{how delicious} Carrot Cake Cupcakes!

I would just like to take a moment and thank the good Lord for cupcakes. They are a wondrous delight. Amen.

I'm also very thankful for my sister-in-law and bestie Jessica, who shares my profound love of carrot cake. Her birthday was on Monday, so I made these for her... and she loved them so much that I have dubbed them "Jessica cupcakes" and shall make them every year on April 11. 

Try them. You will want to make them at least once a year too.

Maybe more.

I'm thinking about making some more next week.

Just kidding! It's almost swimsuit season, and my thighs can't handle anymore cupcakes for a little while.

They are awfully pretty though. And they taste even better than they look!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple (don't drain your can quite all the way)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I prefer pecans)

Frosting:
2 ounces white chocolate
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
4 cups (approx.) confectioners' sugar
shredded coconut (opt.)
coarse sugar crystals (opt.)

Heat oven to 350. Line one muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.
In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy and the right consistency for piping or spreading.
Using a large tip and pastry bag, pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes (or spread it on using a knife. Each to their own!). Top with desired amount of coconut and sprinkle sugar crystals on top (adds a nice sparkle!). If you're not a coconut fan, just sprinkle some extra nuts on top, or simply use the sugar.

Note: This is supposed to make 12 cupcakes. However, I doubled the recipe and it actually made 32. But I did NOT double the frosting recipe and it was still enough to frost most of them pretty generously. If you do double the frosting recipe, be ready to have leftover cream cheese frosting. Which, now that I think about it, is definitely not a bad thing.
Mmmmmm, frosting.

Mmmmmmmmmmm.