Carrot Cupcakes

It has been one busy couple of weeks! I feel like I have had absolutely no time to sit down, let alone cook and blog. I got into a bit of a food rut too -- I have been eating a lot of cereal and scrambled eggs. Yikes. I think I had a bit of February blues, but these carrot cupcakes were just what the doctor ordered.

I needed something that would get me back in the kitchen, that was sweet and satisfying, that was relaxing and easy to make. These hit all the marks. I can't even begin to tell you how delicious the icing is, too. It's a thick cream cheese icing and it's so amazing. The best part? The recipe makes lots so you can slather it on thick and still have enough to lick off the back of your spoon. After all, that's the best part, no?

Carrot Cupcakes

Serves 12

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Icing

• 1/2 pkg (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp heavy cream

Cupcake

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners in 12 muffin cups.
• In a bowl, beat together the eggs, white sugar and brown sugar and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in the carrots. 
• In a separate bowl, mix in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. 
• Mix the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup of walnuts. 
• Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in vanilla and gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream. 
• Ice each cupcake and sprinkle with remaining walnuts.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes