa Cupcakes

    These gajar halwa cupcakes are an easy mash up of the Indian dessert gajar ka halwa (a sweet carrot pudding) with a classic carrot cake!
    5 from 43 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 40 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 24 cupcakes
    Calories 347 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1½ cups sugar
    • 1 cup oil
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 3 cups carrots grated
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 cup mixed nuts pistachios & cashews, chopped
    • 5-6 dates pitted and chopped

    Cardamon Cream Cheese Frosting

    • ½ cup butter softened
    • 8 oz cream cheese softened
    • 2½ cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup pistachios roasted and ground to fine dust

    Instructions
     

    • In a large saute pan on medium heat, add the mixed nuts. Roast for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper plate to cool. Roughly chop nuts once cooled. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of flour over chopped nuts and mix to coat (this is prevent the nuts from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake)
    • Preheat oven to 350°F, line muffin pan with cupcake liners, set aide.
    • Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, mix together sugar, oil and eggs on low speed until blended. Add in cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla, salt, baking soda, blend on low speed until combined.
    • Add in flour and mix until combined. Add in carrots, mixed nuts and chopped dates, stir together with a spatula.
    • Scoop batter into cupcake liners, fill to about ⅔ full (about 2 tablespoons). Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely before frosting.
    • In a stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add in vanilla extract, cardamom, salt and mix until combined. (add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin, add a teaspoon or 2 of milk if frosting is too thick). Frost each cupcake.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 347kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 227mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 2954IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword gajar halwa cupcakes, gajar halwa cake, gajar ka halwa, indian fusion dessert,
    Love this recipe?Mention @sweetsimplemasala or tag #sweetsimplemasala!

    Adapted from this classic carrot cake recipe

    More Sweets

    • blueberry lemon corn cake skillet
      Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Cake (Skillet Recipe)
    • rasmalai fusion cake
      No Bake Rasmalai Cake (with Cake Rusks)
    • millionaire bars on white plate
      Easy Millionaire's Shortbread Bars
    • nutella linzer cookies on baking sheet
      Linzer Cookies with Chocolate Hazelnut

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Audrey

      April 05, 2021 at 1:43 pm

      5 stars
      I can't wait to try these!!

      Reply
      • Jill Patel

        April 05, 2021 at 3:09 pm

        Thanks Audrey!! They are so good!

        Reply
    2. Sangita

      April 06, 2021 at 12:31 pm

      5 stars
      I love gajar Halwa and making cupcakes with it is super delicious idea.

      Reply
      • Jill Patel

        April 06, 2021 at 2:54 pm

        Thanks Sangita! They are a favorite of mine! Both the halwa and the cupcakes!!

        Reply
    3. Sangita

      April 06, 2021 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      super delicious idea for the dessert. Love gajar Halwa.

      Reply
    4. AD

      November 01, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Any substitute for dates? Can’t find them easily where I live

      Reply
      • Jill Patel

        November 01, 2021 at 11:01 am

        golden raisins are the best substitute. Or black raisins are perfect too. If those are not available, I would simply leave them out

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Recipes
      • Breakfast
      • Snacks & Appetizers
      • Chutneys & Dips
      • Soups & Sides
      • Sweets
      • Pasta, Noodles, Rice
      • Sandwiches
      • Drinks
      • Vegetarian
      • Indian
      • Mexican
      • Chicken, eggs, meats
      • Seafood
      • Kid-Friendly

    Find Me on Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter

    Footer

    Get Notified

    New recipes via email

    Hi, I'm Jill

    I love to create recipes that mix together the Indian flavors I grew up eating, American comfort food classics and modern preparations to make meals easily but still full of flavor and spice! More

    My Favorites

    chicken tikka masala meatballs
    ginger chili masala omelette egg sandwich
    blueberry lemon corn cake skillet
    Kale Sausage & White Bean Soup This soup requires Kale Sausage & White Bean Soup
This soup requires very little effort, but contains maximum flavor! It’s so flavorful, you won’t even realize just how good it is for you! 
Full recipe: https://sweetsimplemasala.com/kale-sausage-white-bean-soup/
#soup #beansoup #soupseason #healthydinner #healthyrecipe #healthylunch #homemade #souprecipeshealthy
    DULCE DE LECHE BISCOFF CHEESECAKE MOUSSE (NO BAKE) DULCE DE LECHE BISCOFF CHEESECAKE MOUSSE (NO BAKE)
This no bake dulce de leche biscoff cheesecake mousse is a super simple but decadent dessert that will have you craving more!
Full recipe : https://sweetsimplemasala.com/dulce-de-leche-biscoff-cheesecake/
#nobakedessert #cheesecakerecipe #dulcedeleche #biscoff
    Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Skillet Cake This sweet Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Skillet Cake
This sweet & light, small batch, cornmeal skillet cake is full of fresh blueberries, lemon zest and a touch of cardamom for extra zing! Blueberry lemon cornmeal cake is full of fresh flavors from the berries and citrus zest but its also super moist from the sour cream in the batter. Not to mention that cooking in a cast iron skillet gives a beautiful, slightly crispy crust!
Full recipe: https://sweetsimplemasala.com/blueberry-lemon-cornmeal-cake/ 
#corncake #skilketcake #skilletdessert #homemadedessert #blueberrycake #lemonblueberry #blueberrylemon
    Tikka Masala Stuffed Shells What do you get when Tikka Masala Stuffed Shells 
What do you get when you combine these two dinnertime favorites: chicken tikka masala and stuffed shells?? Tikka masala stuffed shells!! Jumbo pasta shells filled with Indian spiced ground chicken, creamy cheeses and then coated in a luscious, tikka masala sauce!
Full recipe: https://sweetsimplemasala.com/tikka-masala-stuffed-shells/
#indianfood #tikkamasala #indianfusion #pastarecipe #dinner #stuffedshells
    Instant pot pinto beans -no soaking required! The Instant pot pinto beans -no soaking required!
These Instant Pot pinto beans are so flavor packed and unbelievable easy to make! There’s no need to plan ahead and soak the beans, instead just add all of the ingredients into the cooker and set it. Onions, garlic, jalapeños amp up the flavor of the pinto beans, best served with cilantro and scallions.
Full recipe : https://sweetsimplemasala.com/instant-pot-pinto-beans/
#pintobeans #instantpot #instantpotrecipe #taconight #refriedbeans #tacotuesday #meatlessmonday #riceandbeans #homemadebeans
    No bake rasmalai cake (with cake rusks) This no b No bake rasmalai cake (with cake rusks)
This no bake rasmalai cake is such a fun and flavorful Indian inspired fusion dessert. Cake rusks layered with a rasmalai cream filling and then covered in a cardamom whipped cream. This eggless dessert is not only fun to eat but also fun to make. All the ingredients are layered in a cake pan and chilled, its so easy my kids could make it!
Full recipe:  https://sweetsimplemasala.com/no-bake-rasmalai-cake/
#indianfusiondessert #rasmalaicake #nobakedessert #rasmalai #teatime #chaiandnashto #mithai #indianfood
    Follow Sweet Simple Masala on Instagram

    Copyright © 2023 Sweet Simple Masala on the Foodie Pro Theme