Decadent Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I am going to share my mother's carrot cake recipe with you- that I happen to make into cupcakes this year. They are less messy this way! Get ready to bite into the most deliciously moist and decadent carrot cake of your life...

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzcat/8290684295/

For Frosting:

    1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

    1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    4 cups confectioners' sugar

    2 tablespoons heavy cream

  For Cake:

    2 eggs, lightly beaten

    1 1/8 cups white sugar

    1/3 cup brown sugar

    1/2 cup vegetable oil

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    2 cups shredded carrots

    1/2 cup crushed pineapple

    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

    ½ teaspoon salt

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

    1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the teaspoon of vanilla. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Happy Easter, folks!

~Sizza