The inspiration for these cupcakes came from a bag of shredded carrots that I purchased for another recipe, but did not use. I went into this with the plan of making a classic carrot cake, using pre-packaged spice cake mix and dried cranberries (craisins) instead of raisins as my hubby hates the later. You can never go wrong with pre-packaged cake mix, it always turns out right, is quick and easily made light by using egg whites, applesauce and water instead of oil. (You can even add Flax seeds to the mix if you are feeling frisky.) I accidentally tossed dried cherries into the mix thinking they were craisins and it was the best mistake EVER! They are what make this cupcake awesome! Oh yea, and the lemony light cream cheese frosting.
Cupcake (serves 24)
Ingredients:
- 1 box of spice cake mix (even my weekend bites are pretty quick)
- 3 egg whites
- 1 C water
- 1/4 C applesauce
- 1 C shredded carrots
- 1/2 C crushed pineapple in juice
- 1/3 C chopped, dried cherries
- 1/3 C chopped, roasted pecans
Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Prep your cupcake pan with paper-liners sprayed with non-stick cooking oil. Fill your cupcake liners two-thirds full with the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let cool.
Light Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
- 1 8oz package of light cream cheese (Neufchatel Cheese)
- 1 C confectioners sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- sweetened shredded coconut flakes
Mix the first 3 ingredients together until well combined. Spread about 1 tbsp of frosting onto each cupcake, then sprinkle with shredded coconut.
Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories - 144.6
Fat - 4.7 g
Cholesterol - 7.2 mg
Enjoy!
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