Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese Icing:
• 2 oz white chocolate
• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 c butter (softened
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t orange extract
• 4 c powdered sugar
• 2 T heavy cream
• Carrot Cake:
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 1/8 c white sugar
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 c shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1 c chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In a saucepan, melt white chocolate. Stir until smooth and allow to cool.
3. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
4. Beat together eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in another bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 c walnuts. Transfer to prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and top with the icing and remaining walnuts.