Dessert: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by McCormick® The classic carrot cake in a smaller cupcake form. Topped with a lemony cream cheese frosting, they make a special treat for Easter celebrations, bake sales, backyard cookouts and potlucks.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Nutmeg, Ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
3 cups finely grated carrots

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For the Cupcakes, mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Add oil, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add carrots; mix until well blended. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
For the Frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and lemon extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in milk. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.

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