Browned Butter Coconut Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Coconut carrot cake cupcakes feature an incredibly soft browned butter carrot cake interior with plenty of toasty nuts, flaked coconut, and a silky cream cheese frosting.
Servings 12 cupcakes
Calories 391kcal
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1-1/2 cups shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons half and half cream
- Chopped nuts for garnishing, optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, swirling occasionally until a deep golden brown, about 8-12 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool 5 minutes.
- Beat sugars into browned butter until smooth then mix in eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Set aside for a moment.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold flour mixture into liquid mixture until batter is just combined. Gently fold in coconut, carrot, and nuts if using.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter, gently smoothing tops. Bake cupcakes at 350F 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in middle of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place cream cheese and butter in a large bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment) and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla to cream cheese mixture and beat an additional 3-4 minutes until frosting is completely smooth. Add half and half by the tablespoon, mixing until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Refrigerate frosting until ready to frost cupcakes.
- Allow frosting to soften to room temperature if you refrigerated it before frosting cupcakes. Frost cupcakes and garnish with toasted nuts if desired. Store cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.8g | Protein: 4.7g | Fat: 23.6g | Saturated Fat: 13.1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 366mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 31.3g | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg