Carrot Cupcakes {or cake} with Cream Cheese Frosting

For my sister's baby shower the first thing I had planned was to have mini carrot cupcakes. It's her favorite cake so I thought it'd be cute to do little cupcakes. I search the internet for a good carrot cake recipe but still wasn't sure on which recipe to use. Then I came across this amazing recipe on Amanda's amazing food blog Girl + Food=Love.  Amanda is my friend's sister-in-law. Although we have never met in person I know she is pretty awesome and makes amazing food!  She said this was the best carrot cake EVER so I had to try it!  

And let me tell you what!  This is the best carrot cake ever and that's not just my opinion!  One of my friend's who I'm always sharing my treats with sent me this text shortly after I dropped her off a couple of cupcakes.... "Those are the best treats you have ever made!" So there you go. These are awesome!

They are moist, full of flavor and are topped off with a nice cream cheese frosting.

So back to the shower. Everyone loved them. They were super cute and best of all my sister loved it!  I bought super cute pink paper liners but decided to bake these in mini white cupcake liners then once they cooled I unwrapped them and placed them in the cute pink liners I had. That way it was easier and less messy to eat and looked really cute!

One note about the frosting recipe, it isn't a thick frosting so if you want to pipe on the frosting into swirls I would use a different recipe like this one.  And follow her directions for making it using cream cheese.

But I made the frosting work for these cupcakes. Instead of swirling it on I pressed it in the middle (using a piping bag and a big open tip) until it almost reached the edges. Then it slightly hardened and was just perfect!  You could do the same using a zip lock bag and cutting a small corner.  

I'm so happy to have another great cupcake/cake recipe! 

Carrot Cupcakes {or cake} with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe slightly adapted from Girl + Food = Love

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ¼ tsp. cinnamon

½  tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cloves (optional)

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. of carrots

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ cups canola oil

1 cup raisins (optional)

½ 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Frosting: (double for 2-8 inch round cakes)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

5 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 Tbsp. sour cream

½ tsp. vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.  Peel carrots unless using baby carrots.  Shred carrots using food processor or grate it using a cheese grater. Place carrots in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

(If you don't have a food processor either use a stand mixer or hand mixer instead.)

Using a food processor, add sugars and eggs to bowl with metal blade and process until frothy about 20 seconds. With machine running, add oil slowly until all combined.

Pour over carrots and stir, add flour mixture, raisins and walnuts (if using) and stir to combine.  

Either pour into well-greased 9x13 inch pan, 2-8 inch round pans, or 2 muffin tins that have been greased or lined. (Fill cupcakes liners 3/4 of the way full.  Makes 24 cupcakes.)    

Bake 15-20 minutes for cupcakes, 9x13 inch pan for 48-50 minutes and approx the same for 8 inch rounds maybe 5-10 minutes less.  Cool completely.

Frosting:  Food Processor-Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth.  Mixer, with paddle attachment (or hand mixer)- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, add sour cream and vanilla and 1 cup powdered sugar and combine.  Add remaining powdered sugar slowly until all combined, scraping down sides as necessary.  

Frost cupcakes or 9x13 inch cake.  *If you are using 2-8 inch rounds and want a layer of frosting in between them, double the frosting recipe.