I have never been a fan of carrot cake, but ever since a friend of mine gave me a fantastic recipe, I love carrot cake. Not a fan of pineapple and raisins in my cake, but a good carrot cake is to die for. That carrot cake recipe I make often, but I was excited to find a great carrot cake cupcake recipe to make for church dinners, picnic lunches or just a quick dessert after dinner. I love cupcakes because you don't need a plate or forks to enjoy this little bit of heaven. They easier for someone to just grab and go, plus they feed more people than the cake does. This recipe was quick and easy and the cake turned out wonderful. I think that carrot cake is better the next day and this is the case for these as well. Enjoy!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
picture and recipe adapted from http://www.ahintofhoney.com
INGREDIENTS
Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups carrots, shredded
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped + extra for garnish ( I used pecans and then added these to the frosting instead of the cupcake)
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 oz. white chocolate
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
3 cups powdered sugar
(chopped nuts if using)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line or lightly grease two cupcake pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugars with an electric mixer until frothy. Beat in the oil and vanilla. Stir in the carrots and pineapple.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until evenly moist. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
4. Divide batter among the prepared cupcake pans and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
5. To make the frosting, melt chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Allow to come to room temperature. Cream butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the melted chocolate, vanilla, and heavy cream. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread over cooled cupcakes and top with chopped walnuts.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
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