Barefoot Contessa's Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 lb unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 lb confectioners' sugar

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f
• 2 beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• 3 add the eggs, 1 at a time.
• 4 in another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
• 5 with the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
• 6 add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter.
• 7 mix until just combined.
• 8 line muffin pans with paper liners.
• 9 scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full.
• 10 bake at 400°f for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350°f and cook for a further 35 minutes (**see note at bottom), until a toothpick comes out clean.
• 11 cool on a rack.
• 12 frosting:.
• 13 cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• 14 add the sugar and beat until smooth.
• 15 when the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.
• 16 **i don't need to cook these for the entire additional 35 minutes. after i lower the temperature to 350°f; i start checking the muffins at around 15 minutes. just keep watching them until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.