Cupcakes: A Favorite Treat

There are 2 people in this home who LOVE cupcakes. Love them. It's not me. I like a good cupcake, but I am okay with eating a really good one & being done with it. Well, Daddy & Abby can't get enough.

So, I enlisted Abby as my baking assistant yesterday to prepare Bek's birthday cupcakes. As Abby has pointed out, Bekah will get no #1 mini cake like Abby did when she turned 1 (I'm sure I will hear about this from Beks at some point as well...oh, the neglected second born!). I had no cake mix, so I went looking for a recipe to make everyone happy. My criteria:
1. I had to have all the ingredients on hand
2. They had to be reviewed as moist (like I said above, when I'm going to eat a cupcake, it's going to be a good one!)

What kind did we decide on...

Yum-o. These carrot cupcakes turned out pretty good. You know what was even better though? The icing. Sweet goodness. I made cream cheese frosting & it was delicious (I can say this because it's not my recipe, it's Betty C's!). It said to slather (not sure that was the exact word) it on graham crackers if you have leftovers...if I only had some of them! Oh my, I was slathering it on strawberries in an attempt at health food! After everyone left, I just ate it off a spoon. Really, I have no shame.

I will attempt to start putting more recipes up again (Sarah P!), so here are the cupcakes for Bek's 1st birthday...you'll see from the birthday pictures that she was satisfied with her first cake & ice cream experience!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 cups grated carrots

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil and syrup. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in carrots. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Icing: Thanks to good ol' Betty Crocker...

• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
  
• 1/4 cup butter (softened)
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream cheese, milk & vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time on slow until blended. Eat with a spoon until sick (wait until after the party when everyone leaves...it's just easier to justify that it's leftover & going to waste if you don't eat it).


Next up, throwing ice cream & licking icing...also known as, Bek's birthday party!

Bloggy love,