Carrot Cupcakes

It's been quite some time since I whipped up some cupcakes and I had the urge to do just that the other day.  Of course I loved them- even after the fact that I did substitute some "good things" for "bad things" in this recipe.  If I hadn't told everyone they were better for you they never would have known the difference!

Carrot Cupcakes - adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book

Makes 24 (2 or 3 for each person...haha)

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups sugar (1 substituted 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of agave nectar)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (substitute with applesauce)
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, with seed scraped and reserved (or 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
• 3 cups all purpose flour ( I used all wheat flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together carrots, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, oil, vanilla bean seeds, and raisins.  In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.
2. Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each three-quarters way full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through until cake tester inserted comes out clean, roughly 23-28 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then turn cupcakes out and allow to cool completely on the racks
3. Frost them and eat them!

Cream Cheese frosting

(I halved this recipe)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temp
• 12 ounces cream cheese at room temp
• 1 pound (4 cups) confectioners sugar
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. With mixer on medium-high speed beat butter and cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and then add the vanilla and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.