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Home » Recipe Index » Dessert: Cakes and Cupcakes » Carrot Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

September 7, 2018 by Kara Cook 34 Comments

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carrot cupcakes recipe collage
carrot cupcakes pinterest pin

Carrot Cake Cupcakes . . . spiced with cinnamon and topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes are simply perfect!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting title pageClassic carrot cake gets a fun update with these carrot cake cupcakes. In a “grab and eat” form, they are perfect for serving at any type of gathering. And just about everyone loves a good carrot cake.

I don’t make carrot cake nearly often enough, and I forgot how much I love it. These cupcakes are moist and delicious and have just the right amount of spice.

Carrot cake cupcake with swirls of brown sugar cream cheese frosting

In my world, cream cheese frosting is an absolute must when it comes to carrot cake. Adding a little brown sugar to the frosting adds a richness and depth of flavor that is unbeatable!

I used a star tip to pipe my frosting onto the cupcakes. You can just spread the frosting on if you prefer. Spreading takes less frosting, so you can cut the frosting recipe in half if you opt for that method.

Unwrapped carrot cake cupcake with swirled brown sugar cream cheese frosting on parchment paper

Tips for making carrot cake cupcakes:

-Beat your wet ingredients well, but be gentle when you add the dry ingredients. You just need to stir them in till they are barely combined. Over-mixing can cause tough cupcakes.
-Don’t overfill your cupcake liners. They should only be half full.
-After baking, the cupcakes will be flat. Don’t worry – that just makes them easier to frost!
-When making the frosting, leave enough time for the brown sugar to dissolve before you add the powdered sugar. You don’t want a grainy frosting!

how to fill cupcake liners for carrot cake cupcakes

Give these carrot cupcakes a try. I’m sure that after just one bite you will fall in love with them!

Carrot cake cupcake with a bite taken out of it.

 

Handy supplies for making carrot cake cupcakes:

-Hand Mixer: I’ve used this Cuisinart mixer for over 5 years, and it is still going strong. Love it!

-Cupcake Liners: I like to use plain white cupcake liners to bake in, then place the cupcakes in fun liners after they cool.

-Food Processor: You can use a cheese grater to shred the carrots, but a food processor does make the job much easier. The one I have is no longer sold, but this food processor is a great deal and has good reviews on amazon.

-Decorating bags and tips: I like to use a 1M star tip for my frosting. This is a great basic cake decorating set that is super affordable.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting collage

If you love cupcakes, here are a few more recipes you should check out:

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
strawberry-cupcakes

Butterscotch Cupcakes
Triple butterscotch cupcakes. These cupcakes are moist, delicious, and topped with a fantastic homemade frosting!

Oreo Cupcakes
Oreo Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Pistachio Cupcakes
pistachio cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped pistachios

 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes 

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Carrot Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Perfectly spiced carrot cake cupcakes with a rich brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup sour cream (light is fine)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
  • Frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • dash of salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (more or less)

Instructions

  1. Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and oil till thick and foamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and carrots and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir till just blended.
  3. Fill paper lined cupcake pans half full. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
  4. For frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar till smooth. Let sit for 5-10 minutes till brown sugar dissolves completely. Add vanilla, salt, and enough powdered sugar to make a frosting thick enough to pipe. Use a large star tip to frost cupcakes.

Notes

This makes enough frosting to generously pipe frosting on the cupcakes. If you will be spreading it on, you can cut the recipe in half.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 344Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 155mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 38gProtein: 3g
© Kara Cook
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert: Cakes and Cupcakes
 
If you love carrot cake, this handheld version is going to become a new favorite! Carrot cake cupcakes are easier to serve, and fun to eat.

Filed Under: Dessert: Cakes and Cupcakes, Recipe Index Tagged With: carrots, cinnamon, cream cheese

Previous Post: « Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread Recipe
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Win

    October 28, 2020 at 9:12 pm

    Easy carrot cupcakes that have the best brown sugar frosting recipe! They turn out perfect every time and are super moist. THIS is the recipe you need! Thanks

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      November 12, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      So happy that you enjoyed the cupcakes and the frosting Lisa! I appreciate you stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Morgan

    August 4, 2020 at 4:55 pm

    Could I make these into Jumbo cupcakes (muffin tin size)? If so, what would the temp and/or time adjustment be? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      August 13, 2020 at 9:23 am

      You shouldn’t need to adjust the oven temperature, but they will take longer to bake. I’d start with 25 minutes, but leave the oven light on so you can watch them carefully.

      Reply
  3. Meaghan

    May 8, 2020 at 12:05 am

    Made a batch for my dad’s birthday, they were amazing and I don’t normally like carrot cake! The super fine grate really was a nice touch and the sour cream makes them so light an fluffy, the brown sugar and the cinnamon have something going on, just an awesome recipe and they were quick 2 hours total , I cheated and placed in front of AC to cool 🙂 I did add chopped walnuts to half the batch and it worked out great. Thank you, can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!

