Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

8
Points®
Total Time
25 min
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
24
Difficulty
Moderate
If you have only one muffin pan, bake the cupcakes in two batches. And if you prefer your cupcakes unfrosted, simply dust them with confectioners’ sugar when cool.

Ingredients

Unprepared white cake mix

18¼ oz, spiced cake variety

Egg

3 item(s), large, beaten

Unsweetened applesauce

½ cup(s)

1% low fat buttermilk

½ cup(s), low-fat

Shredded carrots

2 cup(s)

Crushed pineapple canned in juice

8 oz, drained

Dried currants

¼ cup(s), chopped

Chopped pecans

½ cup(s)

Low fat cream cheese

4 oz, (Neufchâtel)

Powdered sugar (confectioner's)

1½ cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
  2. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cake mix, eggs, applesauce, and buttermilk in a large bowl until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. With a rubber spatula, stir in the carrots, pineapple, currants, and 1/4 cup of the pecans.
  3. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool on the racks.
  4. To make the frosting, with an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the frosting on each cupcake and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining pecans. Yields 1 cupcake per serving.