Carrot Cupcakes for the Year of Rabbit!

"Les carottes ça rend aimable" (Eating Carrots make people agreeable)

The shops were closed during the Chinese New Year. Everybody did a groceries a day before to prepare for the celebration. And I was craving for something sweet. And we bought sooo many carrots lately because those are one of the vegetable we love for snack, stir-fry, salads, soups etc. But I was getting sick of snacking the fresh cut carrots, that explained because I am not French. But Noelia, she looooooovvveeess it for snack like the father.

So I thought, there must be something more from carrots than usual carrotes rapees or snack. There, I found it could also be a dessert. How versatile! However, I am not usually fond of cupcakes. But this time the carrot cupcakes is a good and easy size of carrot cakes, so I can control how much I indulge in this delight...

Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For Cupcakes:

2 cups of non-bleached Flour
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups carrots freshly shreded
2/3 cup nuts chopped
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

For Cream cheese icing:

1 package of cream cheese
1/4 cup of butter, softened at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of icing sugar


Steps:

Preheat oven 180 deg C. Prepare the muffin pan and line with baking cups. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and mix everything well.

In large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until foamy. Add oil in a thin stream and beat well. Add flour mixture to egg mixture slowly and mix well. Fold in carrots and nuts also Raisins. Spoon into baking cups.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the fork inserted in center of the cupcakes comes clean.

For cream cheese icing:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer. Add vanilla and then add icing sugar slowly until smooth and creamy. You can also put 2 teaspoon of grated orange peel for flavour.