Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Once again I am asking the question “is this Jewish?” I don’t know. Carrot Cake recipes appear in a number of my Jewish cookbook, but not one of them indicates why its Jewish. A google search on the origins of carrot cake brings up tons of myths and stories but the only thing people seem to be able to agree on is that the version most of us are familiar with, did not become popularized in the United States until the 1960’s. It may have become a popular Jewish dessert because without frosting it can be made parve. One thing I know for sure is that I love it with cream cheese frosting and Jews definitely know what to do with cream cheese. I was hosting a Big Game party (Go Bears!) and wanted a dessert that was easy to serve and I could decorate with a little blue and gold, and cupcakes fit the bill. Not one of the recipes I looked at had baking time for cupcakes so I had to keep a pretty close eye on the first batch. Overall it was pretty easy and my friends‘ 3 year old daughter said they were beautiful and kept opening the fridge all night to make sure they were still there.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups oil

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

6 medium sized carrots finely grated

1 cup canned crushed pineapple

1 cup nuts walnuts

1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350°F and line or grease muffin tins.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl or mixer combine, eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Mix in carrots pineapple, walnuts and raisins.

Spoon mixture to the top of the muffin tins and bake for 35 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from tin, allow to cool and frost the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz or cream cheese at room temperature

4 Tbs unsalted butter at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl your mixer combine the cream cheese and butter until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed, add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat until smooth between each addition.