This Just In

I’ve been craving these lately. 

Just a taste, not a whole cake.

These cupcakes filled the bill beautifully.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

For the Cupcakes:

2 Cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ginger

3 eggs

1 Cup buttermilk

1/2 Cup applesauce

1/4 Cup oil

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

10 oz. carrots, shredded or minced fine in a food processor

2 Cups raisins (I used Batth’s Gourmet blend, which has jumbo flames, golden and other raisins)

1 small can of crushed pineapple with juice (8-10 oz.)

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl, stir to blend and set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine carrots, raisins, pineapple with juice and walnuts.  Mix and let stand.

In a large mixing bowl, or using a stand mixer, combine eggs, oil, applesauce and sugar until well blended.

Slowly add dry ingredients until just combined.

Add carrot mixture and stir well to combine.

Spoon batter into prepared cupcake pans, approximately 3/4 full or a little more (these don’t rise much).

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on racks.  Do not frost them until they’re cold.

Makes 34-36 cupcakes.

For the Icing:

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 Cups softened butter

1 Tbsp. vanilla

2 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese and butter with a mixer on high speed until well combined. 

 Add vanilla and mix again. 

Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix until frosting is smooth.

Frosts 48 cupcakes.

Frost cooled cupcakes with cream cheese icing and garnish to taste.  I used more chopped walnuts, but little fondant carrots would be cute too, if you have time.

This recipe is a spinoff of the spicy batter I use to make my great grandmother’s Yum Yums at Christmas time.  The spices and the amounts used are different, and there is no carrot…but other than that, it’s pretty much the same.  It’s a nice all around spice cake batter that can be adjusted to accomodate several recipes.

I brought these to work for my coworkers and they really seemed to enjoy them–if you like carrot cake, I think you will too.

S.

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