Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These carrot cake cupcakes are to die for! They are super moist and not too sweet. The addition of apple sauce in the batter make this cupcake slightly healthier than most. Because Halloween is approaching, I've colored some cream cheese frosting and piped some creepy spiders on top of the cupcakes. :)


Ingredients for the batter(makes about 2 dozen):

2 cups of all purpose flour(I recommend King Arthur Flour)
1 1/2 cup of sugar(use 1 1/4 cup if using sweetened apple sauce)
8 ounces of unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup of vegetable oil(no substitutions)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of salt
4 large eggs
3 cups of grated carrots
1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts(optional)

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:

2 (8 ounce) packages of softened cream cheese
1 stick of softened SALTED butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar(or more if you like it sweeter)
tip #829 by Ateco to pipe the frosting(optional)
*You may want to double the frosting if you plan on piping spiders onto the tops.

For the spiders:

Black gel food coloring(I recommend Americolor)
2 piping bags
Tip #3 by Wilton
*You can also omit the tip altogether and just snip a tiny hole in the bag and then proceed to pipe out your spiders that way.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add eggs, apple sauce and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, blend until combined. Scrape the sides as needed but be careful not to over mix. Add in shredded carrots and pecans/walnuts, if using.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill your cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

While your cupcakes are cooling, make your cream cheese frosting. Add all of the above ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and beat until fluffy. Add more powdered sugar as needed. Reserve some frosting for the spiders. Add in your black food coloring and mix well.

Frost your cupcakes(I use tip #829 by Ateco in the tutorial). Then, using tip #3 by Wilton, pipe your spiders. Practice piping your spiders out on a flat surface first before piping them out onto your cupcakes.