A tremendously popular addition to my recent baking repertoire has been the carrot sandwich cookie. I decided to do something similar with carrot cupcakes. I don’t know why people like them so much. Carrots don’t do much for me (except when roasted and disguised by red Thai curry in soup!), but maybe people fool themselves into thinking a carrot cake is healthier than Oreo-peanut butter concoctions. Maybe it is, but probably not with the fatty-sweet cream cheese topping!

Carrot cupcakes
2 large carrots, peeled and finely grated
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
3 eggs
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cups vegetable oil

Beat eggs, oil, sugars together. Add the carrot, spices, soda and flour.

Preheat oven to 180C. Bake 15 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of one of the middle cakes comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tablespoons (3/8 cup or 85 grams) butter, at room temperature
3 cups (330 grams) confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice [juice of 1/2 a lemon]

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
2. Slowly sift in confectioner’s sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. Mixture should be free of lumps.
3. Stir in vanilla, and lemon juice.

Frost cupcakes when fully cooled.