Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot cupcakes came to mind when I was thinking of two upcoming special occasions. Number One - drum roll, please - this week is my first blogiversary! It was one year ago yesterday that I started Delightful Repast. It's been quite a year! You can help me celebrate by following Delightful Repast and telling your friends about it!

What is the other occasion? If you’re looking for an excuse to have one last winter party, the 83rd annual Academy Awards will air on Sunday, February 27. If you want to get at all fancy about it, mail invitations right away asking guests to RSVP by February 18.

You can work the Oscar theme, if you like, but the main thing is the food. Start with a variety of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, allowing 6 pieces per person. Some ideas: Boursin cheese-stuffed snow peas, curried chicken salad in phyllo cups, pâte à choux cheese puffs, phyllo-wrapped asparagus rolls. Or just set out some pâté and dips, like hummus or baba ghanoush.

Have one buffet of nibbles to be replenished throughout the evening and another of “real” food to be set out from 6 to 8 o’clock. Make it “lap food” that requires nothing more than a fork. Display desserts from 7 o’clock to the end of the party. In honor of my Oscar picks, I might make my individual trifles, which are quite elegant. Going along with the idea of individual desserts, maybe I'll make some cupcakes as well. Carrot, I think.

Chocolate was my favorite flavor of cake until the day I had carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I was a teenager, and it was love at first bite. My mother and I couldn't find a recipe for it anywhere, so we made one up. And here it is, with a few minor changes for cupcakes. For cupcakes, I use more finely shredded carrots, more finely chopped nuts, and tiny Zante currants instead of raisins. This is quite a light textured carrot cake, not at all heavy and dense as so many are.

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Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes 24)

The Cupcakes

1 3/4 dip-and-sweep cups (8.75 ounces/248 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups (8.75 ounces/248 grams) sugar
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) organic canola oil

10 ounces (approximately 1 3/4 cups) finely shredded carrots

3/4 cup Zante currants (tiny raisins)

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

The Frosting

4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) powdered sugar, unsifted

1 or 2 tablespoons milk


1 Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. Put 2½-inch paper bake cups in two standard muffin tins. In small bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. In another small bowl, stir a tablespoon of flour mixture into chopped nuts and currants to coat and separate.

2 In large bowl, beat eggs; beat in sugar, then oil. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in carrots, raisins and nuts.

3 Using a 1/4-cup measure, fill the bake cups with a scant 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for about 24 minutes or until they are golden and test done with a toothpick.

4 Immediately remove from pans and cool on wire rack for an hour. They must be thoroughly cool before frosting.

5 In bowl of stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and salt. Gradually add powdered sugar (no need to sift) and mix until thoroughly combined, adding milk at the end. With a pastry bag fitted with a 2D (sometimes I use a 1M) tip, pipe frosting on cupcakes in a classic swirl.

Jean