Sunday, September 11, 2011

Perfect Carrot Cupcakes



I love carrot cake. It has always been one of my favorites. I recently came across a recipe that called for crushed pineapple. My first thought was "Gross. I hate pineapple."
Even though I think pineapple is totally not tasty, I decided to try it out anyway.
I altered it slightly and made 2 versions. Both were tasty, but one was clearly the favorite among everyone who tried them.


The frosting was sooo yummy. I had to stop my mom from licking the bowl! It really is the perfect cream cheese frosting, and I've made it quite a few times since I made these cupcakes back in July.

Carrot Cupcakes
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temp
4 eggs, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line cupcake pans with liners.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix to combine, and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Blend in vanilla. Add in pineapple, carrots, and coconut, mix on low to combine.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and blend just until no floury streaks remain. Don't over-beat the batter, or your cupcakes won't be as fluffy.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pans for 3 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely. Frost when completely cooled.


Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8-oz) package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar in 1/2 cups increments, mixing well after each addition. Keep adding the sugar until you reach your desired sweetness. I found that 2 cups was perfect for how we like it, but you may use more.

No comments:

Post a Comment