Carrot Cupcakes. Carrot Cake. Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this cake for my friend's birthday. I modified Paula Deen's carrot cake recipe to incorporate ingredients I like to use. It's my first time making and frosting the cake as well as using another friend's Hey Shuga sugar syrup as a minor substitute in the frosting. It turned out pretty good.

The Carrot Cakes

Ingredients:

3 cups of grated carrots, 2 cups all-purpose flour and more for dusting, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsps baking soda, 2 tsps cinnamon powder, 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, 4 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 stick softened butter and 1.5 cups chopped walnuts.

Two 9 inch and deep cake pans. Oil spray to grease pans. Parchment paper to line pans.

Procedures:

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients

2. Add beaten egg, one at a time in the flour mixture while mixing with hand mixer

3. Add oil and incorporate

4. Mix in carrots and walnuts until batter is well blended

5. Preheat oven to 350F

6. Grease cake pans and dust them with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper

7. Divide batter into the two cake pans. Gently shake and knock the pans on the kitchen top to release any air bubbles

8. Bake the cakes for 40 to 50 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out cleans from the center of the cakes

9. Remove cakes from the oven and let them cool for 10 mins

10. Use a flat plastic spatula and gently loosen the cakes from the pans' edges. Remove cakes to continue to cool on wire rack before frosting

The Assembling and Frosting

Ingredients:

2 cakes, cream cheese frosting, 0.25 cup pecans and 0.25 cup sweetened shredded coconut for garnish

1. Toast pecans and chop them to bits

2. Toast shredded coconut in a 200F oven for 2 mins or until slightly browned at the edges

3. When cakes are completely cooled and frosting is made, place one cake on a large round plate

4. Add a generous layer of frosting on the top of the cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans

5. Place the other cake on the frosted cake

6. Frost the entire cake. If there is extra frosting, store it in a air-tight container and place it in the refrigerator

7. Sprinkle toasted shredded coconut

8. Store in a fridge for a few mins before serving

The Cream Cheese Frosting

Make the frosting when the cakes are cooled

Ingredients:

16 oz softened cream cheese, 1 stick softened butter, 1 cup confectioner's sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedures:

1. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and butter with hand mixer until smooth and light

2. Mix in vanilla extract

3. Add one cup of confectioner's sugar one at a time while mixing. The frosting is ready

Rustic carrot cake with nutty cream cheese frosting and coconut garnish

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Carrot Cupcakes

Yields 24 cupcakes

1. Follow The Carrot Cakes recipe and blend in 0.5 tsp baking powder in the batter

2. Place cupcake liners on the muffin pan. Spoon batter into liners until half or 2/3 full

3. Bake for 20 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean from the center of the cupcake

4. Cool for 10 mins. Continue to cool for 40 mins or until cool to touch. Frost with your favorite frosting!