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Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Published: Mar 27, 2023 by Allison · 145 Comments

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Try these fluffy spiced carrot cake cupcakes topped with a rich brown sugar cream cheese frosting. You’ll loves this tasty twist on traditional carrot cake!

The addition of brown sugar to a typical cream cheese frosting makes these cupcakes extra special. We’ve made this recipe multiple times, and these cupcakes are always met with rave reviews. Prefer a layer cake? Try our Carrot Cake recipe.

Carrot cake cupcake topped with swirled brown sugar frosting on a grey plate next to a fork.
Jump to:
  • Why you’ll love these carrot cake cupcakes
  • Recipe overview
  • Key ingredients
  • Tips for the best cream cheese frosting
  • More carrot cake recipes
  • Recipe

Why you’ll love these carrot cake cupcakes

Texture: Fluffy and moist cupcakes topped with creamy frosting.

Flavor: Cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla create a delicious flavor combination.

Ease: The cupcake batter comes together in minutes.

Twist on a classic: The carrot cake element is traditional with an updated twist from the brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Carrot cake cupcake cut in half on a grey plate.

Recipe overview

Cupcakes:

  1. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon).
  2. Whisk sugars, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk to combine.
  4. Stir in the shredded carrots
Collage of how to make carrot cake cupcakes (cake batter in a white bowl).

Divide the batter between 12 lined muffin cups and bake!

Carrot cake cupcake batter in a muffin pan.

Note: These cupcakes do not have a high rise. You will not get a large dome shape, but the cupcakes should give a slight dome just above the top of the cupcake wrapper.

Frosting:

Beat butter, cream cheese, and molasses. Allow the mixture to sit at room temp for about 5 minutes, this helps the brown sugar dissolve. Beat in powdered sugar, and vanilla.

Pipe or spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.

Brown sugar cream cheese frosting in a stainless steel bowl.

Key ingredients

Brown sugar: Brown sugar is in both the cupcakes and frosting. The deep, rich, caramel flavor of brown sugar really elevates this recipe.

Carrots: Finely grated carrots add moisture and color and help give a classic carrot cake texture.

Applesauce and oil: Using a combination of applesauce makes the cupcakes mist but not oily. The applesauce also adds a bit of natural sweetness.

Carrot cake cupcake topped with brown sugar frosting on a grey plate.

Tips for the best cream cheese frosting

  • Cream cheese and butter should be softened to cool room temperature. Do not speed this along by microwaving – you will get them too soft, which will result in a runny frosting that will require a lot powdered sugar to thicken it. I leave my cream cheese and butter at room temp for 30 minutes to one hour.
  • Your brown sugar needs to be fresh, moist, and free from lumps. Soft, fresh brown sugar is essential for this frosting.
  • To avoid grittiness from the brown sugar, make sure the frosting is thoroughly beaten. Scrape the beater, and the sides of the bowl periodically.
  • This frosting is softer than a typical cream cheese frosting. It holds its shape best if stored in the refrigerator. Once I add the frosting to the cupcakes I pop them in the fridge for the frosting to firm up.
  • Prefer REGULAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING? Use this recipe, cut in half, to frost 12 cupcakes.

More carrot cake recipes

  • Stack of carrot cake cookies on a white plate.
    Carrot Cake Cookies
  • Close up of three layer carrot cake with white frosting.
    Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Carrot muffin in a brown wrapper on a wire rack
    Carrot Muffins
  • Slice of Pineapple Carrot Cake on a white plate with a gold fork
    Pineapple Carrot Cake

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Recipe

Carrot cake cupcake topped with swirled brown sugar frosting on a grey plate.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Try these fluffy spiced carrot cake cupcakes topped with a rich brown sugar cream cheese frosting. You'll love this tasty twist on traditional carrot cake!
4.93 from 57 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 396kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour, see note
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, increase to 2 teaspoons, if desired
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar, light or dark, it should be fresh and soft
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups FINELY grated carrots (loosely measured, not packed), about 2 medium carrots

Frosting:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to cool room temp
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp
  • ¾ cup brown sugar, light or dark, it should be fresh and soft
  • 1 teaspoon molasses, optional, see note
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
  • Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk oil, applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in carrots using a rubber spatula or spoon.
  • Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop). Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. These cupcakes do not have a high rise, they'll be just over the top of the paper liner. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting and assembly:

  • Place the butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 1-2 minutes at medium speed. If necessary, scrape the sides of the bowl and the beater, then beat a little longer. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes, to allow the brown sugar to absorb into the wet ingredients (this is to avoid grittiness). 
  • Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the beater and sides of the bowl periodically. If you prefer the frosting thicker, add a little more powdered sugar. Give it a mix on high speed for one full minute. This frosting is on the softer side and it will firm up once refrigerated.
  • Spread or pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake (I used a pastry bag and open star decorating tip). Place the cupcakes in the fridge so the frosting can firm up a bit. Serve at cool room temperature.

Video

Notes

FLOUR: Whisk or fluff the flour with your measuring cup, then lightly  scoop a heaping cup and level it off with the back of a knife. 
MOLASSES: A little bit of molasses helps to intensify the brown sugar flavor and I highly recommend using it. If you don’t have it you can leave it out.

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 154mg | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 3085IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Jamie

    October 17, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    5 stars
    I made these cupcakes gluten free. I substituted gluten free all purpose flour 3/4 cup and corn starch 1/4 cup in place of the 1 cup flour. They were amazing!! The frosting is awesome 👏

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 18, 2022 at 5:56 am

      Perfect! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
    • Carissa

      December 29, 2022 at 9:25 pm

      Thank you for the gluten free tip!!

      Reply
  2. Alexandra

    March 12, 2023 at 5:38 am

    5 stars
    I randomly picked this recipe on Pinterest and it turned out to be a direct-hit. I brought them to a party I attended and literally everyone was talking about these amazing cupcakes. This recipe will be my absolute go-to and I‘m excited to try out your other recipes. Thank you so much for sharing this gem!

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 15, 2023 at 9:40 am

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Morgan

    April 09, 2023 at 10:12 am

    Hi! I’ve been using this recipe for a few years and I was wondering if you still had the old recipe with the walnuts in it?

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 10, 2023 at 9:21 am

      Hi, Morgan. Stir 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts into the batter before adding it to the muffin pan. Everything else is the same. 🙂

      Reply
  4. assia

    April 27, 2023 at 9:09 am

    hi,
    did anyone try the recipe with metric measurements , i tried to convert the ingredients but i am left with different numbers when i did the research ,the recipe looks perfect and i really want to try it but i am affraid i will mess it up with the wrong mesurments of ingredients .
    thank you

    Reply
  5. Jen

    May 04, 2023 at 5:46 pm

    How long will they last in the refrigerator?

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 05, 2023 at 11:12 am

      They are best within 2 days of baking. You could likely store a few days longer but the cake might dry out a bit.

      Reply
  6. Avi

    May 12, 2023 at 8:36 am

    5 stars
    This was such a delicious treat. I added a little less sugar in the frosting and it was perfect for us! Could not stop licking the spoon. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 19, 2023 at 4:00 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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