Instead of making an traditional carrot cake, some people prefer to make carrot cake cupcakes, which are small individual cakes. Carrot cake from scratch is made with shredded or pureed carrots, along with eggs, sugar, flour, and spices. Some bakers prefer to use commercial carrot cake mixes, which are easier and less time consuming. After carrot cake cupcakes are baked, they are usually covered with cream cheese frosting.
Carrot cake is a popular type of cake. It is somewhat denser that other types of cake, and it is also usually moister. During times when sweeteners were hard to come by or very expensive, such as during Medieval times and World War II, some bakers used carrots as a substitute, since these vegetables are somewhat sweet. Carrot cake also became very popular during the 1960s and 1970s, when it was believed to be a healthier substitute for other cakes.
One of the main ingredients in carrot cake cupcakes made from scratch is carrots. Most bakers prefer to finely shred these vegetables. The carrots can also be pureed in a blender or food processor. Some recipes also call for carrot juice, instead of shredded or pureed carrots.
Like other cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes also contain several other ingredients. Eggs, sugar, and flour are almost always used, for instance. Some recipes also call for spices, particularly cinnamon and nutmeg. Some carrot cake recipes call for other ingredients, such as crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts.
Making carrot cake from scratch is usually a time-consuming process. Some bakers prefer to make carrot cake cupcakes from a commercial cake mix. These cake mixes allow a person to simple add a few ingredients, such as eggs and oil, to the mix and stir to make simple carrot cake batter.
A special pan, known as a muffin tin, is usually needed when making cupcakes. These types of baking pans have several round indentations. When batter is poured into these and baked, several small single servings of cake can be made. Cupcake liners can also be used when making carrot cake cupcakes.
Cream cheese frosting is typically used to frost carrot cake cupcakes. This can be purchased or made. To make cream cheese frosting, confectioner's sugar is mixed in with cream cheese and butter. Carrot cake cupcakes can also be decorated with orange and green frosting made to look like real carrots.