These small batch carrot cake cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting are perfectly spiced, moist, and easy to make. They're the perfect dessert for a small Easter celebration - or any time a carrot cake craving strikes!
Remember in the 2000's when we were all obsessed with cupcakes before the trendy dessert seemed to run its course? With the rise in popularity of small batch baking over the past year, it seems like the right time for cupcakes to make a comeback. They are, after all, just perfectly-portioned mini cakes.
So here you have it... the best Easter dessert - carrot cake - turned into the most delicious cupcakes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These cupcakes are adapted from my all-time favorite carrot cake recipe, so they're delightfully moist, packed with fresh carrots and a hint of cinnamon, and have just a bit of crunchy pecans.
The brown butter cream cheese frosting takes these cupcakes from classic to showstopper. Of course you could stick to basic cream cheese frosting if you prefer, but the nutty flavor that the browned butter adds to this frosting is truly delightful.
This small batch recipe makes seven cupcakes, a baker's half dozen. Trust me, you'll be fighting over who gets to eat that "bonus" cupcake!
This recipe is a must-have for Easter and perfect for spring, but I gladly eat these cupcakes all year round!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Grated Carrot - Grated carrots are of course key to carrot cake. Use freshly grated carrots for the best flavor and texture. Never use pre-shredded carrots for baking, since they lack the moisture and flavor needed for truly delicious cake. Check out my post all about how to shred carrots for carrot cake for even more information!
Cinnamon - Cinnamon perfectly complements the other flavors in these cupcakes. For optimal flavor, be sure to use ground cinnamon that's been open for no more than a year and is not expired, as ground spices lose their flavor over time.
Vegetable Oil - Vegetable oil adds moisture and fat to these cupcakes. Oil helps to create cake with a delicate crumb, and does not lead to dense batter the way butter can. If you don't have vegetable oil on hand your can substitute another neutral oil, like canola oil.
Chopped Pecans - Finely chopped pecans add delicious flavor and a hint of crunch to these cupcakes. You can substitute walnuts if you prefer. If you want to leave out the nuts altogether, check out my nut-free recommendations in the recipe notes below.
Butter - Browned butter is the secret ingredient that makes this cream cheese frosting extra special. Brown butter adds a rich, toasted, nutty flavor that complements these cupcakes beautifully. I prefer to brown just 2 Tablespoons of the butter so that the frosting's flavor doesn't overpower the cupcakes, but you can brown as much of the butter in the frosting as you like (or skip browning it altogether for a classic cream cheese frosting).
The browned butter will need to be room temperature for making the frosting, so you'll need to either allow time for the butter to cool after browning or brown the butter ahead of time (up to a week ahead) and store it in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature with the other frosting ingredients.
Cream Cheese - Be sure to use room temperature full-fat block cream cheese for making the frosting. Whipped or spreadable cream cheese is too soft for making frosting, and trying to whip cold cream cheese will result in lumpy frosting. To bring the cream cheese to room temperature more quickly, cut it into small pieces.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and whisk), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- A standard muffin pan, for baking the cupcakes.
- An electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, for mixing the frosting.
- A piping bag and large open star piping tip (I used Wilton 8B) for piping the frosting onto the cupcakes. If you prefer, you can use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting onto the cupcakes.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Brown the butter. Once browned, immediately transfer the butter to a large, heat-safe bowl. Let the butter cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the carrot cake batter. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine vegetable oil and sugar and whisk to combine.
Step 4: Add half of the flour mixture to the oil mixture and stir to combine. Then add half of the whisked egg, stirring to combine. Alternate adding the remaining flour mixture and egg, stirring until just a few streaks of flour remain.
Step 5: Add grated carrots and pecans and stir until blended.
Step 6: Spoon cupcake batter into seven wells of the muffin pan lined with paper liners, filling each ⅔ full.
Step 7: Bake the cupcakes at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly poked. Let cool completely.
Step 8: Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese, browned butter, and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and beat to combine.
Step 9: Slowly add confectioners' sugar, mixing on low speed until blended. Then beat on high speed until the mixture is well combined and creamy.
Step 10: Frost the cupcakes. Fit a piping bag with a large piping tip and pipe a large swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
Nut-Free Recipe Variation
To make these cupcakes nut-free, replace the chopped pecans with ¼ cup (32 grams) of raisins or a dried fruit blend (I love King Arthur Baking Company's Baker's Fruit Blend.)
Allison's Top Tips
The browned butter will need to be cooled to room temperature before mixing the frosting. Brown the butter in advance so that it has time to cool, or you can brown it up to a week ahead, store it in the fridge, and then let it come to room temperature along with the cream cheese and remaining butter for the frosting.
This recipe makes enough cream cheese frosting for generously piping onto the cupcakes. If you're planning to simply spread frosting onto the cupcakes, you can reduce the amount of frosting by as much as half.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: Frosted cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best taste, let them sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before serving.
Freezing: Unfrosted cupcakes can be sealed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost the cupcakes before topping them with frosting.
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Recipe
Small Batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Special Equipment
- standard muffin pan
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 Tablespoons (86 grams) unsalted butter room temperature, divided
- 6 ounces (170 grams) full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ½ cups (284 grams) confectioners' sugar
Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
- ⅝ cup (75 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 gram) baking soda
- 5 Tablespoons (62 grams) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg lightly whisked
- ¾ cup (80 grams) freshly grated raw carrots (about 1 large or 2 medium carrots)
- ¼ cup (30 grams) finely chopped pecans
Instructions
Brown the butter.
