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!!!
Tracy
Thursday 23rd of September 2010
Looks Delicious Katrina!! I will definately have to give it a try. Some of my favorite childhood memories was baking with my mother.