Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I've always wanted to try the full-on carrot cake making experience, down to the mini marzipan carrots. I bought pre-made marzipan and used my new food coloring kit, and they were actually a lot of fun to make, basically like working with playdough. My favorite touch: making lines in the carrots with a toothpick coated in cocoa, so they look more like actual from-the-dirt veggies. Almost too adorable (thank you, Martha). With my favorite white chocolate cream cheese frosting and a cake that's even better on the second day, I think these carrot cake cupcakes are a tasty project worth the effort and would be a perfect ending to an Easter lunch.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Fill muffin pan with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs, both sugars and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is pale in color. Fold in the flour mixture in thirds until just combined. Gently fold in the carrots and nuts. Divide the batter evenly among 24 cupcake liners, until each is almost full. Bake for 22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes over a wire rack, then remove cupcakes from pan.

Frosting
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), softened
6 ounces white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until blended. Add melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Measure 2 cups of powdered sugar, then sift. Add sifted sugar to mixture gradually until combined. Frost cooled cupcakes.