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Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Icing
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 105 Minutes
Ready In: 135 Minutes
Servings: 12
These delightful cupcakes are great as soon as they've cooled, but their carrot-cake moistness and hint of spice really come through the day after they're baked.
Ingredients:
4 medium carrots
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
garnish: candied carrot curls
Directions:
1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Coarsely grate enough carrots to measure 2 cups using large teardrop holes of a box grater.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.
4. Whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar, grated carrots, and vanilla in a large bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour more.
7. Make icing: Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl. Whisk in zest and 2 tablespoons juice until smooth. If icing is too thick, add more juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Dip top of each cupcake into icing, letting excess drip off. Put a carrot curl on top of each and let icing set, about 15 minutes.
8. Cooks' note: Cupcakes, without Garnish, can be made and iced 1 day ahead, then kept in 1 layer in an airtight container at room temperature.
By RecipeOfHealth.com