Let Them Eat (Carrot) Cake

I'm going through a bit of a cupcake phase. It happens to the best of us, I'm afraid. In New York, we have no shortage of incredible cupcake spots - Magnolia, Crumbs, Buttercup, Billy's...I could go on and on...but I won't, because making cupcakes from scratch is so much better than buying them. I'm beginning to think that statement applies to all homemade food. There's something about cupcakes that elicit fits of joy in otherwise calm people. I recently brought a batch of these Carrot Cake Cupcakes to the women in my mentoring group, Girls Write Now, and they literally shrieked with glee.

It's finally warm in New York, which reminds me that Easter is right around the corner (April 4, wheee!). Growing up, my Jewish father made ham for my Catholic mother every Easter Sunday. The details of my half-Jewish, half-Catholic and wholly religiously confused childhood are a story for another blog. Two things we always had at Easter were hyacinths and carrot cake. Now I don't know much about flowers, but I do know that these carrot cake cupcakes are the best I've ever had (thank you, Martha Stewart). And I've had a lot of carrot cake. They're not overly sweet or greasy, unlike the giant slabs of carrot cake you find at the bakery. There's so much deliciousness going on in these cupcakes - coconut, pineapple, walnuts - that they make me want to jump up and dance around. I wholeheartedly recommend making a batch, and sharing them with your mother.

Jewish friends, fear not: Passover Seder is March 29, and I will have lots of recipes from Aunt Lynn. Challah and bagels and brisket, oh my!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart



Ingredients
4 cups peeled and finely grated carrots
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with paper liners. I ran out of paper liners and greased the unlined pans with butter. Just be sure the tin is completely cooled - and I mean completely - before removing the cupcakes, or they'll fall apart.

In a bowl, whisk together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and coconut, pineapple and nuts if desired. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center come out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks for at least 10 minutes. Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks, and let cool completely.

Frost with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes about 28 cupcakes. I promise, you'll eat them all.