Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

I’ve been wanting to make carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling, but I wanted them to feel a little more special. So I took my moist, perfectly spiced carrot cake batter, added a creamy cheesecake filling in the center, and finished them with a buttery crumble on top.

My cream cheese cakes tend to follow the logic — balance the moisture, control the mixing, and don’t overbake. I tested these specifically as jumbo muffins because I wanted that bakery-style look with a thick center of cheesecake. They also work beautifully as regular muffins (you’ll get 12–14), but I personally love the jumbo size for the proportions alone.

• ¼ cup light brown sugar 60g
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 75g
• ⅕ tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter 56g

• 8 oz full-fat cream cheese softened (226g)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
• ⅓ cup sour cream 80g
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• piinch of salt

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour 300g
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• ⅜ tsp nutmeg
• ⅜ tsp ginger
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• ¾ cup neutral oil (or melted coconut oil) 180 ml
• ¾ cup brown sugar 150g
• ⅜ cup granulated sugar (6 tbsp) 75g
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• ¾ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt 180g
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups fnely grated carrots (lightly packed) 150g

• 3 tbsp cream cheese at room temperature (42g)
• ½ tbsp unsalted butter 7g
• 3-4 tbsp powdered sugar 31
• 1-3 tbsp milk