- Brown the butter for the brown butter cream cheese frosting ahead of time. Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to a medium-sized, light-colored pan, stirring it frequently as it melts and then browns to ensure that it does not burn. Once browned, immediately transfer the butter to a small, heat-safe bowl. Let the butter cool to room temperature. (Butter can be browned up to a week ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Then let the browned butter come to room temperature with the other frosting ingredients before mixing.)6 Tablespoons (86 grams) unsalted butter
Make the cupcake batter.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper liners into 7 wells of a standard muffin pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.⅝ cup (75 grams) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder, ¼ teaspoon (1.5 gram) baking soda
- In a large bowl, combine vegetable oil and sugar and whisk to combine.5 Tablespoons (62 grams) vegetable oil, ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- Add half of the flour mixture to the oil mixture and stir to combine. Then add half of the whisked egg, stirring to combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir before adding the remaining egg and stirring just until blended.1 large egg
- Add grated carrots and pecans and stir until blended.¾ cup (80 grams) freshly grated raw carrots, ¼ cup (30 grams) finely chopped pecans
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan, filling each of the seven wells ⅔ full (about 2 heaping Tablespoons or 50 grams of batter per cupcake).
Bake the cupcakes.
- Bake the cupcakes for 30 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly poked. The tops of the cupcakes will be just slightly domed and will flatten out as they cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), beat cream cheese, room temperature browned butter, and remaining 4 Tablespoons room temperature butter on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and salt and beat to combine.6 Tablespoons (86 grams) unsalted butter, 6 ounces (170 grams) full-fat cream cheese, ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add confectioners' sugar until all the sugar is added. Then beat on high speed until the mixture is well combined and creamy.2 ½ cups (284 grams) confectioners' sugar
Frost the cupcakes.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, they're ready for frosting. Fit a piping bag with a large piping tip and pipe a large swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Or, if you prefer, use an offset spatula to spread frosting onto each cupcake.
Maddie says
So so good, my whole family loved them and I would definitely make it again.
Allison Ferraro says
So glad you and your family loved these cupcakes, Maddie! Thanks for leaving a review!
- Allison
JoAnn👩❤️👩 Lutz says
I have made these cupcakes at least six times!
It's easy and perfect texture.
Love them
I don’t know why the time is so different than han the instructions I do not bake for more than 30 minutes.
rayne says
Made these cupcakes as a little sweet dream and they were amazing! Don’t let the other reviews steer you away. Mine only took about 35 mins to bake through, instead of 55 so keep an eye on them! Will be making again.
Melissa says
I this this recipe needs some tweaking. Wish I had listened to the other reviews and gone elsewhere. The texture is totally off and the tops are crispy like a cookie. I’m an experienced baker and have an oven thermometer, so with the other reviews I’m pretty sure it’s the recipe and not user error.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Melissa. I'm sorry the recipe didn't turn out as you'd hoped, and I'd love to help you troubleshoot. I've never experienced crispy tops with this recipe. Did you make any substitutions or other adjustments?
- Allison
Elizabeth says
Not my favorite carrot cupcake recipe. :/ These baked thoroughly in 25 mins in my gas oven, and they’re flat and holey on top, do not resemble any type of muffin or cupcake. Hoping the frosting can help hide their unattractive appearance!
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Elizabeth! I'm sorry to hear these cupcakes didn't turn out as you'd hoped. As the recipe instructions mention, they will be flat on top since the cake is moist, but the frosting will cover up the flatter tops. Did your cupcakes look like those in the step by step photos above within the post prior to frosting? The tops should not be sunken or "holey", and if you send me an email at [email protected] I'd be happy to help you troubleshoot.
- Allison
Jessica says
I was not a big fan of these cupcakes. Maybe I got the measurements wrong but there was way too much oil and they fell in the oven and crisped along the times. They tasted like burnt sugar and stuck to the muffin wrapper despite oil seeping through. The frosting was delicious though
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Jessica! I'm so sorry to hear that these cupcakes didn't turn out as expected. It's possible that the ingredients weren't measured properly, as you mentioned, and other likely culprits of sinking cupcakes could be over mixing the batter, over filling the liners, or the oven temperature being off. Do you use an oven thermometer to check your oven temp? The crispy edges and burnt sugar taste has me wondering if your oven is running hot. If you'd like to shoot me an email at [email protected] I'd be happy to help you trouble shoot.
- Allison
Whitney says
Yeah, this recipe was not my favorite. They do not poof up like normal cupcakes. Flat and the tops spread making a crispy, sugary crust along my muffin tin. Not sure, but I measured everything careful and I noticed the batter seemed much more like a cookie batter. Really thick not like a typical cupcake. I'm a pretty avid baker and figured I'd try this one because it seemed relatively simple but definitely not my favorite.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Whitney! I'm sorry to hear that you didn't love this recipe. While these cupcakes do have flat (not domed) tops, they shouldn't spread and the batter should not be the consistency of cookie dough. Did your batter not look like the batter in the step by step photos within the post? If you'd like, I'd love to try and help you troubleshoot... just send me an email.
- Allison
Anne says
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Anne! Yes, these cupcakes can be baked, fully cooled, sealed in an airtight container, and frozen for up to 2-3 months. It's best not to freeze them already frosted and to wait until after they've been frozen, thawed, and brought to room temperature before frosting. I do find that these cupcakes (like most cupcakes) can become a bit more moist on top after freezing and thawing, but they're definitely still very delicious that way.
- Allison
jet1821 says
I thought for sure that even 40 minutes was WAY too long for baking (that's when I took mine out of the oven) but it made the top crispy and the inside soft. These were really delicious and mostly carrots so they're healthy, right? Ha. The frosting added a nice, complex touch.
Beatrice says
These were so good but I think normal cream cheese frosting is better but that's just my opinion.