Chinese Five Spice Carrot Cupcakes with Ginger Frosting
Ingredients:
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For cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
- 1/2 cup vegatable oil
- 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 3 x eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. pure Madagascar vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded carrots (about 3-4 medium sized carrots)
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For frosting:
- 1 x 8oz packet cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tsp. pure Madagascar vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- crystalized ginger as garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Chinese Five Spice. In another large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, crushed pineapple, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and carrots. Then slowly add the flour mixture and beat with an electric hand mixer until just combined, about 2 minutes. Fill the cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake until the cupcakes are set, about 20 to 22 minutes. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and ginger. Blend the ingredients with an electric hand mixer until a creamy consistency is reached, while slowly adding the powdered sugar.
Serving Suggestions:
Garnish with crystallized ginger.