Spicy Carrot Cupcakes

Basically cupcake is a small size cake baked in a muffin pan.... Usually the muffin pans are lined with cupcake papers which make the cupcake to come out easily and also helps the cupcake to say moist.

Once I had a slice of carrot cake in a restaurant for breakfast, from that time it became my favorite one.....That was the inspiration for this "Spicy Carrot Cupcakes". I bake carrot cake often, not only for breakfast..... any time in a day. This carrot cake can be made a whole big cake or as a individual cupcakes.


I shred carrots and mix with a lot of spices....I mix and match all type of spices as i feel like....because all type of spice combination go very well with carrot cake.......I have mixed cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg some time i also mix allspice and aniseed with this.....And finally to add some crunch I also add some chopped almonds.

I frost it with a cream cheese icing just to make it more festive and certainly to make it more rich and flavorful....It is a very simple icing with cream cheese, powder sugar, orange juice and to brighten the flavor of all and also to add some zing, I mix it with some orange zest.

So this is my contribution to Weekend Breakfast Blogging event started by Nandita of Saffron Trail......This month event is hosted by Trupti of The Spice Who Loved Me for the theme Spice it up!.........

Ingredients :

Cupcakes:

All-purpose flour - 1 cups
Granulated sugar - 1 cups
Ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoons
Ground cloves - 1 teaspoons
Ground nutmeg - 1 teaspoons
Baking soda - 1 teaspoons
Eggs - 2
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
Freshly shredded carrots - 2 cups
Chopped almonds - 1/4 cup

Icing:
Cream cheese, softened - 1 packages (8 oz)
Orange juice - 1 teaspoon
Finely grated orange zest - 1 teaspoon
Powder sugar - 2 cups sifted (can be adjusted according to the thickness of the icing)

Procedure :

Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Line standard muffin pan with baking cups.

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and baking soda; mix well.

3. In large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until foamy; add oil in a thin stream and beat well.

4. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; mix well.

5. Fold in carrots and nuts.


6. Spoon into baking cups.






7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.



8. Cool cupcakes in pan on cooling rack for 5-8 minutes.

9. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely.

10. For icing: In large bowl, beat cream cheese, orange juice and zest with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until icing is smooth and creamy.


11. Frost generously the cupcake with icing and decorate it as desired.