Dessert: Carrot Cupcakes with Ginger-Cream Cheese Icing

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Carrot Cupcakes with Ginger-Cream Cheese Icing

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

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups finely grated peeled carrots
1/4 cup drained canned crushed pineapple in juice
Ginger-Cream Cheese Icing
Candied violets (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture in 2 additions, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in carrots and pineapple. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
Spread top of each cupcake with scant 3 tablespoons Ginger-Cream Cheese Icing. Garnish with candied violets, if desired.

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