carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

over easter weekend, we made carrot cake cupcakes for easter sunday dessert.  i guess we sure got a good dose of beta-carotene this weekend between our carrot cake pancakes (seen here) and our carrot cake cupcakes!

for me, carrot cake is synonymous with easter.

these carrot cake cupcakes are full of carrots.

they get their great flavor from the carrots, walnuts, coconut, and pineapple.  ground cinnamon gives them the perfect amount of spice too.

carrot cake cupcakes are made to be topped off with cream cheese frosting.  the cupcakes themselves are not very sweet, so the sweet cream cheese frosting is the perfect compliment to them.

edged in crushed walnuts and decorated with a buttercream carrot, these cupcakes are super cute.

you simply can't go wrong with a classic dessert like carrot cake!

carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
prep time: 10-15 minutes
baking time: 35-45 minutes
yields: 24 cupcakes
adapted from taste of home's complete guide to baking

cupcake ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 cup crushed walnuts, divided

frosting ingredients:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  line two muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners.  to make the cupcakes, sift the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon into a large bowl.  add the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  beat well until combined.  stir in the carrots, pineapple, coconut, and 1/2 cup of the walnuts.  pour the batter into the prepared muffin pans.  bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

to make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth.  add the vanilla.  gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.  spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes and top with the additional 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.  store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

enjoy!

love, laurie