Carrot Cake Cupcakes

So lately my oven has been acting up and not cooking things evenly. The bottoms of cupcakes would burn yet the tops wouldn't even be browned. I even turned the oven down 25 degrees and cooked these cupcakes for half the time. I even spent $20 on an oven thermometer just to see how off the temperature was. And it wasn't off. $20 down the drain, burned cupcakes in the trash, and still no solution. So I took a new approach. 50 degrees lower, for the full time, on the top rack. BOOM! Came out just right! I have made these cupcakes before in a different oven so I know that the recipe wasn't off. Well that's my story of the week. Now, to these cupcakes.

I'm not normally a fan of carrot cake. I don't enjoy picking chunks of carrot out of my teeth, and frankly, the consistency of carrot cake drives me up the wall. However, I absolutely love the flavor, and I figured if I made it myself, I could finely grate the carrots for a smooth consistency. So that's what I did. They are vavavoom good. The carrots help add moisture to the cake helping to keep it from getting dry and flaky. And what does carrot cake pair perfectly with? Cream cheese frosting. As you might know by now, I have a problem with cream cheese frosting. I mean tonight I sat on the couch with the bowl and small spatula eating the left over frosting. Forgive me weight watchers, for I have sinned. The cream cheese frosting won this round. But, come on. It's cream cheese frosting!

Anyways, many carrot cake cupcake recipes I found had nuts and coconut in it. I wanted a simple, great flavored cupcake with the main focus on the carrot (the raisins seemed like they would just be a great complimentary flavor, like a background singer) and that's when I found this great recipe from Sweetopia. It was everything I was looking for. Of course, I finely ground the carrots and I got to say, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE these cupcakes! The carrot in the cupcakes are smooth and velvety. The raisins seem to soften up and give the cupcake a little bit of texture (never a bad thing!) So giving it to you short and sweet, they are delectably sinful!

So I just got a package today with new baking cups, boxes, and stands! Yes, I just said cupcake stands. I thought they would be perfect to photograph the carrot cake cupcakes in! Thanks to Oriental Trading I now have the perfect baking cups to make red velvet cupcakes in on Valentine's day and the perfect cupcake stands for my roommate's birthday cupcakes to be in next week. Now back to the carrot cake cupcakes.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
This recipe makes 24 cupcakes

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 3 cups finely grated carrots (about 3-5 large carrots)
• 1/4 cup raisins (the Sun Maid raisins that come in the pocket sized boxes are 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (Yes this is the right temperature for this recipe, I turned my oven down to 300, I have previously made these cupcakes)
2. Go through the raisins and make sure they have no stems still attached.
3. Finely grate the carrots.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or bowl (with a hand mixer) mix the sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla until well combined.
5. With the mixer off, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each egg, making sure each egg is fully combined before adding the next.
6. Next, mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until completely combined.
7. Add the baking soda and flour, making sure not to over mix the batter so the gluten doesn't get over beaten.
8. Finally, mix in the finely grated carrots and raisins until completely combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom and give it another mix, making sure the ingredients are completely combined.
9. Finally, fill the liners 2/3 of the way full with batter and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack and let cupcakes fully cool before frosting. Enjoy!

Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting (enough for these cupcakes)

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 block cream cheese
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons vanilla

cream together the butter and cream cheese, until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until smooth and creamy looking. Finally, with the mixer on, add the vanilla, 1 teaspoon at a time, making sure the frosting doesn't get too soft. Top the cupcakes with this amazing frosting for a delicious treat!