Carrot Cupcakes With Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• cream cheese icing:
• 2 ounces chocolate
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• carrot cake:
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/8 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 55 mins


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c). lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
• in small saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat. stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
• in a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. mix in chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. mix in heavy cream.
• beat together the eggs, sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. fold in carrots and pineapple. in a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
• bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.