Birthday treats

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

I celebrated my birthday last week, and in the new Observer office tradition, I brought in cupcakes. But these weren’t just any cupcakes; they were homemade carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

I found the recipe months ago when I got my mom a subscription to Food and Wine magazine and had been waiting for a good time to test it out.

As I started shredding the carrots for this made-from-scratch dessert, I began to re-think my decision. I had never shredded carrots before, and it was turning into a laborious task. But then I found a shortcut: Resting the shredder on the bowl made the task quicker and easier.

In the end, the work was well worth it.

What you need:

Carrot Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
¾ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups finely shredded carrots (from about 6 medium carrots)

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups confectioners sugar

What to do:

Carrot Cupcakes
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line 14 muffin cups. In a medium bowl, whisk flour with cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and canola oil. Gradually beat in sugar until thick, about three minutes. Beat in vanilla.

Fold in the dry ingredients. Then fold in carrots.

Spoon batter into cups and bake 25-30 minutes. Transfer to freezer to chill.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a bowl, using a mixer, beat the butter with cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and sugar.

Beat until light and fluffy.