Yesterday I attended one of my favorite events of the year, Ukranian Egg Decorating day at my friend Amy's. It was "suggested" that I bring cupcakes, and I thought it was a good time to make a batch of Carrot Cake Cupcakes, being so close to Easter, and I just happened to have some floppy-eared bunny decorations from Sugar & Spice in my pantry. Given that this was a late morning/early afternoon event, the ingredients seemed well-suited to the time of day as well, as these can stand in for a decadently divine breakfast treat.
While my all-time favorite Carrot Cake recipe comes from the Silver Palate Cookbook, this recipe from The Barefoot Contessa's Parties! book is better for cupcakes.
One note that I have on this recipe, and others as well, is the yield. It says it makes 22 cupcakes. 22? So, do I need an 11-cup pan, and where exactly might I find that? My other go-to cupcake book features recipes for 18 cupcakes. 18? What ever happened to multiples of 12? Note: cupcake recipes should ALWAYS be adapted into multiples of 12. It can't be that hard. Empty places in tins make me crazy, and a litte sad. That said, this recipe is easily stretched to 24 cupcakes.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- makes 22 cupcakes (24!!)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 lb. carrots, grated
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
- Beat the sugar, oil and eggs together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light yellow. Add the vanilla
- In another bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, cinnamon, baking soda & salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
- Toss the carrots, raisins & walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour. Add to the batter and mix well (use your hands)
- Scoop the batter into muffin cups until almost full
- Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 and bake for 35 min (my note: watch carefully to avoid over-cooking - mine only took 25 min)
- Let cool on a wire rack
(note: the addition of lemon is my own, it makes the frosting taste MUCH better)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. confectioners' sugar, sieved
- Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the lemon juice
- Add the sugar in batches, and mix until smooth
