Giant Carrot Cupcakes

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

11 Apr 2008 03:39 AM

I have a confession although it probably won't surprise you. When I cook, I like to cook double duty. What I mean is that I like recipes that I can either make in big batches or recipes that can be used for two different dishes. This is one such recipe, at least for us.

Carrot cake for breakfast in our house is not such an unusual thing. I find that if you omit the frosting and substitute instead some yogurt topping, it can even qualify as kind of healthy. It's certainly no worse than sugar covered cocoa puffs that are "part of a balanced breakfast." So it goes, that giant carrot cupcakes are one of our Sunday morning favorites.

However, if you add the unique and tasty frosting to these cupcakes they are transformed into a dessert. I have to say I love this frosting too because it is not your typical cream cheese frosting. So without further ado, the recipe for giant carrot cupcakes:

For the cupcakes you will need:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

4 large eggs

3 cups finely grated carrots (about 19 oz. of carrots)

3/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts

3/4 cups dark raisins

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

For the frosting you will need:

2 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour 9 oversized muffin cups.

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt and baking powder in medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer beat sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Stir in grated carrots, pecans, raisins, ginger, and orange peel; blend well. Divide batter between the prepared muffin cups.

Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean; about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 20 minutes before turning cupcakes onto a cooling rack.

For the frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth. (Hint: Make sure all the little globules of butter are gone.) Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in crystallized ginger and orange peel. Chill until firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.

Note: If you're not sure where to get crystallized ginger, check out Penzey's spices!

Related Blogs:

Coke Is It in Carrot Cake

Classic Carrot Cake

Frugal Food: Make Some Muffins

Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.

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Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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