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:
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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.
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.
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:
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, 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.
- 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 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.
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.
These look divine!! Carrot cake is my favorite. I love this recipe! Nice switch up on the frosting by using brown sugar!
Thanks, Carly!
i used baking soda as the recipe suggested and they were a total flop , perhaps i needed to used baking powder ?
Hi, Bonnie.Baking soda is correct. Make sure that your baking soda is fresh, that could impact the recipe. Also, these cupcakes do not rise very much. They barely rise over the top of the muffin cup (check out my second photo), they don’t have a large dome. Sorry they didn’t work out for you.
Will you please explain in greater detail the term “cup scant 1/3”?
Hi, Sue Ellen. I apologize for the typo. It should read “scant 1/3 cup”. I have fixed the recipe. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Oh wow! Brown Sugar Frosting that is amazing! And yes, carrot cake is just a vehicle for the cream cheese frosting! These look to die for!
Thanks, Julie!
Y love it!! I need try this right now!!
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Thanks for stopping by!
These carrot cake cupcakes look delish! Love the brown sugar cream cheese frosting – so decadent and tasty! 😀
Decadent indeed! Thanks, Jess! 🙂
I’ve made these twice… one for my workplace and once for my husband’s. Both times they were wonderful with rav reviews. Thanks!
Sarah, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know. Happy baking!
Hi- I am making these carrot cupcake this weekend. I was thinking about using my mini-cupcake pan. Do you know if I would change the cooking time to adjust for the mini-cupcake size? Thanks!! These look delicious.
Yes, you will want to adjust the cooking time if you’re using a smaller pan. I’d set a timer for 8 minutes and then check them with a toothpick. If they’re still not done, check every 2 minutes until they are. Enjoy!
My cupcakes were flat. I would add 1/2 cup of flour extra next time. And, I needed a full pound of powdered sugar to thicken up the frosting. Taste is great! And, the brown sugar is an excellent addition to the frosting.
Thanks for sharing your modifications. Sorry they came out flat, but I’m glad they still tasted good! Thanks for stopping by!
Hiya, lovely photos the cupcakes look Amazing! Just wondering what I could replace the apple sauce with? I’m from New Zealand and we don’t really have it unless it’s for roast pork Lol!
Hi Jess! You could swap the applesauce for an equal amount of vanilla yogurt or pumpkin puree. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!
I wanted to ask u a similar question if its ok to use grated apple instead of apple sauce.
Hi, Adela. That should work. Grate the apple really fine and include the juices. Enjoy!
Hi Im from Germany and I tried these Cupcakes and they were totally flat. And I used fresh opened Baking soda. may it be that used self rising flour instead of normal flour? I really will add banking powder next time. Nevertheless thanks for the nice recipe.
Karl
Hi, Karl. It is all purpose flour, not self rising. If you do try it with self rising please let me know how it goes. These cupcakes do not have a high dome. Each time I’ve made them they come out the same, they barely rise over the top of the cupcake liner. Thanks for stopping by. Sorry they didn’t turn out better for you.
Hi I want to make a cake with this recipe, would I have to double my ingredients?
Hi! I would guess that doubling it would make two 9-inch round cakes or one 9×13 cake. This cake recipe does not produce a large rise and it’s rather tender, so I think it might be slightly unstable for a layer cake. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out. Here are two other carrot cake recipes of mine that make cakes.
Pumpkin Carrot Cake: http://celebratingsweets.com/pumpkin-carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
Healthier Carrot Cake: http://celebratingsweets.com/healthier-carrot-cake-naturally-sweetened-whole-grain/
Is the recipe fine to make a cake out of it?
I’ve never tried it. I would guess that it should work.
My husband actually ate these! I made mine with raisins and nuts and we skipped the frosting. (He didn’t know there was supposed to be frosting) Haha. Do you happen to know the nutritional value without frosting? Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m glad that you liked them.
I calculated the following nutrition facts for 1 cupcake without frosting:
Calories: 194
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 23g
Sugar: 13g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 3g
What a lovely recipe. My cakes came out looking just like your photos and taste delicious, so good that they didn’t need any icing. I used self raising flour as that’s all
I had and made some apple sauce using one apple and a bit of butter. Yummy!
Thank you for the kind words. I’m so glad that you liked these cupcakes. Thanks for stopping by!
I absolutely can’t stand too much powdered sugar in frosting so I was very excited to find this recipe. I sifted my brown sugar and added a little more cream cheese and it was wonderful, perfect for the carrot cake recipe that I always use. Thank you for this one!
Perfect! Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Which tip did you use please
I believe it was a 1M open star tip.
Ohhh these look so divine!
Wow, this frosting looks so creamy and absolutely delicious!! I am in awe of this beautiful recipe!
Carrot cake is one of my favorites to eat and make. I like the addition of the frosting.
Yummy! I know for sure that I will love this recipe! Hope the kids will like it too.
Those look so tasty and I love the frosting. Thanks for sharing it. Pinning this for later. Shared!
That frosting sounds absolutely amazing!! Love carrot cake, I don’t have it often enough.
I do appreciate a good carrot cake! Those sandwich biscuits look amazing and super yummy! Sim x #GYB
oh my gosh, these look so great! And all the other carrot cake desserts! This is my favorite type of dessert! yum!
My mom would love this!!! She LOVES anything carrot cake!
YUM! I love carrot cake and this one looks and sounds delicious! I wouldn’t have thought to make a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. I have a hard time thinking outside of the box.
Yummy! I love carrot sweets! The icing on these is flawless!
I don’t think I have ever had a carrot cup cake before – these sound so good!
I love carrot cake!!! These look devine and absolutely decadent!! Can’t wait to try! Saved for later
Carrot cake is delicious as it is but these cupcakes are to die for! The brown sugar cream cheese frosting made these carrot cake cupcakes a winner!
Thanks!
these look so delicious, making me so hungry!
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Omg this is the world’s best cake! we make it into a cake instead of cupcakes but we follow the recipe exact and omg I’ve never had a better carrot cake in my life and I know my food very well believe me!
Quick question, you have to let the batter sit for a day before you bake it correct? I believe it said something about that before changes were made to the recipe. Or is it that you bake the cake and then let that sit in the fridge for a day?
Please clarify the above and god bless you for introducing this to the world lol. Thank you 🙂
Ha! Thanks for the kind words. I think you’re referring to my recommendation to store these cupcakes in the fridge (after baking and frosting), simply because the frosting holds up better that way. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!