Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

This is a very moist and light carrot muffin. It's not too sweet and not greasy like other carrot muffins/cakes. The White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing adds just enough sweetness to round it off.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 639 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• ½ teaspoon orange extract
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ⅛ cups white sugar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 ounces white chocolate
• ½ cup crushed pineapple

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Step 2

In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.

Step 3

In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.

Step 4

Beat together the eggs, white 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.

Step 5

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.