RECIPE: Make-You-Wanna-Dance Moist Carrot Cupcakes

I am not talking slow dance, I am talking this carrot cupcake will make you want to re-create a Michael Jackson video! It will make you want to shake your __________ like Beyonce! Talk about melt in your mouth, WHEW! This was one of those recipes that took me forever to perfect. I made these cupcakes over and over again. One late night, it had to be past mid-night, my husband came into the kitchen and said “What tha? Are you still making those cupcakes?” All I could say was “you know I can’t stop til’ it’s right”! Well honey that energy was well justified when I took a bite of the most perfect carrot cupcake ever! At least my taste buds thought so, I mean between the carrots, the raisins and the crushed pineapple, I was in carrot cupcake heaven! I hope you enjoy this addictive cupcake as much as I did! At least you won’t have to make em’ 10 times before it’s just right, I did the work for ya! Have fun and don’t forget to LIKE my FB fan page by clicking the LIKE button on my HOME PAGE!

MAKE YOU WANNA DANCE MOIST CARROT CUPCAKES

CARROT CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sifted baking soda
1 tsp. sifted baking powder
2 tsp. sifted ground cinnamon
1 tsp. sifted ground nutmeg
½ tsp. sifted sea salt
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ stick of unsalted melted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup raisins
1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple drained
24 cupcake baking cups

ORANGE CREAM CHEESE ICING INGREDIENTS:
1 12 oz. whipped cream cheese (or cream cheese block)
3 cups confectioner sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 sticks room temperature unsalted butter
6-8 drops of orange food coloring (if you do not have orange, red & yellow mixed will make orange)

READY, SET GO:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and sea salt and stir to mix together (these are your dry mixture).
3. In a mixer (or a bowl if you are using a hand held mixer), mix together the brown sugar, melted unsalted butter and vegetable oil for about 2-3 minutes (this is your wet mixture)
4. Add eggs one at a time to the wet mixture, allow to mix about 1 minute or until egg is incorporated
5. Slowly add dry mixture into wet mixture and allow to mix for about 1 minute or until dry and wet mixtures are incorporated (be careful not to over mix)
6. Once dry and wet mixtures are combined, remove bowl from mixer and add in the drained crushed pineapple, shredded carrots and raisins, fold gently into mixture
7. Line your cupcake baking pan with cupcake baking cups
8. Use small ice cream scooper (or spoon) and scoop and pour cupcake mixture into each cupcake holder (fill only about ¾ up, do not fill to the rim, remember your cupcakes will rise)
9. Bake on 350 for 20-22 minutes or until you can stick a tooth pick in and it comes out clean
10. After you remove from the oven, take cupcakes out of pan and allow to completely cool before frosting (otherwise you will have a big mess of melted frosting)
11. LET’S MAKE THE ORANGE CREAM CHEESE ICING
    
12. Combine the whipped cream cheese, confectioner sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix for about 2-3 minutes or until smooth but not runny consistency (do not over mix, nobody likes runny icing)
13. After icing reaches desired consistency, add orange food coloring (if you cannot find orange, mixing red and yellow will make orange) and gently fold together until icing is at desired color (you may have to add until you get the desired color you want, it normally takes 6-8 drops depends on your food coloring)
14. Optional:   after frosting top with green sugar or sprinkles or some sort of candy so the carrot cupcake represents the colors of a carrot
15. Use a piping bag and decorative tool tip (I used a star design) to add icing to top of cupcake (you can use a butter knife if you do not have a piping bag or design tool tip)
16. ENJOY, ENJOY and one more ENJOY

Double Recipe to Bake More Cupcakes

Utokia ~
Sizzle Sizzle Baby

Utokia Langley is the video cooking mean machine and blogger behind She’s Got Flavor, a written and video blog created to Sass up your kitchen experience and assist you in creating flavorful dishes that will surely please!   She’s Got Flavor is developing a seasoning line that will help intensify the flavor in your food and make life easier and less cluttered in the kitchen for you, stay tuned.   Above all Utokia is a child of God, a wife, mother of two beautiful children who think Mom’s videos and food are “da bomb” and a true friend to many.   Check her and other recipes out at www.shesgotflavor.com and don’t forget to follow on twitter at @shesgotflavor or LIKE her facebook FAN page