CARROT CUPCAKES
Adapted from Joanne’s recipe here.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup vegetable oil
½ to ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1½ to 2 cups grated peeled carrots (3 to 4 medium carrots)
For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line muffin tin with paper cups.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well blended.
In a separate large bowl, combine the oil and sugar. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, gently stirring until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in the carrots.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. It will look like tons of carrots to very little batter and that’s ok.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcakes come out clean. This will take approximately 20-23 minutes.
Cool cupcakes in tin for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
For the frosting, combine cream cheese and softened butter using a spatula until smooth. Add powdered sugar and salt, combining until creamy and shiny.
Frost the cupcakes generously.
See if you can eat just one (I can’t).
Notes
Leftover cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for a couple day — I put them on a dish and cover them with plastic wrap. If you prefer, you can pop them into the fridge. Just let them come to room temperature before eating them and be warned that they may dry out slightly.
You can frost the cupcakes all at once and store them that way, but I prefer to refrigerate the icing in a separate bowl and frost each cupcake right before I eat it. The cupcakes are better at room temperature, but the frosting is delicious both cold and at room temperature.