Christopher’s Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Christopher starts angling for a carrot cake for his October birthday sometime around the end of July. For years, he demanded my mom's version, a classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting—and a shocking amount of oil and highly processed flour and sugar. But after a while, I couldn't help myselfI started to tinker. This cupcake version with honey cream cheese frosting—which is a good deal healthier by all standards—has become our new favorite. So tell any health-aphobes in your world that this has Christopher's stamp of approval!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Wet Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups carrot, grated
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 ounces neufchatel cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
  • Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. With an electric beater, beat together sour cream, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in another large bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, beating just until well combined. Stir in carrot, raisins and coconut.
  • Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
  • To make the frosting, beat together neufchatel, powdered sugar, honey and orange zest until fluffy and smooth. Either spread onto the cupcakes with the back of a warm spoon, or transfer the frosting to a pastry bag, and pipe onto cupcakes.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
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Hey there ... I'm Lia Huber

Hey there ... I'm Lia Huber

My mission is to inspire and equip you to live a richer life through real food by becoming a more competent, confident home cook.


I’m the author of Nourished: A Memoir of Food, Faith, and Enduring Love, founder and CEO of Nourish Evolution, and the creator of Cook the Seasons, Home Cooking School, and the Real Food Reset, and I empower intentional women to cook in a way that brings them (and their families) joy, health, and ease.

Making the shift from processed food to real food doesn’t happen overnight. It’s an evolution that occurs over time, with effort, intention, and belief. And it will change the course of your life. Are you ready to take the first step? I’m so glad you’re here … and I’m honored to be with you on the journey to becoming nourished!

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