Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes – Tender and fluffy, lightly-spiced Carrot Cake Cupcakes topped with a rich Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. Everyone loves this tasty twist on traditional Carrot Cake.

Are you here for the Carrot Cake Cupcakes or the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting? Either way, you will be leaving here a happier person. Moist and fluffy, lightly spiced carrot cake cupcakes topped with a rich and luxurious cream cheese frosting – this is what dreams are made of!

Carrot cake was my most requested birthday cake as a child, I have always loved it! So, maybe I’m a little biased, but I can’t imagine that you won’t love these cupcakes. I’ve made this recipe multiple times, and these are always met with rave reviews. Plus, the special twist of adding brown sugar to a typical cream cheese frosting makes these extra special.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I wanted the frosting to be the star of this recipe, so I kept the carrot cake simple. A tender and moist cake, filled with finely grated carrots, and lightly spiced with cinnamon.

I sweeten the cupcakes with a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds a depth of flavor that you can’t get from white sugar alone. And because we are topping the cupcakes with a generous swirl of frosting, I didn’t want the sweetness factor to be off the chart, so I made the cake itself only lightly sweet. The cake perfectly compliments the decadent frosting.

Note: After a few reader comments about the cupcakes not rising enough, I played around with the recipe to get a slightly higher 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.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

This here is the only way I want to top my carrot cake from now until forever. This Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting has a rich and deep, almost caramel-like flavor. It strikes the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. You will  LOVE it!

Here some tips for getting it perfect:

• Cream cheese and butter should be softened to 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 1-2 hours and it is perfect.
• Your brown sugar needs to be super fresh, moist, and free from lumps. The best brown sugar I have found is Target “Market Pantry” brand. 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. If you can still detect a very slight grittiness in the frosting, worry not – it should not come through once you eat the frosting on the cupcake.
• This frosting is a touch softer than a typical cream cheese frosting. It still holds its shape, but I recommend storing these cupcakes in the fridge and bringing them to room temp right before serving.

Tell me you don’t want to swan dive right into that bowl of frosting? As I’ve said before, the baker is in charge of quality control (pssst…that means you get stick a spoon in there ↑ and test it out). It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it. 😉

I like to use an open star tip for this frosting, I think the swirls add nice dimension. Now, what are you waiting for? Get baking!

If you love carrot cake you’ve come to the right place – I am CARROT CAKE OBSESSED! Check out my other CARROT CAKE RECIPES:

PUMPKIN CARROT CAKE 

CARROT CAKE SANDWICH COOKIES

HEALTHY CARROT CAKE

NEVER MISS A RECIPE!

Subscribe to receive my recipes (free!) to your inbox

Like Celebrating Sweets on Facebook

Follow along on Instagram

Note: This post originally appeared in 2015. I made a few small tweaks in the recipe to allow a higher rise in the cupcakes.

4.74 from 15 votes

Print

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Tender and fluffy, lightly-spiced Carrot Cake Cupcakes topped with a rich Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. Everyone loves this tasty twist on traditional Carrot Cake. 

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 258 kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup all purpose flour see note
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon increase to 2 teaspoons, if desired
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots about 2 medium/large carrots
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts optional

Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened slightly
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened slightly
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark make sure it's really fresh
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat oil, applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Stir in carrots and nuts.
4. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting and assembly:

1. Place all frosting ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed, then gradually increase the speed to medium-high. Beat for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy, scraping the beater and sides of the bowl periodically. If you prefer the frosting thicker, add more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Note: iI you're detecting some grittiness from the brown sugar, continue beating at a high speed. A touch of grittiness is ok, it should not be noticeable once it is on the cupcakes. 

2. Spread the frosting on top of each cupcake (I used a pastry bag and decorating tip, but you could also spread it on with a butter knife). I like to store these cupcakes in the fridge, and bring to room temp before serving. 

Recipe Notes

To properly measure flour: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, then scoop a heaping cup and level it off with the back of a knife.

Nutrition Facts

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Amount Per Serving

Calories 258 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 14g 22%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 58mg 19%

Sodium 133mg 6%

Potassium 129mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 29g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 19g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 61.7%

Vitamin C 1.1%

Calcium 4.2%

Iron 5.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.