Okay I know we all hate the M-word, but these carrot cake cupcakes are SO moist! I'm sorry, there's just really no other way to describe them! This fluffy sponge is filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and more to give it the perfect flavor. Your tastebuds are in for a delicious ride with these spices and brown butter cream cheese frosting!
What do you need to make these cupcakes & brown butter cream cheese frosting?
Ingredients:
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sour cream
- Applesauce
- Cinnamon (ground)
- Nutmeg (ground)
- Ginger (ground)
- Cloves (ground)
- Cardamom (ground)
- Carrots (shredded)
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
Equipment:
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How I Designed These Cupcakes:
Have you ever seen the awesome wavy liners people use to make their cupcakes fancy?! I'm in love with how they look so I bought some and used them for these cupcakes! They were so pretty, but so moist (I'm sorry!) that the liners peeled away from the cupcakes!
I removed all of the cupcake liners and flipped the cupcakes upside-down. Then, I used my extra large round piping tip to swirl the brown butter cream cheese frosting on the tops! I love how the wavy sponge design is exposed!
Tips & Storage:
- Would you prefer to make a sheet cake instead of cupcakes? Check out my Spiced Carrot Sheet Cake recipe!
- These are best made with freshly grated carrots, but pre-shredded carrots work too!
- Make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before frosting them or removing their liners!
- If you don't have cupcake liners, you can make them in a well-greased cupcake pan.
- The cream cheese frosting can be made with an equal amount of softened butter if you don't want to use brown butter.
- Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Did you try these cupcakes?
Tag @brokenovenbaking on Instagram and rate & comment below!
The Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake pan
- Cupcake liners
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Measuring spoons
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups
- Grater
- Sifter
- Piping bag
- Piping tip
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Batter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons applesauce room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1½ cups (~3 carrots) shredded carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter browned and cooled
- 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and fill cupcake pans with 18 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars and oil. Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and applesauce - mixing after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently mix with a spatula until only a couple of flour streaks are visible.
- Fold the shredded carrots into the batter.
- Fill cupcake liners ~⅔ full and bake one pan at a time for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean. After 10 minutes, move the cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir until the butter browns and releases a nutty aroma. Let it cool.
- Mix the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the cooled brown butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar and mix very well.
- Pipe or spread frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!
Wendy says
The best carrot cake cupcakes I've ever had! The brown butter frosting is an incredible addition.