April 14, 2008

cutie-patootie carrot cupcakes

I keep getting lucky on my pairings for Taste & Create. This time, Version 8.0, I was partnered with Jescel at Spice of Life, a delightful blog chock-full of yummy recipes. It didn’t take me long to settle on a recipe, however--I saw the words "carrot cake" and knew that’s what I had to make (and devour).



Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts, right up there with apple pie a la mode, strawberry shortcake, and anything combining mint and chocolate. I have at least 20 renditions of carrot cake in my abyss of saved recipes--I'm always on the hunt for the best recipe ever. Some have coconut, some have pineapple, some have cranberries, some have nuts. Most have cream cheese icing, which I’ve always considered a necessary component of the cake. In fact, it's probably the main reason I'm such a fan of carrot cake.


Jescel’s recipe for Carrot Cake in a Cup was straightforward and looked like a winner. That being said, I made two major changes and a small tweak. (Is that allowed? I'm such a rebel.) One change reveals my sloth-like tendencies and the other reflects my aversion to messes.

Change #1: Instead of grating carrots, I opted to use some carrot baby food. You tend to have a plethora of such things lying around when you work for a baby food company. That, coupled with the fact that I’m a lazy bum, was why I made this alteration.

Change #2: Following the success of the black-bottom cupcakes I made last week, I decided to skip the icing (gasp! shudder! sob!) and try the same method out on these. I was able to sacrifice the icing because I knew these babies would be traveling to work with me and thought they'd be easier to transport and eat this way. Hey, I'm just thinking about the well-being of my co-workers, that's all. :)

Small tweak: I was nut-less. There wasn't a walnut, pecan, cashew, or pistachio to be found in my apartment, so sadly, I was forced to leave them out. So much for a nice crunch.


Results: Using baby food instead of grated carrots obviously made the cake much more moist, bordering on too moist. If I take the lazy route again (and let's be honest, I probably will), I’ll reduce the amount of baby food and use two 4-oz jars instead of three. They still tasted delicious (and I do mean delicious), but they were just a little too sticky. I sort of missed the flecks of grated carrot throughout the cake and was a little put off by the neon orange-ness created by the pureed carrots. Eh, that's a small price to pay for the time and knuckle-skin that I saved. :)

The plop of cream cheese on top was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. It’s a wonderful alternative to cream cheese icing (although clearly not as scrumptious--let's not kid ourselves here). Orange-bottom cupcakes, anyone?

(massacre)(shortly before it went in my belly)

Thanks, Jescel, for feeding my need for carrot cake!

26 comments:

  1. Hee! Orange-Bottom Cupcakes! LOL! Love the idea of the cream cheese baked right on, it is genius and it saves time! They look delicious!

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  2. I don't think I would have ever thought to use carrot baby food. But then again, I don't work for a baby food company!! They do sound great though - I'll never turn down carrot cake!

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  3. Those look really good! I found you through Sarah at Homemade. Great blog!

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  4. Oh what delicious carrot cupcakes! I'd have never thought of using carrot baby food in a cupcake what a great idea!!

    Rosie x

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  5. I know I'm not the only one who's said this... but I would have never, in a million years, thought of baby food. Even if I had a jar sitting right in front of me.

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  6. I love it! Baby food inspired orange bottom cupcakes!

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  7. Clearly it's a carrot cake kind of week! What a good idea--using the carrot baby food. Let them peel, grate and process it for you! :-) Plus, it makes the time from start to in-your-belly quicker!

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  8. The cupcakes look great. And they're way Cutie-Patootie! I used to watch Rosie O when I was in grade school, btw.

    Sorry they were a little sticky. That happens to a lot of my baked goods. I try to make everything as moist as possible.

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  9. I love carrot cake! Cutie-patootie sounds rather funny!! Those cupcakes look yummy.

    Thanks for dropping by my blog and leaving a nice note. :-)

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  10. wow, you are making me soooo hungry!! That was a great idea to use the baby food! How much would you reccommend using? Cause you know I have a lot of that sitting around! :)

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  11. Yum. What a great idea to bake the cream cheese in. I love carrot cake and that is such a great take.

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  12. I bet my 9-month old wouldn't mind if I snagged a few of his baby food carrot jars and made these. Yum!

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  13. Those look so good. Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts as well. Using the carrot baby food sounds interesting.

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  14. Another Tastespotting approved venture! These look soooo good I think some cupcakes are in my baking future.

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  15. Oh wow, those look so good! Must try...

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  16. Love those - I can just taste the frosting, too!

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  17. Thats a really great idea to use baby food! Carrot cake is my favorite too.

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  18. Cute little yummy treats :)

    I made a chocolate chip carrot cake last fall. yum.

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  19. I'll be makin' these fo sho. YUM. Carrots were next in line for my muffin quest.

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  20. Baby food definitely an interesting twist. Looks awesome!!

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  21. These cupcakes look so delicious and tender!

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  22. wow, Grace, you are a genious... baby food is a good idea.. might try it one of these day... i'm glad it turned out well.. now, I have to make time to do your recipe.. soon!

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  23. I probably wouldn't make these with baby food (no babies in the house) -- but I love carrot cake and these look awesome. :)

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  24. My most requested carrot cupcake recipe starts with 2 jars of carrot baby food, eheheh!!
    They sound and look wonderful!

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  25. Like everyone else, baking with baby food is a new idea to me. I love it though! I'll have to try it some time.

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  26. I was really intrigued by your phrase in the Taste & Create round up: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new contender in the hunt for the best carrot cake ever." I LOVE carrot cake!

    I really like the idea of the sweetened cream cheese baked right on top! (Hmmm, I wonder what it would be like with cream cheese icing too.... :-D)

    -Elizabeth

    P.S. If I weren't such a cheapskate, I'd try the baby food method but bottled baby food is SO expensive!!

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