fatmagulunsucunesonbolumizle: Cream Cheese Frosting

To say that this is the best Carrot Cake I have tasted; would be an understatement. - I can take it or leave it when it comes to Carrot Cake, because it can easily be a dense, dry hockey puck depending on the recipe.

But Ina Garten can do no wrong in my eyes when it comes to recipe's, so she was the first resource I turned to when I decided to make cupcakes. Due to the high caloric content of these cupcakes, I used smaller cupcake liners [and will begrudgingly give some away to friends and fam]. -

Although I love Ina's recipes, I did tweak it a bit. The original recipe called for 1 1/3 cup of Vegetable Oil, and I used 1 cup of Applesauce, and 1/3 cup of oil. I did this because the addition of applesauce makes for an extremely moist cake, and it can also act as a fat replacement in most baking recipes. If you like your sweets on the sweeter side; use regular applesauce. If you like them on the milder side, use sugar-free applesauce.

I also added pineapple, because it gives it some nice texture if you are foregoing nuts and raisins [like I did].

This stuff literally just melts in your mouth. The prep time is about 10 minutes, and the bake-time is about 30 depending on your oven. - I got these cute little sugar "thingies" from my local bakery supply store, along with the yellow cupcake liners.

Carrot Pineapple Cupcakes {Adapted from Ina Garten}
Ingredients:
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Applesauce
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Extra Large Eggs
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
3 Cups Grated Carrots
1/2 Cup Pineapple

Frosting:
1/2 lb Butter
8oz Cream Cheese
1lb Box Confectioners Sugar
1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350

Beat oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar either with a mixer [paddle attachment], or by hand with a rubber spatula. Slowly add eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With the mixer set to low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. If you are mixing by hand, use slow, steady strokes, as you don't want to over-mix the batter causing it to be dry, and tough.

Add the carrots, and pineapple to the remainder of the dry flour mixture, and mix well. Pour that mixture into the batter, and mix until just combined. Again, making sure not to over-work the batter.

Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners, and pour until just under full, they don't rise entirely too much, so don't be afraid to add a little more batter than you normally would.

Bake the cupcakes on 350 for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting; cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla, then slowly add confectioners sugar until mixed well.

I have been on somewhat of a cooking/baking kick lately. When the urge to cook comes over me, I can always count on Food Network, and Epicurious to deliver yummy recipe's. So it's not surprising that this recipe courtesy Food Network didn't disappoint, in fact it has secured a spot in my go-to box for pot lucks, and special occasions. If you have ever been to Sylvia's in New York, then you will by flying by the seat of your pants to the nearest grocery store to pick up the ingredients for this recipe [hopefully]! If not, you may want to trust me on this one, this is hands down my fav!

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Add the batter evenly in the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Use frosting to fill and ice cake.