Carrot Cake Cup Cakes

Happy Monday everyone!  Saturday here in Florida was gorgeous and I spent the day doing power yoga, shopping and attending a birthday dinner for my mom at Nineteen at TPC.  How was it where you were?

Sunday I did some cooking and baking.  Along with a gigantic pot of soup I made some sweet potato hummus and I baked. 

If you know me, I'll admit I'm not a baker, however, last week carrot cake popped into my head when there was a work birthday and talk of cream cheese frosting.  (If it has cream cheese frosting I have a tough time passing it up). Since I have trouble with portion sizes I thought what about cupcakes! 

I found the perfect recipe on Cooking Light.  Now foodies out there.....don't judge on the frosting.  It called for a cup and half of sugar so in the interest of saving a lot of calories I used Jell-O sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding mix and Cool Whip (gasp!) and it came out great.  I don't eat this stuff every day people, it was a splurge, and I know it contains ingredients I can't read.

I do wish I had left the mixer out to make the frosting a little smoother but I had already cleaned it up so I whisked it by hand hence the semi-lumpy look below.  I'm not thinking I'll win any awards on the texture of the frosting but over all these are really tasty. 

Carrot Cupcakes adapted from Cooking Light

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 cupcake)

Ingredients


Cupcakes:


2/3 cup Turbinado sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, well-drained
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup golden raisins
 
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add carrot and pineapple; beat well.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat well. Stir in raisins.


3. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Frosting: (This makes a lot so you will have extra.  I used it as a fruit dip)
 
3 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup 1% milk
1 (4 serving) package of sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding mix
1 8 ounce tub Cool Whip Light

Directions:

1. Mix the cream cheese, milk and pudding mixture on medium speed until blended. 

2. Gently fold in the Cool Whip.