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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: Apr 9, 2019 · Modified: Mar 29, 2022 by Allison · 128 Comments

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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.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

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

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Several things set this recipe apart from other carrot cake recipes. Here’s what makes this recipe the BEST:

  • 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: 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.

Carrot cake cupcakes in a muffin tin.

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! Out of brown sugar? Try my Brown Sugar Substitute. 

Tips for Making the Best Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 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 hour or so.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting in a mixing bowl.

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, which means you get stick a spoon in there ↑ and test it out.

You can choose to decorate your cupcakes with a piping bag and tip or you can just spread the frosting on with a butter knife. I like to use an open star tip for this frosting, I think the swirls add nice dimension.

Carrot Cake Cupcake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Prefer REGULAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING? Use this recipe, cut in half, to frost 12 cupcakes.

 

More carrot cake recipes

  • PUMPKIN CARROT CAKE
  • PINEAPPLE CARROT CAKE
  • CARROT CAKE SANDWICH COOKIES
  • HEALTHY CARROT CAKE
  • CARROT MUFFINS

 

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Note: This post originally appeared in 2015. I made a few small tweaks in the recipe to allow a higher rise in the cupcakes, and I modified the frosting to thicken it up and increase the brown sugar flavor.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

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. 
4.9 from 37 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 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
  • 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
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts, optional

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, make sure it's really fresh
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon molasses, optional, see note

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 stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Stir in carrots and nuts (if using).
  • 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:

  • Place the butter, cream cheese and brown sugar 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, vanilla and molasses (if using) and beat 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 (this frosting is on the thinner side). Lastly, give it a mix on high speed for one full minute. 
  • Spread the frosting on top of each cupcake (I used a pastry bag and open star 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. 

Video

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. 
  • MOLASSES: A little bit of molasses helps to intensify the brown sugar flavor. If you don't have it you can skip it, but if you do have it, I highly recommend adding it. 
  • If the frosting gets too soft you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes or so. 

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. Jenny

    July 15, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    5 stars
    These cupcakes and icing are absolutely DELICIOUS!! Made them a few times now – so so good!

    Reply
    • Allison

      July 16, 2021 at 2:23 pm

      Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Myra

    July 27, 2021 at 6:24 am

    5 stars
    Really good, my go to carrot cupcake recipe

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 01, 2021 at 9:12 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Nicole

    August 02, 2021 at 5:16 am

    Hello,
    I’m planning to use the frosting on a 2-layer 9″ spice cake for my son’s birthday. Do you recommend doubling the frosting ingredients or will the recipe be enough to cover the cake as-is? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 02, 2021 at 4:15 pm

      I would double it. Better to have too much than not enough. If you have any frosting leftover you can freeze it. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Michael

    August 09, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    5 stars
    I made these cupcakes and they’re so good! I’d like to make it as a 2 tier (9″) cake. Do you think there is enough batter for that?

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 10, 2021 at 9:21 am

      I think the layers will be quite thin. Maybe make one full recipe plus half a recipe. Although I haven’t tried it I would guess it should work. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Linda

    November 01, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    It’s so delicious!!! I tweaked the recipe a bit, less sugar and I eliminated the molasses and it came out so tasty and moist. I will definitely be making this again!
    Loved it ! Thank u 😋 🧁
    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Reply
    • Allison

      November 02, 2021 at 8:53 am

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

      Reply
  6. Stephanie

    March 17, 2022 at 7:55 am

    Can this be made into a sheet cake?

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 22, 2022 at 9:27 am

      I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I don’t think it will be enough batter for a 9×13. Maybe an 8×11? You’d have to play around with it. Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Jim

    March 29, 2022 at 4:39 am

    Whether you know it or not…. brown sugar is white sugar mixed with molasses

    Reply
  8. Darlene

    May 07, 2022 at 1:18 pm

    Do you think it will hurt if I add a full cup of nuts instead of half a cup

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 10, 2022 at 8:12 am

      I wouldn’t do more than 2/3 cup in the batter. You can add the rest on top of the frosting.

      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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