Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

2 oz white chocolate
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp grated orange zest
2 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp heavy cream


Carrot Cake

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cut icing ingredients by half - original recipe makes a lot!

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

2) In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.

3) In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange zest (or 1/2 tsp orange extract). Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.

4) Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.

5) Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.

Serving Size: Makes 12 Cupcakes

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CPOST90.