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–+ servings

Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Kara
Perfect carrot cake cupcakes with a rich brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
4.45 from 79 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Dessert: Cakes and Cupcakes
Cuisine American
Servings 18 cupcakes
Calories 346 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cupcakes

  • 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp + 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
  • ¼ cup sour cream light is fine
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots

Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • dash of salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar more or less

Instructions
 

  • Wash, peel, and grate carrots. Place 18 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and oil with an electric mixer at medium-high speed 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.
  • Fill paper lined cupcake pans half full of cupcake batter. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Let cool in the muffin tin for 3-5 minutes, then place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • 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.
  • Transfer frosting into a piping bag. Use a large star tip to frost cooled 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.
  • You can store the cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple days, but if you want to store them longer, pop them in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend letting them come to room temp before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 3gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 173mgPotassium: 85mgFiber: 1gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 2156IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
Keyword carrot cupcakes
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