This straightforward recipe for carrot cake cupcakes includes the frosting recipe, too, so you won’t have to go hunting it down. The frosting makes a generous amount, though. Be prepared to pile it high, or you can simply scale it down to make less frosting. This is a very moist and light. It’s not too sweet and not greasy like other carrot muffins/cakes. The White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing adds just enough sweetness to round it off.
Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces white chocolate
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Carrot Cake:
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ⅛ cups white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- ½ cup crushed pineapple
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.
