Carrot Cake with Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

 My sister, C, recently returned from about six months living abroad in Bhutan attending a school program and then she spent the summer wwoofing in Europe.  I think she is incredibly brave and adventurous for embarking on these journeys and traveling the world on her own.  Although I have a bit of the travel bug, I don't think I would have the courage to travel to foreign countries and just immerse myself in the cultures, like she did, especially in Bhutan.  C wrote a wonderful, interesting blog cataloging her adventures, if you want to take a look, here.  Most of my travel dreams are to see many of the beautiful National Parks in the western United States and to go back to Europe, maybe Italy, France, or Germany.  A lot of my desires for traveling are driven by photography and food.  I would love to photograph Yellowstone, Zion, Yosemite, Canyonlands, the list goes on.  I think Italy is probably the highest on my list of foodie places to go, all the pasta, breads, mmm and gelato!  Oh, plus I have to return to Alaska again, someday. I was lucky enough to visit Alaska when I was about 15 and it was truly the purest most beautiful place I have ever been in my life, so far.  I hope my family and I are fortunate enough to travel to some of these places someday. So anyways, when C returned to the US, she was home for just a few short days before returning to college. My family threw a big welcome home party and we decided to make a bunch of traditional American foods that she had been missing.  Definitely no rice or chiles on the menu! Carrot cake is certainly an American classic, so that is what we decided to make.

This carrot cake has quickly become my family's go to request for big family gatherings.  I actually don't think I have ever made a single batch of this recipe. I am always doubling or tripling the recipe to make enough for everyone! 

This time I decided to try the recipe out as cupcakes for the first time. I have made this as a layer cake for several other occasions.  Let me assure you, the cupcake version is every bit as good as when made as a layer cake.  The cupcake to frosting ratio was perfect! 

The cupcakes are super moist from the pineapple and carrots and the spice blend is definitely spot on.  I love adding raisins, but I always have to make a few plain ones for my raisin hating husband :)  You could add walnuts to the batter, but I prefer to use them as garnish.  I didn't have any nuts on hand this time, so I tried using heath bar bits.  I actually thought this was a wonderful twist.  It still gives that crunch that nuts would give but instead adds a complimenting toffee flavor.

Pardon the quality of this picture, but I wanted to show you a picture of this recipe in cake form.  I made this cake a couple of years ago and my photo skills were...well, much more 'in progress'.  As you can see, the cake is sturdy and you can stack it right up, as big as you might need. This cake probably served about 40 or so people. Plus I think the butterflies are super cute!

 Of course, I can't forget to mention, you can't have carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. In fact, I am pretty sure that is written in the rules of the universe somewhere.  This maple cinnamon version is the perfect finish for this cake; super creamy and just sweet enough.  The cinnamon carries from the cake to the frosting and ties everything together.  The flavors of this cake would be especially wonderful for the autumn months coming up. I hope you have the chance to give this a try.

Carrot Cake
Inspired by Rasa Malaysia
 
24 cupcakes or two layer 9" cake

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs 
1 tsp vanilla 
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple
3 cups grated carrots (about 5-6 large carrots)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Walnuts or heath bar bits (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a medium bowl,  whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and set aside.  In a large bowl, stir together the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Drain about half of the juices from the pineapple (make sure you get the pineapple in natural juices and not syrup) and add all of the crushed pineapple plus remaining juice to the wet ingredient mixture. In two additions, add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until everything is just combined.  Fold in the grated carrots and raisins, if using.  Just a few notes about the carrots, I don't bother peeling my carrots. I just make sure to scrub them really well and cut off the tops and bottoms.  I also use my food processor to shred the carrots, but some people prefer the texture of using a hand grater, so just do it which ever way you prefer.  If making cupcakes, line the tins with cupcake paper and fill each one about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  If making cakes, line each pan with parchment paper circles and grease well. Divide the batter evenly and bake for about 40 minutes. Let cupcakes or cakes cool slightly and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Frost with cream cheese frosting, recipe below.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz cream cheese
8 oz butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Let cream cheese and butter come to room temperature and then beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined.  Add powdered sugar to your taste and preferred consistency.  The more powdered sugar, the sweeter but stiffer the frosting will be. Combine with cream cheese mixture at low speed and then beat for 3-4 minutes on medium speed.  Add maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla and finish mixing until well combined.  Frost cooled cupcakes or cake with a piping bag or by hand. I used a large (Wilton 1A) tip to pipe the frosting onto these cupcakes.  Garnish with chopped nuts or heath bar bits, if desired.

Enjoy!