Growing up, our mom would make the most amazing zucchini bread. It was loaded with fresh ingredients and spices and was the most delicious "healthy" sweet snack. Although we do plan to make our own version of zucchini bread in the near future (stay tuned), I knew I wanted to first create a carrot cake recipe. Think of it as a zucchini bread prequel. These carrot cake cupcakes are packed with flavor and in my book are definitely considered to be a healthy choice when it comes to desserts. These cupcakes are not overly spiced but have their fair share of cinnamon of course, lots of shredded carrot, and the cream cheese frosting on top really does make it.
Whipping up the batter for these cupcakes couldn't be easier. It's as simple as combining your dry ingredients and then the wet ingredients with a few notes to pay attention to in between. Something that I would definitely not omit when making these cupcakes is the critical step of taking the time to "dry" the grated carrot. Essentially, just try to get all of the water from the carrots out before adding the shredded carrot to your batter. This will help keep your batters consistency and keep your cupcakes staying nice and fluffy.
Once your cupcakes are done baking and have FULLY cooled, time for frosting! I know sometimes it can be truly painful to wait for your baked goods to cool before the final decorative step, but trust me it's worth it and you'll thank yourself for being so patient when your frosting isn't dripping off your cupcakes. I chose to use a larger size frosting tip so that I could put a heaping serving of frosting on each but whatever decorative look you're going for will be delicious.
You are now ready to dive into the delicious duo of carrot cake and cream cheese frosting that makes up these cupcakes. Grab a glass of milk of course and enjoy!
A classic dessert you know and love. Enjoy these "healthy" carrot cake cupcakes with loads of shredded carrot and cinnamon mixing in with cream cheese frosting swirled on top.
Servings: 18
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, combine canola oil, eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until fully combined. Fold in grated carrot.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
5. Place approximately 18 cupcake liners into cupcake pans. Pour batter into pans, distributing batter evenly among cupcake liners.
6. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. While cupcakes are baking, combine frosting ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until combined.
8. Once cupcakes are done baking, let cool.
9. Scoop frosting into icing bag with icing tip. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost the cupcakes with desired amount of icing and enjoy!
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