Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty Rating: Easy
Nutritional Highlights: For the frosting, you can opt for Neufchatel cream cheese, which contains â…“ less fat than regular cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 3 extra large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 cup coconut
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ pounds powdered sugar, sifted
Candied Carrot Garnish:
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pans, or line with paper liners .
2. In mixer with paddle attachment, beat sugar, oil and eggs together until light yellow. Stir in vanilla.
3. In another bowl, sift together 2 cups of flour, the cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. Toss the carrots and walnuts with the 1 tablespoon of flour.
5. Add carrots, walnuts, coconut and drained pineapple to the batter and mix well.
6. Scoop the batter into muffin cups until each is almost full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
7. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. Mix the softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a mixer with the paddle attachment.
2. Add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.
Candied Carrot Garnish:
1. Stir sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.
3. Add grated carrots and simmer 4 minutes.
4. Put remaining sugar in a bowl. Remove carrots from syrup with a slotted spoon and toss in the sugar to coat. Toss occasionally until cool.
5. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with candied carrot strips.
Each week a different recipe will be featured to help get your taste buds in the weekend spirit. For more information on the recipes shown on the Tennessee Farm Bureau website or to see more recipes, please visit FarmFlavor.com.
