Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

I have used this recipe many times to make cakes, however this time I altered it slightly by leaving out the walnuts and used raw cacao in place of cocoa powder. I used the batter to make 24 cupcakes and also a 2 layer 6" cake for Max's Birthday. If you like carrot cake, you will love this recipe!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:

1 cup dark raisins
1 pound carrots (to make 4 cups shredded, firmly packed)
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
11/4 cups corn oil

Cream Cheese frosting:

16 ounces Philadelphia-brand cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Steam the raisins: place them in a steamer basket over shallow water in saucepan. Cover the pan, place on high heat and let the water boil for about 10 minutes. Uncover and set aside.
Wash, dry, and peel the carrots. The carrots can be grated on a metal grater or in the food processor.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and  raw cacao together and set aside.
In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in vanilla, both of the sugars, and the oil. Next on a low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. 

Stir in the carrots and raisins.
Scoop the batter into the muffin pans. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. The top of the cupcakes should spring back when gently touched with your fingertip.
Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before removing the cupcakes from the pans.

To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. On a low speed beat in the vanilla and confectioner's sugar. Then beat on high for a few minutes, until smooth.

Recipe modified from Maida Heatter's book Maida Heatter's Cakes.