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Topped with a heavenly brown sugar cream cheese frosting, these moist carrot cake cupcakes are perfect for spring!

Try Zucchini Cake, Carrot Cake Cookies, and Lemon Zucchini Bread for more sweet-bread veggies!

Carrot cake cupcakes frosted and placed on a white cake stand.

Sweet Treats to Love!

Carrot Cake is a dessert that that we make all the time for Easter, and sometimes for random occasions.

This time around, we opted for making carrot cake cupcakes instead of an entire cake.

Why we love them:

  • Easy. Cupcakes are fun, easy and are great for feeding a crowd.
  • The flavor. These delightful homemade carrot cake cupcakes are moist and delicious, with just the right amount of spice.
  • Perfectly frosted. Top it all off with some homemade brown sugar frosting, and you’ve got yourself one tasty treat!

Although these cupcakes are a great Easter dessert, they can be enjoyed all year long!

Carrot cake batter mixed in a mint mixing bowl.

Ingredients

  • all-purpose flour – use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off.
  • baking soda
  • baking powder
  • cinnamon
  • salt
  • granulated sugar
  • large eggs replace 1 egg with ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce
  • canola oil or vegetable oil
  • sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • vanilla extract
  • finely grated carrots Shred your carrots using the fine side of a box grater because the prepackaged shredded carrots are too dry. 
  • cream cheese 
  • unsalted butter 
  • brown sugar use light or dark brown sugar
  • powdered sugar 
Cupcake batter in a lined muffin tin.

How to Make carrot cake cupcakes

  1. PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
  2. DRY INGREDIENTS. Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. WET INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and oil till thick and foamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and carrots, and mix well.
  4. COMBINE. Add the dry ingredients and stir till just blended.
  5. BAKE. Fill paper-lined cupcake pans half full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with few crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.
    • Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. They should be about ⅔ full. The cupcakes do not rise too much, and that is just fine. It’s easier to frost them that way!

Bite-size Carrot Cupcakes

Follow the recipe exactly and fill mini muffin liners (in a mini muffin tin) halfway. This will likely be about 2 tablespoons of batter for each mini cupcake. Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.

Brown sugar cream cheese frosting for carrot cake cupcakes.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. CREAM. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until the brown sugar dissolves completely.
  2. COMBINE. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, and add vanilla, salt, and enough powdered sugar to make a frosting thick enough to pipe. Use a large star tip to frost cupcakes.

Pro Frosting Tip

We used a large star tip to pipe on the frosting or use your preferred method. If spreading the frosting instead of piping, cut the recipe in half and still have more than enough.

Cupcakes cooked in a muffin tin.

Recipe Tips

  • For pineapple carrot cake. Reduce the grated carrots to 1 cup and add 1 cup of crushed pineapple (drained). The consistency may change a little because there will be more moisture.
  • Add-ins. Try walnuts, pecans, and raisins. Include any of those in the batter before baking (between ½ and 1 cup of add-ins total), or add the chopped nuts to the top of the frosting!
  • Decorating suggestions:
    • Top with adorable Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
    • Switch the brown sugar frosting for a simple cream cheese frosting or Buttercream Frosting
    • Use different piping tips to change the look of the carrot cake cupcakes. 
    • Spread a simple layer of frosting. Use a piping bag with a small tip to pipe on a cute carrot shape with orange and green frosting. 
Carrot cupcakes topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Storing Info

  • STORE. Frosted carrot cake cupcakes must be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or the cream cheese frosting will go bad.
    • Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • FREEZE. Carrot Cake recipes freeze very well. It’s best to freeze them before they have been frosted, but cream cheese frosting freezes well too, so it’s not a problem if they are frosted.
    • Place the cupcakes in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag (taking care to not smash the frosting, if frosted), and store in the freezer for 4-6 months.
Carrot cake cupcakes recipe on white cake stand topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

For More Easter Desserts:

And be sure to check out our entire collection of Easter Dessert Recipes!

4.97 from 65 votes

Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Topped with a heavenly brown sugar cream cheese frosting, these moist carrot cake cupcakes are perfect for spring!
Servings: 18
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients 

Cupcakes:

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ + ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ + ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups finely grated carrots

Frosting:

Instructions 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
  • 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 till thick and foamy, about 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. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
    Don't overfill the cupcake liners. They should be about ⅔ full. The cupcakes do not rise too much, and that is just fine. It's easier to frost them that way!

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until the 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.

Video

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

Calories: 341kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 130mg, Potassium: 48mg, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 375IU, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Making this recipe? Tag us!
Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

For more delicious recipes by her, head on over to Creations by Kara!

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




137 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These cupcakes were so delicious! The flavors of the frosting and cake were so perfect together! We loved them!

  2. I made the brown sugar frosting!!! (not cupcakes) it is amazingly delicious! I did have to refrigerate to firm up. But this is my go to frosting from now on. It was a hit at the birthday party, ty.

  3. 5 stars
    I love these carrot cupcakes more than anything! The cream cheese frosting is so rich and creamy but not too sweet. The cupcakes are insanely moist; they melt in your mouth. These are, without a doubt, my new guilty pleasure!

  4. 5 stars
    In love with these carrot cupcakes! We found the cutest carrot gummies to go on top. Everyone loved them!