JavaCupcake Note: This is a guest blog post from my friend and fellow Army Wife, Katrina! She posted these cupcakes on her Facebook and I asked if she’d write a blog post for my readers! Thank you, Katrina! These look amazing!
My name is Katrina and I’m an Army wife and a mother of one beautiful little girl. I have always had a passion for cooking and baking. It’s my therapy. I feel that it brings families closer and it gives me something to share with my family and friends. I am currently working on my very first cookbook!!! I have a lot of work to do to get it done, but we (my family) are having a great time making recipes and testing.
This recipe, carrot cake Cupcakes, came from a very old cookbook that I had. When I first tried it, it really wasn’t that good. The cake came out too dry and something was missing. About a week ago Richard, the hubby, got a craving for some carrot cake, so I pulled out that old recipe and used it as a “rough draft” for the perfect carrot cake. I added 1 more egg and 1/2 cup more of sugar, and my secret ingredient…crushed pineapple. It adds the right amount of sweetness and make the cake so moist. When I was getting ready to put the cake in it’s pan and in the oven my daughter Lily asked if we could have “pupcakes” so I lined my cupcake pan with liners and baked this little treats. I topped them with a simple vanilla cream cheese frosting and filled the insides with the frosting and shoved a piece of pineapple in the middle!! These are definitely going in my cookbook!! ENJOY!!!!
Perfect Carrot Cake Cupcakes
2 Cups Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups grated raw carrots
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve some pineapple for garnish and 1/2 teaspoon juice for frosting)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound of confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon pineapple juice
*Preheat over to 350*
*Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon
*in mixing bowl, beat eggs and add sugar. let stand until sugar dissolves (about 10 minutes)
*stir oil, carrots, drained pineapple and nuts into the egg and sugar mixture
* stir in dry ingredients and beat until well blended. about 3 minutes with blender set on medium speed
*line cupcake pan with paper liner and fill 3/4 the way full with batter.
*bake for 20 minutes and check with toothpick to make sure they are done in the middle
*cool in pan for 15 minutes then put them on a wire rack and allow to cook all the way before frosting.
Frosting
* combine butter, cream cheese, vanilla and pineapple juice in a large bowl until well blended.
*add sugar gradually, beating vigorously.
*frost cupcakes only after they have cooled all the way, since the frosting is made of mostly butter and cream cheese it will melt off.
ENJOY!!!
Looks Delicious Katrina!! I will definately have to give it a try. Some of my favorite childhood memories was baking with my mother.