Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup natural applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
- 4 ounces 1/3 fat cream cheese (recommended: Neufchatel)
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift together the first 6 ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped walnuts.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts. The cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator.
4 Videos | Photo: Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe



















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By rooneysteam_9039879
Westlake, OH
on January 22, 2012
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Moist and healthy and has lots of flavor and easy to make. A definite keeper...tks Ellie!
By whattawaffle
santa ana, CA
on January 17, 2012
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Its a "healthy" version of carrot cake, so if you want the fat of everything, you should find a different recipe instead. It's not going to have all the rich flavors you want, but if you are looking for something to satisfy your sweet cravings without guilt, it might work for you
By slo_cook
San Luis Obispo, CA
on January 11, 2012
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Really good carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts but this recipe doesn't rank as a favorite for me. They were way to dense and heavy and I definitely MISSED the butter flavor in both the cake and the cream cheese frosting. The low fat cream cheese in the frosting left a void in the flavor, comfort factor and texture area and the use of apple sauce in the cake took away some of the rich moistness that only comes from the use of fat.
Read all 197 reviews