Moist carrot cake cupcakes are packed with fresh carrots and warm spices and topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting. The recipe’s quicker than carrot cake and they’re perfect for sharing!
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Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are handheld versions of my popular pumpkin carrot cake. Everyone will love them!
Do you love carrot cake as much as I do? If so, you’ll love this carrot cake loaf recipe and mini carrot cake!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Warm spices give these spiced carrot cupcakes their yummy carrot cake flavor just like my carrot scones!
- They are super moist thanks shredded carrots, pumpkin puree and shredded apple.
- You’ll love the caramel like flavor of the brown sugar cream cheese frosting!
- The batter comes together in minutes and without a mixer!
- They’re the perfect shareable treat just like these raspberry cupcakes and blueberry filled cupcakes.
Ingredients
Below are notes about some of the ingredients.
- Oil: Use vegetable or canola oil.
- Brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh!
- Eggs: Use 1 and a half large, room temperature eggs. To get half an egg, just whisk a whole egg in a bowl. Pour about half the egg into your batter.
- Pumpkin puree: Use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. The cans look similar, but they are different. If you have leftover pumpkin puree, you can make my viral pumpkin olive oil cake!
- Buttermilk: Use room temperature buttermilk.
- Carrots: You will need 1 cup of shredded carrots from about 2 medium carrots. I don’t recommend using store bought shredded carrots. Grate carrots at home using the small holes of a a box grater or food processor.
- 1/2 a red apple: Peel and grate the apple. Drain any juice.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat block-style cream cheese. Make sure to use room temperature cream cheese to avoid lumpy frosting. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for an hour before making the frosting.
See recipe card for ingredient measurements and recipe instructions.
Substitutions And Variations
- Instead of shredded apple, use unsweetened applesauce.
- Swap in regular whole or 2% milk or sour cream in place of buttermilk.
- Stir some chopped nuts into the batter or use them as decoration. Use walnuts, pecans or almonds. For the best flavor, toast the nuts.
- I have not made this cake gluten free, but many of my recipes work well with 1:1 gluten free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill.
Instructions
Step One– (Photo 1 above) Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Step Two- (Photo 2 above) Whisk together the sugars and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin puree followed by the oil.
Step Three– (Photo 3 above) Add the buttermilk alternatively with the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix just til combined.
Step Four- (Photo 4 above) Stir in the carrots and apple. Fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 16-18 minutes.
Step Five-(Photo 5 above) Beat the cream cheese and butter until combined. Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar.
Step Six-(Photo 6 above) Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese and butter. Take them out an hour before making the frosting.
- Sift the powdered sugar. Sifting will prevent lumps in your frosting.
- Use fresh brown sugar. Brown sugar can get hard lumps if it’s not fresh. Fresh brown sugar will dissolve better for smooth frosting.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. The frosting could melt a bit if the cupcakes are still warm.
Recipe FAQs
Buttermilk adds flavor and moisture and helps make the cake super tender. If you don’t have any, you can make a buttermilk substitute.
No. You don’t have to add nuts or raisins to carrot cake. I omitted them since I prefer my carrot cake without them.
Store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoons (¾ teaspoons) cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) nutmeg
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) oil vegetable or canola
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (146.67 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1 ½ (1 ½) eggs for the half egg, whisk it in a small bowl and add half of it along with the other egg to the batter
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (163.33 g) pumpkin puree use canned pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup (128 g) shredded carrots about 2 medium carrots, shred on small holes of a box grater or use a food processor
- ½ (½) red apple peeled and grated, juice drained
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese full fat, brick style, room temperature (leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making)
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) salt
Instructions
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Line cupcake pan with liners. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the sugars and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin puree followed by the oil. Add the buttermilk alternatively with the dry ingredients, mixing just til combined. Stir in carrots and apple.
- Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake pan. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or just with a few crumbs attached when inserted into the center of a cupcake. Cool ten minutes in the cupcake pan then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with the frosting.
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for one minute until creamed and combined. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt then turn the mixer on low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Add extra powdered sugar if you want the frosting a little thicker.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as you like. I used an Ateco 808 open piping tip for the pictures, but also like these cupcakes with frosting simply spread with an offset spatula.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Otis
So moist and delicious! I just want to keep eating them.
Natalie
Love to hear that, Otis! Thanks so much for trying these cupcakes!
Samira
I’ve baked this cake before, and today I made them into cupcakes. They are so moist and delicious. Another fabulous recipe by Natalie.
Xo Sam
Natalie
Hi Sam! So happy you enjoyed these cupcakes! Thank you for taking the time to comment and for being one of my favorite bakers! xo Natalie