Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

• 2 oz white chocolate candy
• 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp orange extract
• 4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 2 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/8 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cup carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup crushed canned pineapple
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
4. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract.
5. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
6. Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla.
7. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
8. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
9. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
10. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.