1 ½cupsfreshly grated carrotsfrom about 4 medium peeled carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
¾cupsunsalted butterslightly softened and cold
12ouncescream cheeseslightly cold
4 to 5cupsconfectioners sugar, plus more as needed
1 ½teaspoonsvanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Other
Chopped walnuts for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the ground spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves). Set aside.
Wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until combined. It must be well-combined but not over-mixed. Fold in the grated carrots.
Pour batter in the prepared muffin tin, filling only ⅔ of the way. Bake for about 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
After the cupcakes have cooled completely, make the cream cheese frosting: Beat the unsalted butter (slightly softened and a bit cold) with cream cheese (also slightly softened and a bit cold) until combined. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on low for a few seconds and then high for about 2-3 minutes until combined and smooth.
Decorate the cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and top with chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
Special equipment: 12-muffin tin, cupcake liners, box grater.
Grated carrots: Make sure you grate the carrots right before making the batter for best results. I used a box grater and it worked great.
Cream cheese frosting: I used about 4-5 cups of confectioner's sugar, but feel free to adjust the level of sweetness.
Make ahead:Cupcakes: Make the cupcakes the day before and let them cool completely so you can decorate the the next day. Frosting: the frosting can be made the day before and stored (covered) in the refrigerator.
Storing: Store in the refrigerator in a container for up to 3 days.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per cupcake) are approximates only.