    Reply
  4. Lindsey

    April 7, 2020 at 8:23 am

    Hi! I am going to make these for Easter on Sunday. Is the butter salted or unsalted? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      April 15, 2020 at 10:58 pm

      Sorry, I just saw your comment. I always just use regular salted butter. Too much hassle trying to keep track of both kinds. Haha.I hope your cupcakes turns out just perfectly for your Easter dinner. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Beti

    March 26, 2020 at 11:48 am

    Did it today with my 5y son. Yummy!

    Reply
  6. GIGGY MARKY

    September 17, 2019 at 5:48 am

    yummy!

    Reply
  7. Erikah

    September 2, 2019 at 7:50 am

    Can I use the same recipe to make a 3 layer cake??

    Reply
  8. Kashish

    July 31, 2019 at 7:13 am

    I want to try this recipe. It looks absolutely delicious. But can I replace the powdered sugar entirely with brown sugar in frosting?

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      September 17, 2019 at 12:04 pm

      I don’t recommend it. Powdered sugar is blended to be super fine so that it dissolves easily and makes a smooth frosting. It also adds volume. I think it would be nearly impossible to get a creamy frosting using just brown sugar.

      Reply
  9. Katherine

    April 20, 2019 at 11:22 am

    These are amazing! I’ve made them multiple times and they’re a huge hit! Is there anyway to turn this recipe into just a regular 8in cake?

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      May 15, 2019 at 10:34 am

      I think it’s probably too much batter for one 8″ pan, but not quite enough for two. I’d cut the recipe in half and have a shorter cake rather than risk the batter overflowing into the oven. If you give it a try, let me know how it works!

      Reply
  10. Mika

    March 5, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    What if i don’t have a sour cream?.. is there any alternate for it?

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      March 13, 2019 at 11:36 am

      Plain yogurt or plain greek yogurt would work just as well. Buttermilk would probably work in a pinch. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Araki Hirofumi

    December 16, 2018 at 3:02 am

    This recipe was… how do I say it? Excellent!! Finally I have found a carrot cake recipe I love. Appreciate it!

    Reply
  12. Shannon

    November 3, 2018 at 10:20 pm

    Wow, just the cupcake recipe I was searching for, so good! Thanks!

    Reply
  13. Chiquita

    November 2, 2018 at 7:31 am

    Cupcakes look good, saved to my bookmarks!

    Reply
  14. Amy

    November 1, 2018 at 9:04 am

    Thanks for a Carrot Cake cupcake recipe without crushed pineapple or pecans! Looking forward to making these!

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      November 1, 2018 at 10:19 am

      You are so welcome! My kids prefer them this way, that’s for sure. Hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  15. Ann

    October 24, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    I’ve always loved carrot cake, but I think I might like these cupcakes even more. The frosting is incredible!

    Reply
  16. Damion

    October 24, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Superb recipe, some of the tastiest cupcakes I’ve ever made!

    Reply
  17. Sadie

    October 18, 2018 at 7:47 pm

    I wanted to thank you for this very good cupcake recipe!! I absolutely enjoyed every bite. The frosting is so good!

    Reply
  18. Lisa Walker

    September 23, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    Made this tonight and it was a hit. The icing was the best! Thanks for sharing. Need to work on my frosting skills.

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      October 12, 2018 at 11:06 am

      It took me a bit of practice to get my frosting to look decent. Don’t worry, you’ll get there! But of course even if the frosting doesn’t look perfect, they still taste amazing! 🙂

      Reply
  19. Sylvia

    September 17, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    Such a fun idea to serve carrot cake in cupcake form! We loved them, and the frosting is divine!

    Reply
  20. Saltish

    September 11, 2018 at 4:16 am

    These cupcakes look super delicious. Thanks for sharing such a nice recipe.

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      October 12, 2018 at 11:07 am

      Thanks for stopping by and leaving a nice comment. I appreciate it! And I hope you do give the cupcakes a try!

      Reply
  21. Kristyn

    September 10, 2018 at 11:53 am

    Oh yum – I haven’t always been fan of carrot cake – but these cupcakes are phenomenal! And that frosting… SO good!!

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      October 12, 2018 at 11:07 am

      Thanks Kristyn, so glad you liked them!

      Reply
  22. Becca

    September 9, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    This looks amazing!!! I’ve got to try this.

    Reply
  23. Jennifer Lifford

    September 9, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    These are amazing and that cream cheese frosting is to die for!! I’ll have to make extra of the frosting next time so I can eat it on its own! 😉

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      October 12, 2018 at 11:07 am

      Making extra frosting is a great plan!

      Reply

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Hi. I’m Kara, and I love to create! I share recipes, DIY tutorials, craft projects, and thrifty home decor. I hope that I can inspire you to create something! Read More…

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