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 different version of carrot cake? Try our Carrot Cake (layer cake) or Carrot Cake Bars.
Jump to:
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.
Recipe overview
Cupcakes:
- Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon).
- Whisk sugars, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the shredded carrots
Divide the batter between 12 lined muffin cups and bake!
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.
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.
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
SUBSCRIBE to our free NEWSLETTER – Follow on INSTAGRAM
Recipe
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
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
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Jodie
have you tried the recipe using any frozen carrots? Long story but i came into an abundance of them (probably 15 pounds so far) and want to try these! But may end up using frozen / thawed carrots. This recipe sounds delicious! I can’t wait!
Celebrating Sweets
Hi! I have never tried that, so I can’t say for sure. Best of luck playing around with it. Enjoy!
Emily
Really yummy!! Way to much frosting for me though, I would cut the ingredients in half next time!
Jessica
I followed your recipe exactly and my cupcakes came out deflated 🙁 Most other carrot cake recipes I’ve seen would have around 2 cups of flour… so I’m wondering if that’s the reason why these came out so deflated? Have you ever experienced deflating with this recipe? Thank you
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Jessica. These cupcakes do not have a high rise, they should reach just to the top of the cupcakes wrapper after baking (see the third photo in the post).
When you say “deflated” do you mean that the middle sunk in? I’m not exactly sure why that happened. Did you divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups? Overfilling could create sinking in the center. Do you live in a humid climate? This could impact the final result a bit since there are so many “wet” ingredients in this recipe. Are you positive that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh? Over-mixing the batter can add extra air which might make them sink. Also, opening the oven door during bake time can have an affect on the cupcakes setting up properly.
Every other carrot cake cupcake recipe I’ve seen that makes 12 cupcakes has around 1 cup of flour as well. Any recipe that has 2 cups of flour in it likely yields 18-24 cupcakes, rather than the 12
Thanks for sharing your experience. -Allison
Lisa
OK! So… I am ordering food online and having it delivered. I am not used to that and ordered a HUGE bag of carrots (by mistake). I waste no food so I went to Pinterest to make use of some of them, came upon this recipe and I am the hit of the neighborhood!!! I keep making them for everyone, these are seriously good and the frosting is a recipe I will use for the rest of my life. Thank you!!!!
Celebrating Sweets
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy baking! 🙂 -Allison
J.J.
Hi can I use this recipe to make a cake as well?
Celebrating Sweets
I haven’t tried it. I would guess that it could go into two 8-inch round cake pans, but the layers might be a bit thin. Begin checking it around 25 minutes or so. Best of luck playing around with it.
Emily Botsios
We had a lot of fun making these with the kids. The recipe was easy to follow and the cupcakes and frosting came out perfect! We halved the frosting recipe because I only had 4 ounces of cream cheese. Everything was delicious! This will be our new Easter tradition!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks, Emily! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Kelsi
Hi, I would love to try this recipe, but dont have any apple sauce at home, any suggestions on what I can substitute for it.
Celebrating Sweets
You can try yogurt or sour cream. Enjoy!
Gail
How long can I keep leftover icing in the fridge? Can I freeze it?
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. If you’re storing it in the fridge, it will be good for about 3 days.
Dani
Hi! I was wondering where the walnuts come in to play. Are they optional as a garnish? Or are they incorporated somewhere? Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
They are in the cupcake batter (step 3). They are optional though, so feel free to leave them out. Enjoy! 🙂
Megan
I just made these and they were perfect!!! Great recipe. I used caramilk philadelphia for the frosting and it worked well with the brown sugar 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Beth
Hi! I don’t have baking soda in my pantry right now, but I have baking powder. Can I use only baking powder? Will it have the same outcome?
Celebrating Sweets
I believe you can use triple the amount of baking powder for baking soda.