Carrot Cupcakes

While most other carrot cake recipes require you to "finely grate" carrots (the finer the grate, the more tender the cake), this recipe asks you to create a carrot puree. A carrot puree can simply be made by boiling some carrots and processing them.

Yield:

Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

1. For the Cupcakes:
2. ===============
3. 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
4. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
7. 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
9. 3/4 cups corn oil (or canola or some other vegetable oil)
10. 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
11. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12. 3/4 cup shelled walnuts, chopped (optional)
13. 1 cup pureed cooked carrots
14. 3/4 cups shredded coconut
15. 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
16. 1/2 cup raisins
17. .
18. For the Frosting:
19. ===============
20. 6 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
21. 6 tablespoons of sweet butter, room temperature
22. 3 cups confectioners' sugar
23. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. Sift dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger) into a bowl. Add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
3. Fold in walnuts (optional), coconut, carrots, pineapple, and raisins.
4. Scoop batter into prepared liners. Set on middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool on a cake rack. When fully cooled, ice with cream cheese frosting.
6. Cream together the cream cheese and butter with a mixer. Slowly mix in confectioners sugar. Continue to beat on low speed, slowly until all the ingredients have come together. Do not be tempted to beat on high speed -this adds too much air; rather beat on low speed for a longer time for a truly creamy frosting.

Notes

To make carrot puree, place 1 lb peeled carrots, cut into a one inch pieces in a heavy pot with enough water to cover. Cook until tender about 25-30 minutes. (a chopstick should easily go through the center of a piece.) Drain excess cooking liquid. With an immersion blender, puree.