Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing - Yumm!

I needed to make a dessert to bring to a meeting.  I was looking at what I had on hand and what would be easy to serve and eat.  I had carrots but carrot cake has to be cut and needs plates and forks.  I decided to make the recipe into cupcakes - easy to pick up and eat, do not require a plate and fork.

I like this recipe because it contains three cups of carrots and two cups of flour and yields a very light moist cupcake.


Tips of the Day:  When you make cupcakes or muffins, put the paper liners in then spray the liners with non stick spray.  This keeps the cupcakes or muffins from sticking to the liners and makes them much easier to and neater to eat.

It is easy to pipe the icing onto the cupcakes for that "professional" look.  I have a large coupler and a choice of plain round or fluted tips to ice the cupcakes.  You can purchase these at the Bulk Barn or at any store that sells cake decorating supplies.   I put the coupler a corner of a zip lock bag and cut the corner.  I place the tip and the ring and screw it in.   I then place the icing in the bag (trying to keep it in the corner) and pipe the icing onto the cupcakes.

Buy fresh nutmeg seeds rather than the powder.  You can get it at the bulk store.  Freshly grated nutmeg is so much more flavourful than powder.


Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients:
Cake
3 cups carrots cut into chunks
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Icing
1/3 cup butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese,
softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Line two muffin tins with paper liners and spray with a non stick spray (I prefer Pam)

In your food processor with the metal blade add carrots and process until they are minced  Remove carrots to a bowl.

Add  oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla to processor and mix.  Add eggs and mix.  Add carrots and mix until blended.  Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt cinnamon and nutmeg and pulse just until barley mixed in.  Add  in pecans if using and raisins if using and pulse them in lightly (just until barley mixed in). Divide batter so that each paper lined cup is ¾ full.  I yielded 21 cupcakes.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cupcake bounces back when lightly touched. . Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Put the cupcakes on a plate or wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In Food Processor combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes or use a spatula to ice cupcakes.
I garnished with a little sprinkling of coconut (because that is what I had) you can garnish with chopped toasted pecans if you are using pecans in the batter or whatever your imagination leads you to.