Carrot Cupcakes
1/2 pound carrots
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Glaze
1 medium navel orange
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° while you line a muffin tin with paper cups.
  2. Use a grater to grate the carrots, taking extra care not to scrape your fingers! Set aside.
  3. Measure the flour, salt, spices, and baking soda. Put them all in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly blended. Then, you can add the grated carrots to the bowl and mix to combine.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, combine the eggs and sugars and mix until well combined. Add the oil, and mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Turn the mixer back on and mix until combined.
  5. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners with batter until they are about two-thirds full.
  6. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. While the cupcakes are baking, cut the orange in half.
  8. Use your hands to pick out any seeds from the orange. Then hold one half of it over a medium bowl, cut side down, and squeeze as hard as you can until you get all the juice out. Do it again with the other orange half.
  9. Measure the confectioners' sugar and add it to the bowl. Stir slowly with the whisk (or else the sugar will fly all over). When the glaze is smooth and shiny and there are no lumps, you can glaze the cooled cupcakes.
Makes 12 cupcakes