Mini Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Health food! Well, not really, but with 2 1/4 cup carrots, they have to be somewhat healthy right? I post all the pictures that I take for this blog on Facebook and keep getting asked how I don't weigh 300 pounds since all I have been making lately are unhealthy, amazingly delicious recipes. The truth is I take most of what I make to work (this might be a lame attempt at getting people to work the extra time that seems inevitable in the next month, but honestly it's so I don't eat it all myself.) Most of the dinners I have blogged about are actually quite healthy, but the desserts are not, obviously. Baking on the weekend gives me time to try new recipes, enjoy a one or two of them, then take them to work on Monday. Everyone at work seems to enjoy this and my waist line doesn't triple.

Carrot cake is a new favorite of mine. When I was younger, I pretty much turned my nose up at it. Carrots in cake, ewww; combine that with the spices that are used (I am still not a fan of clove) and it just wasn't the cake for me. However, your taste buds change every 10 years or so (says my boyfriend and I believe him, he's a very smart man. He always has "useless" trivia facts to share, but they come in handy when you want to mildly impress someone.) Well, that would mean that my taste buds have change almost 3 times now, and I'm glad because I really enjoy foods that I didn't when I was a kid (beer too, BIG smile). However, my buds have still not changed enough for me to like coffee; I still despise the stuff. I also still do not enjoy cloves, so I didn't add that to this recipe. The original called to make 3 9-inch cakes, but since I wanted to share, I made mini cupcakes. There is also a glaze that you top each cupcake with that shouldn't be left out. While the cake is very moist on its own, the glaze gives an extra WOW favor that sets this recipe apart from others.

Adapted from Southern Living

Mini Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Cake Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups grated carrot
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup chopped pecans 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla together with a electric mixer on medium until well blended.
4. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low until well mixed.
5. Add carrot, pineapple, and pecans to mixture with spatula until mixed.
6. Line mini cupcake tray with liners and fill each to top with cake mixture.
7. Bake for 13 minutes.
8. While baking, make glaze; see below.
9. Remove from oven and brush each with glaze.
10. Let cool completely and ice with frosting; recipe below.

Buttermilk Glaze

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, and butter together and bring to boil.
2. Remove and add vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together with electric mixer on medium until combined.
2. Add sugar one cup at a time, beating on high until combined.
3. Once all sugar is added, beat in vanilla on high until combined.

Tips and Tricks

• If you would like to make a layered cake, grease 3 9-inch pie pans and cook for 25-30 minutes.
• The original recipe called for coconut. If you would like to add this, cut back carrot by 1/4 cup and add 1 cup coconut.
• For easy icing, put frosting in a large zip lock bag and cut the corner off. Cut very small at first and increase size as needed.
• If the icing is too runny, put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.