Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Happy birthday, Alex!!

My friend's birthday was recently, and he's also in my writing group, so I thought it'd be fun to bake cupcakes so we could all enjoy them together! I asked him what his favorite cake was, and with his reply of "Carrot cake" I set out on a mission-- to perfect my cream cheese frosting recipe! ...And to bake him birthday cupcakes. ;)

Admittedly, I didn't make the carrot cake from scratch. (And by that, I mean I rarely make ANY cakes from scratch.) But it suuure tasted like it! I didn't know this secret until I started baking much more often with my mom: If you put a cup (one 8-oz container) of sour cream into any box cake mix you're making, it'll add an incredible amount of moisture. It also adds just a bit of denseness, so unless you really over beat them, they'll be more level.I also finally got the cream cheese recipe right! It's the perfect balance between the tartness of the cream cheese, and the sweetness of the powdered sugar. I was tempted to go through the cabinets and find other stuff to put it on!Carrot Cake Recipe

• 1 box carrot cake mix
• Eggs (varies depending on brand)
• Vegetable oil (varies depending on brand)
• 1- 8oz container sour cream

Preparation

• Preheat oven according to box.
• Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners.
• Combine the ingredients.
• Blend on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, fill the 24 liners.
• Bake according to box.
• Remove from oven, let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 2- 8oz packages cream cheese
• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 5.5 c powdered sugar

Preparation

• Cream together cream cheese and butter.
• Scrape sides, add vanilla, and quickly mix in.
• Add powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time.
• Note: If you're frosting these with a knife, you'll probably only need about 1/2 of the recipe. This is larger for piping purposes.

And to toot my own horn (Toot toot!) I had more than one person say that these were the best carrot cake cupcakes they'd ever eaten. YAY!!

Spiced Rum Cake with Coconut Frosting and Toasted Coconut

Happy birthday, Nathaniel!

My roommate's boyfriend's birthday was yesterday. Laura wanted to do something nice for him, so what did she do? ..She came to me for help baking him a cake! And she only gave me one direction to go in: Coconut.

Well, two directions. I also own a silicone baking container that forms into a giant cupcake! So the directions were: Coconut, Giant Cupcake.

I personally don't care for coconut at all (either in taste or texture) so Laura had to be my taste-tester. The cake itself was fantastic! I'm not one for tasting the alcohol that I drink, and the rum really added to the cake without being overwhelming.
The frosting was, apparently, great too! Though once it had been in the fridge to set, it got quite firm, and it did soften after it sat out again. It requires cream of coconut, which is NOT the same thing as coconut milk! You can either find it in the section of the grocery store with drink mixes (like the Bloody Mary mixes, or margarita mixes) or in a liquor store.

I also got to toast coconut! Even as a person who doesn't like coconut, the smell of it being toasted filling the whole apartment pleased me.

Spiced Rum Cake with Coconut Frosting and Toasted Coconut Recipe

• 1 box spiced cake mix


• 4 eggs


• 1/3 cup veggie oil


• 1 cup milk


• 1/4 cup sour cream


• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice


• 1/4 cup spiced rum

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350


• Grease 2 round cake pans


• Combine all ingredients and blend with electric mixer on low speed until combined, then on medium speed for two minutes.


• Pour batter into pans, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.


• Place on wire rack to cool.

Coconut Frosting Recipe

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened


• 6 tbsp butter, softened


• 6 tbsp cream of coconut, well stirred


• 2/3 cup powdered sugar


• 2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preparation

• Cream cream cheese and butter together.


• Add in cream of coconut and powdered sugar, beating well.


• Add flaked coconut and beat well.


• If needed, add more powdered sugar to thicken.

Toasted Coconut Recipe/Preparation

• Preheat oven to 300


• Spread enough coconut to cover a 9x13 pan in a thin layer


• Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 to make sure it gets toasted evenly. Toasting too long, or too high, will burn it!