it's monday so let's try some carrots

i was not suppose to bake cupcakes this week since i was disheartened with last week's s'mores. i planned on making cathedral windows instead. but it seemed like fate is telling me not to. i went to 3 supermarkets and apparently, all of them didn't have jell-o. if they did, it was the pudding mix. then my best friend told me to stick with the cupcake mondays (as if he was affected by me not baking on mondays).

but what will i make? i remembered an office friend requested some carrot cupcake. i've been 'google-ing' recipes for the passed week and i was missing a couple of spices... with that in mind, off to the spices section i went to grab me some ginger, cinammon and nutmeg, then a bunch of carrots.

i'm never really fond of carrot cakes... or if my memory serves me right, i haven't eaten one ever. but since i'm into trying recipes and figuring which ones i can make, i thought i might as well give it a shot.

here's the one i used for my first ever carrot cupcakes:

For cupcakes

• 4 medium carrots
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For icing

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Make cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

Coarsely grate enough carrots to measure 2 cups using large teardrop holes of a box grater.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.

Whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar, grated carrots, and vanilla in a large bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour more.

Make icing:
Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl. Whisk in zest and 2 tablespoons juice until smooth. If icing is too thick, add more juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Dip top of each cupcake into icing, letting excess drip off. Put a carrot curl on top of each and let icing set, about 15 minutes.

Cooks' note: Cupcakes, without Garnish, can be made and iced 1 day ahead, then kept in 1 layer in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Cupcakes-with-Orange-Icing-240966#ixzz0xPCVevCz

the recipe yields 12 (1/2 cup) muffin cups. but since i'm sticking to the mini-cupcakes, i was able to make 34 pieces (muffin cups were 2/3 filled)

and here's how it went:

and the finished product, TA-DA!!!

it was a pretty good recipe, simple and easy to make. i tasted one after cooling and it turned out better than i expected (or maybe i just don't know how carrot cakes taste like). but this is surely one for the books. i now have my 3rd variant. =)